DOLGELLAU’S Elfyn Evans is looking forward to a “real highlight of the season” as the World Rally Championship heads to Finland.

The 36-year-old is one of only four foreign drivers to know how it feels to have won Rally Finland more than once, having triumphed in 2021 and 2023 with TGR-WRT.

Last year, Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sébastien Ogier joined that same elite club, and the French eight-time world champion sits third in this year’s standings after three wins and two second places from five starts.

Evans, who has seen his championship lead whittled away and now trails Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak by one point, said: “Finland is a brilliant rally and a real highlight of the season for me, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“Nothing quite compares to the feeling of driving on the Finnish stages, especially when you’re at one with the car.

“While it’s a similar event to Estonia in terms of speed, the surface and the character of the roads are quite different, so our test in Finland this week was important to try and find the best setup and feeling behind the wheel.

“It’s always a really enjoyable rally so the biggest thing is to enjoy the driving and hopefully a good result can follow.”

His Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will be looking to fly high on home roads when Rally Finland stages the fastest and most spectacular round of the FIA World Rally Championship on 31 July 31 - 3 August.

The forests of central Finland around the city of Jyväskylä are considered to be rallying’s spiritual home, containing smooth and high-speed gravel roads with frequent jumps and crests that delight drivers and fans alike. They are home territory too for TGR-WRT, which is headquartered just three kilometres across the Jyväsjärvi lake from the service park and has won six of the last seven editions of Rally Finland.

Currently leading the manufacturers’ championship by 52 points, the team will field a full five-strong line-up of GR YARIS Rally1 cars, piloted by a quintet of drivers who all relish competing on the Finnish stages.

The greatest cheers from the local crowds will be reserved for double world champion Kalle Rovanperä, who along with co-driver Jonne Halttunen also hails from Jyväskylä. They continue to dream of a first home victory after an errant rock on their line cruelly caused them to crash out while on course to win one year ago.

Deputy Team principal Juha Kankkunen said: “Rally Finland is a very special event for our whole team.

The atmosphere created by the fans in Jyväskylä and in the forests is amazing, and all of our drivers feel great support there and really enjoy driving the fast Finnish roads.

“They all have the speed to do well and the team is working hard with them during our pre-event testing to make them comfortable and confident with the car so that they can be fast from the start of the rally.

“I’m also looking forward to doing some driving myself with the GR Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept: it’s a very exciting project for our team to be involved in, demonstrating the potential of hydrogen technology with the sound and performance of a proper rally car, and we hope the fans will enjoy it.”