Last year, the Welshman was left in fifth place on the snowy tracks of Sweden, and the previous season his race ended in a crash. The 2021 Arctic Rally Finland also went poorly.
However, Evans has celebrated victory in Sweden when the 2020 season, shortened due to conditions and dubbed a “gravel rally,” saw the Toyota driver come out on top. Evans got a feel for it from the Arctic Rally a little over a week ago and also managed a test day in Central Finland.
Preparation has been thorough. Now, it’s about whether Evans has finally managed to adapt the Rally1 car to his liking on snow as well.
“Driving on snow and ice is something unique and makes Rally Sweden a very specific event. In the past I’ve had some good performance there, and we’ve been working to try and improve my feeling with the car from last year’s event,” Evans sums up.
“Our pre-event running in Finland has been really useful to get some time on snow before Sweden: it’s given us the chance to try a few things and I think we have managed to make some good steps.”
In Sweden, the car must essentially be adjusted for two different types of conditions. On the first loop, the stages are always in prime condition for the leading drivers, but the conditions can be quite harsh on the second loop.
“The conditions can vary quite a lot during the rally, with gravel coming through on the second pass of stages, and that’s something key to get right,” Evans contemplates.
Evans also faces the disadvantage of being the second car on Friday’s stages.
“Starting second on the road with fast drivers behind will not be easy but we’ll do our best like always and try to get the most out of the weekend.”
Rally Sweden kicks off with a shakedown on Thursday morning. The actual race starts on Thursday evening with a spectator stage on the outskirts of Umeå city centre.
The rally will feature a total of 18 special stages, covering just over 300 kilometres.
