Elfyn Evans Dominates Warm-Up Before Rally Estonia

Elfyn Evans completed his Rally Estonia preparations with a commanding victory at the Lõuna-Eesti Rally after competing as the only Rally1 driver in the field.

The world championship leader finished more than two minutes clear of Karl Volver, meaning the fight for overall victory was never genuinely open. Former WRC competitor Egon Kaur completed the podium in third, while Joosep Nõgene finished fourth as he also used the event to prepare for next week’s WRC round.

Evans set the fastest time on nine of the rally’s ten special stages. The only setback came on the final test, where a puncture left him fourth fastest, but the overall advantage he had already built meant the victory was never under threat.

Read AlsoSebastien Ogier Rejects FIA WRC Kit Compromise

Toyota Gazoo Racing also took a positive signal on fast gravel, with the top four finishers all driving Rally2 machinery from the Japanese manufacturer. For Evans, the main objective was not chasing stage times aggressively, but finding the right set-up for Rally Estonia’s road profile.

“It was a good test ahead of Rally Estonia because the roads are quite similar. In events like this you’re always trying different things. Overall, it was a pretty good rally.”

Co-driver Scott Martin was also satisfied with the weekend’s work, especially as changing weather allowed the crew to test set-ups in real conditions.

“The weather was a bit unpredictable. One moment the sun was shining and the next it was raining. Overall, it was a really enjoyable and very useful rally because we were able to try plenty of different set-ups in real conditions, especially on the second pass.”

“It was a fun event, and the spectators seemed to enjoy it as well. Hopefully we gave them something good to watch. Some of the stages felt fantastic from inside the car, so hopefully they looked just as spectacular from the outside,” Martin told Delfi.

Martin explained that the puncture came right at the end of the final stage, after the car had a small moment and came close to spinning. The crew still managed to drive the car to the finish without losing the overall victory.

“We had a small moment and were very close to spinning. That’s when we punctured the tyre, but we managed to drive it to the finish. In the end, we got away with it relatively lightly,” he said with a grin.

The win gives Evans a strong competitive preparation before Rally Estonia, particularly in validating set-up work on fast gravel and in mixed weather conditions. As the world championship leader, the Lõuna-Eesti Rally result provides important momentum before the next WRC round.