Having arrived as the world championship leader, Elfyn Evans saw the Rally of Croatia to overcome his ranking. At the end of a grueling weekend which he finished in a distant 34th place in the overall standings, the driver Toyota now sits in second place overall, behind today’s winner, Takamoto Katsuta.
Like Oliver Solberg, who was forced to retire in SS1, the Welshman was one of the first victims of the treacherous Balkan asphalt. His rally took a premature turn on Friday morning, with a retirement in SS3. Leading the first two stages, Elfyn Evans was indeed caught out by going straight on. A mistake that seemed to stem from a mix-up with Scott Martin. It was an absolutely crazy rally. recalls the Toyota driver on the AUTO microphoneWeekly. So much has happened. Right up to the end. There have been ups and downs, plenty of twists and turns for the championship. We’ll see how the next rounds unfold. »
Unlike the Swede, who managed to maximize his points on Sunday, Evans leaves Croatia with a disappointing tally of only eight points, earned during Super Sunday and the Power Stage. It’s obviously difficult to miss out on ten points, he admits. Oliver Solberg was clearly faster today. I’m a bit disappointed with the whole weekend, but also with today. Sometimes you have to accept defeat. We need to aim to improve in the next round.”
Now separated from Takamoto Katsuta by seven points and only six points ahead of Oliver Solberg, Elfyn Evans is nevertheless showing signs of improvement. Everything is still to play for in the championship. He says. This is only the beginning of the season. “The Welshman will try to regain the upper hand from April 23rd, the start of the fifth round of the WRCcontested in the Canary Islands.
Interview conducted by Pierre Barré, in Croatia.
ALSO READ > Rally Croatia: Cruel disappointment for Neuville who made a mistake, Katsuta inherits the victory