Time to assert himself for Elfyn Evans: "We are fighting for the championship titles"

The Welshman is preparing to contest his eleventh Rallye Monte-Carlo in the WRC to launch a pivotal season in his career. Expected in 2024 as Toyota's best chance, he disappointed, which does not prevent him from being ambitious.

Published 20/01/2025 à 14:44

Cyprien Juilhard

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Time to assert himself for Elfyn Evans: "We are fighting for the championship titles"

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Thierry Neuville finally ended his curse by winning his first World Rally Championship after five second places. The Poulidor of WRC has left that unflattering nickname by the wayside, but another rider could well pick it up in the process. By winning in Japan at the final round of the 2024 season, Elfyn Evans (Toyota) doubled on the wire Ott Tanak (Hyundai) to finish runner-up for the fourth time in his career. The Welshman is also a regular in the runner-up category and has yet to taste the flavour of a title. However, he had a golden opportunity to achieve this in 2024, thanks to a field of only six full-time drivers, which did not include double defending champion Kalle Rovanperä.

In the absence of the Finn, who needed a breather, Toyota relied on Elfyn Evans, who was propelled to the lead alongside the Japanese Takamoto Katsuta. The former driver M-Sport did not exist, or barely,: with only one victory in Japan when the championship was already over, Evans was unable to get involved in the fight for the title. Worse still, he forced Toyota to beg Sébastien Ogier to participate in more rounds, despite the lack of motivation of the Frenchman, to try to retain the team title, finally obtained by three points against Hyundai.

Elfyn Evans aims high for 2025

Two months after his success in Japan, the ninth of his WRC career, Elfyn Evans is back for a sixth season with the Japanese manufacturer, which he will have to start on the right foot in Monte-Carlo, where he took third place last year. “Starting a new season, the goal is as always to give the best of ourselves to win.” assures the Cardiff native. “We have a strong team for 2025 and the goal, from my point of view, remains to fight for victories in rally and for the championship titles.”

Accompanied by three other full-time drivers (Rovenperä, Katsuta, Pajari), Elfyn Evans will have to make a strong impression to maintain Toyota's confidence and believe in his chances of winning the title, at 36 years old. His conquest will begin on the roads of France for the Monte-Carlo (23 – 26 January), an event he has never yet won.

“With the introduction of a new tyre supplier and some changes in the technical regulations, there will be some adaptation and learning to do on all surfaces,” Evans is wary.But it’s the same for everyone and we just have to do the best we can to be as ready as possible. Rallye Monte-Carlo is the event with the largest choice of tyres available and with the limited testing allowed, it’s not possible to try the tyres in all the different conditions. It’s always an extremely difficult rally and adapting to the conditions and making the right decisions at the right time will be more essential than ever.” Also essential to get a very important season off to a good start for the Welshman's future.

ALSO READ > Route, timetables, entrants… The complete guide to the 2025 Monte-Carlo Rally

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