DOLGELLAU driver Elfyn Evans has enjoyed a great start at the Croatia Rally posting the fastest time through Thursday morning’s shakedown in his Toyota Yaris.

Evans is facing a new challenge on round three of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship, a new venue and his first pure asphalt rally for Toyota Gazoo Racing.

The 32-year-old finished the 4.6km shakedown in Medvedgrad 0.7 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville’s Hyundai i20 and 1.3 seconds better than Championship leader and team-mate Kalle Rovanperä after three runs.

Shakedown was the first opportunity for Evans to sample the sealed-surface roads in a competitive situation.

“It’s quite difficult to go back and forth [from service] so that limits what you can do remotely, but we tried some different map settings and just confirmed the work we did at the test really,” said Evans.

With the stages blending narrow and twisty lanes on worn asphalt with fast open roads on a smooth surface, car set-up has been on everyone’s minds leading up to the event.

“I think there are certain sections of the rally where you would like to have something like a racing car, very free and very hard set-up,” added Evans.

“But then of course there are sections in which you almost need a gravel car to be honest because it’s so dirty. Set-up is definitely a compromise and you need a car that is quite progressive and allows you to feel the grip.”

After this morning’s shakedown close to Zagreb, the rally will begin on Friday morning with the first of 20 stages totalling 300 competitive kilometres over three days.

The first two days take place to the south-west of the city, each one consisting of two loops of four stages split by mid-day service.

Sunday then takes the crews north for a final pair of tests, both to be run twice.