WRC
Evans refuses to discount Pajari as WRC title pressure builds
Elfyn Evans insists he has never discounted Sami Pajari as an FIA World Rally Championship title contender, despite extending his advantage over the Finn to 30 points at Secto Rally Finland.
Evans left Jyväskylä with an unlikely third-place finish after rolling his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 on Saturday afternoon. Spectators helped return the car to the road before Toyota’s mechanics completed extensive repairs, allowing the Welshman to continue and eventually recover to the podium.
Given the circumstances, Evans admitted the result felt more like an escape than a conventional success.
“I was happy to come away with anything, really, after what happened,” he said. “I count myself lucky, there’s no question. You don’t get away with many of those.
“Driving-wise, things had been going really well, and they went well again afterwards. But part of the game is not making mistakes. Obviously, we made one and were lucky to get away with it.”
Evans’ recovery, helped by the unusually mixed conditions and high attrition across the weekend, allowed him to increase his championship lead from 25 to 30 points.
© Toyota
“In Finland, of all places, you would never expect to lose one minute and 30 seconds and still finish on the podium,” he added. “It’s mad.
“The weather played such havoc on Friday afternoon that it opened up all these opportunities.”
Yet Evans is taking little comfort from the size of his advantage with four rounds still remaining and 35 points available at each.
Pajari’s second consecutive victory, following his breakthrough success in Estonia, has strengthened his position as Evans’ closest challenger. The championship leader believes the 24-year-old’s recent form is a natural progression rather than a sudden breakthrough.
“I think he’s been doing really well,” Evans explained. “He received some unfair criticism towards the end of last year and at the start of this year, especially after Monte Carlo.
“It’s not easy to come into the top class, and everybody develops at a different rate. In many ways, the expectation now is that everybody can do what Kalle did.
“Some people just take longer to reach a consistent level of performance, and Sami is really showing that now. I’ve never discounted him as a championship challenger, so nothing has changed from my side.”
Evans expects conditions to play a decisive role as the championship heads next to Paraguay and Chile.
Running first on the road could make rain beneficial on loose gravel, but he warned that wet weather could also create unpredictable rallies.
“If it rains in Paraguay or Chile, those rallies can immediately turn into a lottery because the grip is so low and so changeable,” he said. “In Chile, of course, rain normally brings fog with it as well.
“From a performance point of view, we’re all hoping for rain, but at the same time it would blow everything wide open.”
Evans’ Finland escape carried an additional twist. His father, former British champion Gwyndaf Evans, was spectating at the precise location where the Toyota left the road.
“He was spectating there, and I happened to choose the exact spot where he was standing to put the car on its roof,” Evans smiled.
“It’s never happened to me before, and I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
