Welsh driver Elfyn Evans has started his bid to clinch the World Rally Championship crown by the weekend.
He stands to make history as the first Welsh driver to take this tough global series as the Mid-Wales driver in the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team with rivals Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä who will face off to be crowned world champion when the all-new Rally Saudia Arabia stages the final and deciding round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship over the next few days.
This has been a record-breaking year for TGR-WRT: their 12 wins from the 13 rounds held so far equal the best tally achieved by a manufacturer in a single season. Having already clinched a fifth consecutive manufacturers’ title, the team are now preparing for three of its crews to battle one last time to win the drivers’ and co-drivers’ crowns.
In pursuit of their first world titles, Evans (above) and co-driver Scott Martin currently lead the standings following an highly consistent campaign to this point, in which they have finished every rally inside the top six. That has included two wins and six other podiums, with four successive second places in the last four events.
Just three points behind after winning a tight battle with Evans for victory on the previous event at Rally Japan, Ogier has a chance to achieve a record-equalling ninth world championship and a first for co-driver Vincent Landais. Together they have been on the podium in nine of the 10 rounds they have started this year, winning six of them.
Also in contention to claim what would be a third world title are Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen. After three wins and two other podiums this season, Rovanperä will hope to be able to close a deficit of 24 points in what will be his final WRC start before he makes a groundbreaking switch to compete in single-seater circuit racing with the support of TGR next year.
The Saudi Arabia line-up of GR Yaris Rally1 cars also includes Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston and the TGR-WRT2 crew of Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen, fresh from taking their maiden WRC podium at Rally Japan.
For the final round of the season, the four main TGR-WRT entries will once more be decked out in the silver livery previously used for the European summer rallies. As well as proving popular with fans, the lighter shade helps to keep the cars and crews cooler between stages by reflecting more of the heat from the sun, which will form part of the considerable challenge on the WRC’s first visit to Saudi Arabia.
Based in the city of Jeddah, the event provides a trip into the unknown for the crews with organisers promising a mix of mountain, volcano and desert terrain. Some of the gravel roads are expected to be relatively smooth and fast with a hard base, while desert sections will be softer and others will be rough and rocky. This character can change within each stage, requiring a compromise in both car setup and driving style between speed and reliability.
