AFRER a difficult couple of events for various reasons, Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin are definitely looking for a more positive outcome as the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team travels to Rally Chile for round 11 of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship on September 26-29
The team is targeting a strong result on South American roads as it continues the championship fight.
Following a demanding Acropolis Rally Greece earlier this month where its performance went unrewarded, the team is highly motivated to bounce back. It has assembled a strong driver line-up to fight for victory in Chile, with Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier all present and nominated to compete for manufacturers’ points.
World champions Rovanperä and Ogier have both won three rallies this year, tallies they were unlucky not to add to on their most recent starts in Finland and Greece respectively, and Evans is similarly eager to return to top form following an unfortunate couple of events.
.jpeg?width=209&height=140&crop=209:145,smart&quality=75)
Dolgellau driver Evans said: “I really enjoy driving the roads in Chile and I’m looking forward to the event.
“There’s a bit of a mix in character from day to day: the first is a bit more technical with crests, quite similar to Finland in a way, and then the second is a bit more wide and open, even a little like Wales.
“It was quite a strong event for us last year in terms of pace at least.
”We just underestimated how abrasive it would be in the dry conditions, which cost us a chance to challenge for victory, so we need to keep that in mind depending on how the weather is when we get there.
]”After a difficult couple of events for various reasons, we’re definitely looking for a more positive outcome at the end of the weekend.”
Chile returned to the WRC calendar last year, four years after its 2019 debut, with a rally based in Concepción around 500 kilometres to the south of capital city, Santiago. The gravel roads in the forests of the surrounding Biobío region combine technical and faster sections with a mix of smooth and abrasive surfaces.
After shakedown and a ceremonial start in Concepción on Thursday, the rally will begin on Friday with a familiar loop of three stages to the south-east to be repeated following mid-day service. The rest of the rally’s stages take place across the Biobío River to the south, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Saturday is the longest day with 139.2 competitive kilometres across another two loops of three stages, and includes sections not driven previously – as does Sunday when two stages will be driven twice without mid-day service.