Frustrated at Monte-Carlo, Elfyn Evans is only hungry for victory in Sweden

Elfyn Evans' bad luck dogged him again at Monte-Carlo. Only driver in the rhythm of Sébastien Ogier at the beginning of rally, the Welshman saw his chances of victory reduced to ashes after a puncture during the 5th special. The double world vice-champion, in difficulty last season, finally finished 4th on the “Monte-Carl’”. A good result but rather disappointing in view of the potential observed during the first stages.

Pas de quoi décourager Elfyn Evans. Le pilote Toyota a digéré cette déception et est déjà prêt à repartir à l’assaut. Le Britannique n’a plus remporté de rallye depuis la Finlande… en octobre 2021. Une éternité pour celui qui fait partie des favris légitimes cette saison. Pour mettre fin à cette disette longue d’un an et demi, le natif de Dolgellau ne sera pas avare en efforts en Suède (10-12 février), une épreuve sur laquelle il s’est déjà imposé par le passé. “We took victory in Sweden in 2020, but it was in slightly different circumstances and in a different locationhe said. However, we are still aiming for the top step of the podium. We haven't been up there much lately, so we're looking forward to fixing that. »

Without Sébastien Ogier who will be absent in the Karlstad region and with Kalle Rovanperä who will have to open the road, Elfyn Evans will have his card to play in Umeå. The 2023 version of the Toyota Yaris GR seems to be better built than its two competitors (16 special stage victories out of 18 contested in Monte-Carlo) and the Welshman has acclimatized perfectly to his new mount.

The 2020 and 2021 world vice-champion remains on his guard despite everything. “ It's almost impossible to have a perfect car all the timehe said. You have to have a car that adapts and it is not always easy to find all the solutions. As we know from snow and ice, ultimately the grip is not always very high, even with the help of the tires, but it can be the case in a sense. This remains one of the fastest rallies on the calendar, especially since we moved a little further north to Sweden. I think the stages are even faster. We have some new unpublished tests, but it will be a very fast rally for sure! »

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