Elfyn Evans has endured a mixed season in the World Rally Championship and hasn’t scored a top 10 finish in the last two events.
The British driver started the season superbly, claiming a podium at the Monte Carlo Rally and second place at Rally Sweden in the WRC.
Evans is fourth in the standings heading into Rally Chile and is looking to rebuild his campaign in the final three rounds of the year for Toyota.
Rally Chile is the final event on gravel, and Evans explained that the rally shares some unlikely characteristics with Wales Rally GB when speaking to the official WRC YouTube channel.
Elfyn Evans believes Rally Chile has got a ‘similar character to Rally GB’
Rally Chile is a very unforgiving event that has been dominated by Ott Tanak over the past two events last season and in 2019.
The narrow roads and changeable weather conditions can make the rally unpredictable, as there is little room for error. Some drivers in the field are also wary of Rally Chile’s high tyre wear and abrasive surface.
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Wales Rally GB hasn’t been on the calendar since 2019, but Evans believes the event is surprisingly very similar to Rally Chile.
He said: “It’s actually got a similar character to Rally GB, believe it or not. There are very nice roads out there, but we also know that certain legs of the rally are very abrasive.
“If the weather is dry, it means that tyre wear can be a massive consideration despite the stages being quite fast and fluent. The weather has a massive part to play in what the outlook of the rally would be like.”
Elfyn Evans is still chasing his first victory of the season in the WRC
Evans has been very fast throughout the 2024 season, taking four podiums, with his last trophy coming at Rally Poland in June.
The Toyota driver’s lacklustre two rounds at Rally Finland and the Acropolis Rally have eliminated the British driver from championship contention.
He can still play a crucial part in Toyota winning the Manufacturers’ Championship after the Japanese outfit were overtaken by Hyundai.
Evans will have to return to form and he has performed well in Chile in the past, taking third place last season.