Elfyn Evans experienced a disastrous start to the 2022 WRC season – The solid points in Croatia have been the breakthrough, according to Jari-Matti Latvala
Is the knot finally broken? Elfyn Evans made a particularly poor start to the 2022 World Rally Championship (WRC), but after a 21st-place finish in Monte Carlo and a retirement in Sweden, he turned things around in Croatia, finishing fifth to score solid points for the first time in the Rally1 era with hybrid cars. The Welshman, who was considered a title candidate, nevertheless lies a distant ninth in the overall standings.
Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala believes the 2021 season runner-up can make a breakthrough and prove his good form in Portugal. Still, the mistakes that have massively slowed Evans down so far in the 2022 season need to be addressed. Even in Croatia, he had to deal with two punctures on the first day. Still, Latvala is hopeful that it was the 33-year-old’s spark.
“He needed a solid race and he did the third best time on the power stage, which is why he scored some important points,” said the Toyota team boss. “I’m happy for him that he can now really start the championship in Portugal. We don’t know what will happen in this championship, but he needed a result like this [as in Croatia]. Eflyn has shaken off the monster in his neck now. “
Fifth place and the three extra points from the Powerstage have given the Welshman 13 points, who is 59 points behind leader Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä after three events. With a good starting position at the gravel rally in Portugal, Evans could regain the lead over his rivals at the front.
“They were difficult events and Croatia was no exception, but at least we made it to the finish and covered some kilometres with the car,” said Evans. “The power stage was also difficult and we couldn’t make up more positions with the tyres we had. Under the circumstances, I’m happy with the result. “
Evans has no complaints about the car, however, as he has actually always felt quite comfortable. In Croatia, he said, the Welshman therefore focused on finishing the rally and not making any more mistakes. “We can now look forward and be positive about the event in Portugal,” he says.
While Latvala draws positive conclusions from the Rally Croatia, Evans does not sound so positive, saying that “due to the two punctures on the first day”, he had been driving “somewhere in the middle of nowhere”. “It was stupid to take the risk for nothing. If we had been fighting for a good result, we could have gone to the limit.” In Portugal, Evans wants to start the rally better and finish much further ahead than in Croatia.
