WRC Sweden test delivers “good steps” forward for Evans

To prepare for the WRC’s only round on snow, the title contender entered the Arctic Lapland Rally last weekend in Finland ahead of a pre-event test this week.

Evans came out victorious in Lapland after Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera suffered a technical fault in the last stage. Rovanpera had set the pace in the rally to hold a lead of nearly a minute over Evans heading into the final test.

While Evans showed flashes of speed in Lapland, he left the rally admitting that he had work to do ahead of Sweden next week.

“I’m still not at one with everything even though we made some good steps at some points in the rally,” said 2020 Rally Sweden winner Evans at the finish in Lapland last Saturday.

“I’m still struggling with the car in certain areas to be honest.

“Some things are working OK but in others I’m struggling a bit more. It seems to be this case with this car on the snow from the beginning. There is still some work to do.

“There are always things we can do and I’m a driver that likes the car to perform in a certain way.”

However, following this week’s pre-event test, Evans is confident he has made progress in unlocking pace on snow ahead of Rally Sweden, where he will start second on the road.

“Driving on snow and ice is something unique and makes Rally Sweden a very specific event,” he said.

“In the past I’ve had some good performance there, and we’ve been working to try and improve my feeling with the car from last year’s event.

“Our pre-event running in Finland has been really useful to get some time on snow before Sweden: it’s given us the chance to try a few things and I think we have managed to make some good steps.

“The conditions can vary quite a lot during the rally, with gravel coming through on the second pass of stages, and that’s something key to get right.

“Starting second on the road with fast drivers behind will not be easy but we’ll do our best like always and try to get the most out of the weekend.”