Evans is over Portugal disappointment and focused on Sardinia
Evans topped the standings going into last month’s Rally de Portugal by virtue of his Croatia Rally success three weeks earlier and, under the series’ long-standing but sometimes contentious rule, had the unenviable task of running first on the road throughout the opening day.
Before SS7 – ‘Mortagua’ – the Welshman was sixth overall, 46.6 seconds behind team-mate Kalle Rovanpera who went on to make it back-to-back Rally de Portugal victories and end a barren spell that stretched back to the previous October's New Zealand Rally.
However, Evans’ involvement ended 8.5-miles into the penultimate 11.2-mile test after crashing heavily into trees, and whilst his GR Yaris Rally1 had to be retired such was the extent of the damage, both he and co-driver Scott Martin escaped uninjured.
The two-time World Rally Championship runner-up will have a more favourable starting position for Rally Italia Sardegna and should therefore feature prominently in the fight for silverware if he can alleviate the car balance issues that also hampered him last time out.
“Portugal was a disappointing weekend on my side but we have to put that behind us now, move forward to Sardinia and see what’s possible there,” said the Welshman.
“Our road position will be more favourable than what we started with on the last rally, but we know that it’s a challenging event regardless and one of the rougher rallies of the year. It definitely needs a smart approach but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless.”
Evans is hoping the tweaks that have been made to the competitive route, which includes the meaty 'Monte Lerno' stage, will ensure no one crew runs away with the lead of the Olbia-based competition.
“Like always in Sardinia, they mix up the stages every year,” he said. “A lot of the route is known from before but some of it has not been driven for many years, so there will be a lot of new pace notes to write during the recce – and this very long stage on Friday will of course be key.”
