WRC, Sportrik Media - Elfyn Evans heads into Croatia Rally 2026 as the drivers’ championship leader with Toyota Gazoo Racing, facing a significantly revised event that marks the first pure asphalt round of the season and a key phase in the title battle.
The rally returns to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar after a one-year absence, featuring major structural changes. The base has shifted from Zagreb to Rijeka and the Grobnik Circuit, with more than 75 percent of the route newly designed compared to the 2024 edition. The event retains its demanding nature, combining narrow technical roads, frequent grip changes, and significant elevation variation.
Evans arrives with 66 points, holding an eight-point advantage over team-mate Oliver Solberg, while Safari Rally Kenya winner Takamoto Katsuta sits just three points further behind. Toyota also leads the manufacturers’ standings on 157 points, ahead of Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT on 114.
The Welsh driver’s record in Croatia strengthens his position heading into the weekend. He claimed victory in 2023 and finished runner-up by just 0.6 seconds during the rally’s inaugural WRC appearance in 2021. Despite suffering a retirement in Kenya, Evans still secured six points on Super Sunday to maintain his championship lead.
“Croatia has been a good rally for us in the past, so it’s nice to be going back there. It’s always been a rally with a lot of surface changes and grip variation, but there are more unknowns this year with the move towards the coast,” Evans said.
He also highlighted the broader strategic challenge facing teams as Croatia opens a sequence of back-to-back asphalt rallies, requiring preparation that extends beyond a single event.
“In our test we had quite wet and muddy conditions, which could reflect what we’ll face, but we also had to think ahead to the Canaries, with some components linked between the two rallies,” he added.
Behind Evans, the competitive picture remains open. Solberg demonstrated strong pace in Kenya before being halted by technical issues, while Katsuta arrives with momentum following his maiden WRC victory. The Japanese driver has consistently finished inside the top six in Croatia and has multiple stage wins at the event.
Hyundai’s challenge is led by Adrien Fourmaux, who secured both his and the team’s first podium of the season in Kenya. Thierry Neuville returns to an event where he has shown speed but missed out on victory, while Hayden Paddon prepares for his Croatia Rally debut this season.
Toyota’s line-up is further strengthened by Sami Pajari, arriving on the back of consecutive podium finishes. Meanwhile, M-Sport Ford fields Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean, with Armstrong returning to the country where he previously achieved success in the European Rally Championship.
The rally begins on Friday, featuring 20 stages covering approximately 300 kilometres across the regions of Istria, Karlovac, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar. The stages combine technical sections, rapid surface transitions, and potentially unpredictable weather conditions, all of which are expected to play a decisive role.
Elevation changes add further complexity, particularly on stages such as Platak, which climb above 1200 metres above sea level and are susceptible to rapidly changing weather. Friday’s action is centred in Istria, Saturday includes a remote service in Karlovac, while Sunday concludes near the Adriatic coast with the new Alan - Senj Wolf Power Stage.
With a revised route, tightening championship margins, and the transition to asphalt conditions, Croatia Rally 2026 represents a pivotal moment in shaping the trajectory of the WRC title fight as the season progresses into its next phase.
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