Evans plays down World Rally Championship lead
Article excerpt
Halfway through the World Rally Championship season, leader Elfyn Evans is tempering expectations about his points advantage, describing the competition as "wide open." Despite holding the top spot in the standings, Evans is cautious about his prospects going forward, suggesting that multiple drivers remain capable of mounting serious title challenges. His comments underscore the volatile nature of rally racing, where a single mistake or mechanical failure can dramatically reshape the championship picture. The Welsh driver's measured assessment reflects the reality that consistency and reliability, not raw speed alone, will determine the eventual champion.
Elfyn Evans (right) and co-driver Scott Martin won Rally Japan for the third time in four years [Getty Images]
Leader Elfyn Evans insists the World Rally Championship (WRC) is "wide open" at the halfway point of the season.
The Welshman's victory at Rally Japan last weekend saw him extend his lead over Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta to 20 points.
Evans, 37, is a five-time WRC runner-up and was beaten by Sebastien Ogier in the final rally of the 2025 in Saudi Arabia.
"Obviously it's been a mixed start to the year, but some good performances along the way," Evans told S4C's Newyddion.
"But the points gap, especially considering how many bonus points or extra championship points are available through the Super Sunday classifications, then it's not a very comfortable lead.
"We saw last year that with so many points available and quite a lot of rallies left, even though we have a small advantage, it doesn't mean too much at this stage."
Evans extends WRC lead with victory in Japan
Evans faces gravel conundrum in world title bid
Evans is looking forward to the next challenge - Acropolis Rally Greece from 25-28 June - where he finished fourth last year.
The Dinas Mawddwy driver describes the rally as "rough, hot and rocky" and acknowledges that things can go wrong over the four days.
Rally Japan was the last event of the season on tarmac with the remaining seven rallies on gravel, which Evans has identified as the weakest point of previous seasons.
"I don't really have a favourite surface," Evans added.
"But it's also true that now we're heading into the summer of gravel, as they like to refer to it, and normally that means a lot of dry gravel rallies.
"What will be a disadvantage is the road position, then as championship leaders we have to open the road.
"What you tend to find is the road is being swept with every car that passes, so that gives an advantage to those running further back.
"So part of the challenges that we face now for the second half of the year is to cope with that disadvantage of running first and we have to try and cope with that the best we can in order to perform well for the rest of the season."