Elfyn Evans Urges Hankook Reliability Step

Elfyn Evans believes Hankook has made progress with its latest gravel tyre, but insists reliability remains the key area requiring further improvement.

Tyre durability again became a major talking point at Rally Greece, even after Hankook introduced an update before the event. The Korean manufacturer revised the tyre after Rally Portugal by strengthening the tread, while leaving its other main characteristics unchanged.

Evans described the Acropolis Rally as the toughest test for any tyre because of the extreme road profile. According to the world championship leader, every crew faced the same conditions, but reliability must remain the highest priority when the championship has a single tyre supplier.

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“We knew what we were coming into. Rally Greece has been part of the championship for a long time, so you always have to treat this event as the worst-case scenario for the tyres. Everyone is in the same situation.”

Punctures have always been part of Rally Greece, but they again had a major effect on the outcome. Evans suffered punctures that dropped him out of contention, while Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville also lost his chance of victory after a late puncture.

“When there’s only one tyre supplier in the championship, the most important thing above everything else is tyre reliability.”

“Even if the performance isn’t perfect – and of course we all want a tyre that matches the capability of the car – reliability is more important. You don’t want punctures to be a constant concern.”

Evans said the issue has been known for some time. He suggested that tyre reliability may have been overlooked and not given the level of priority it deserved, even if Hankook’s latest update represented a step forward.

“It’s been known for a long time, but I think it’s been overlooked a little and perhaps hasn’t been given the priority it deserves.”

“That’s a fair assessment. They’ve made a change, but there’s certainly a lot more work still to do.”

Evans’ comments place tyre reliability as a key technical issue before the next phase of the WRC season. For Toyota, further Hankook progress will be crucial to maintaining consistent performance on harsher gravel rallies.