TOYOTA Gazoo Racing World Rally Team shifts its focus to asphalt as the Croatia Rally hosts round four of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship on April 9–12 — and all eyes will be on championship leader Elfyn Evans as he returns to one of his strongest events.

Croatia marks the start of a demanding run of rallies, with three events in five weeks and three asphalt rounds across the next two months. After Croatia’s notoriously tricky sealed‑surface stages, the teams head to Rally Islas Canarias just a fortnight later, before switching briefly back to gravel in Portugal and then returning to asphalt for Rally Japan at the end of May.

Back on the WRC calendar after a year’s absence, the Croatia Rally is renowned for its unpredictable grip levels and its mix of tight, technical sections and fast, flowing roads.

This year brings a major shake‑up: the rally base moves from Zagreb to Rijeka on the Adriatic coast, with the service park at the Grobnik racing circuit. Only three stages remain from previous editions, meaning crews face almost entirely new terrain — and the same threat of rapidly changing weather.

Following Thursday’s ceremonial start in central Rijeka, Friday features two loops of four stages on the Istrian peninsula. Saturday brings another eight stages to the east of the city, with a tyre‑fitting zone in Karlovac, before Sunday’s finale overlooking the Kvarner Gulf.

For Evans and co-driver Scott Martin, the event offers familiar opportunity despite unfamiliar roads. The Dolgellau driver has an excellent record in Croatia, winning in 2023 and finishing runner‑up twice.

He arrives leading the drivers’ standings by eight points over team‑mate Oliver Solberg, with Takamoto Katsuta just three points further back after his breakthrough win in Kenya. TGR‑WRT also holds a commanding 43‑point lead in the manufacturers’ championship, while Sami Pajari continues his strong form for TGR‑WRT2 after podiums in Sweden and Kenya.

Evans said: “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 with that a lot of grip changes, but there are more unknowns this year with the event moving towards the coast.”

The 36 year old added: “We will have to see what the new stages are like when we get there, and write plenty of new pacenotes during the recce.

“In our test we had quite wet and muddy conditions, which could be representative of what we’ll face in the rally, but we were also having to think ahead towards the Canaries with some parts linked between the two rallies. Like always, we aim to fight for the best result possible.”

Team Principal Jari‑Matti Latvala added: “We have a good record in Croatia so we are looking forward to returning there after a year away, and also to taking on some new roads in a different part of the country.

“Usually we’ve seen the weather play a big role in the event and our drivers have experienced a wide range of conditions between them in pre-event testing. When the grip levels are changing, a driver can make a big difference if they’re feeling confident.”