ELFYN Evans faces the challenge of opening the road on gravel once more at the FIA World Rally Championship heads to Chile.

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will target further success on South American soil when Rally Chile hosts round 11 of the championship on 11-14 September.

Following a one-two finish on a demanding debut Rally del Paraguay, TGR-WRT makes the trip across the Andes to Chile with a lead of 100 points in the manufacturers’ championship and three of its drivers covered by just nine points at the head of the fight for the title.

After finishing second in Paraguay, Evans and co-driver Scott Martin have a lead of seven points over Kalle Rovanperä, the winner in Chile in 2024, with Paraguay victor Sébastien Ogier two points further behind.

Dolgellau’s Evans said: “After a tough rally we found some good improvements on the final day in Paraguay and the result wasn’t too bad in the end.

“It means we’re still leading the championship and opening the road on gravel once more in Chile.

“Let’s see how the weather is there: if it’s dry we could face the usual challenge on Friday, but if it rains it’s not so dissimilar to somewhere like Wales in terms of how muddy and slippery it can get, and then it’s not so bad to be first.

“Either way, the roads are really enjoyable to drive: Friday’s stages are technical with a lot of crests and quite like Finland, while the others are wider and more open, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Ogier is set to start his 200th WRC event in Chile, becoming only the second driver in championship history to reach the milestone after Team Principal, Jari-Matti Latvala.

Five GR YARIS Rally1 cars will be in action, with Takamoto Katsuta at the wheel of a fourth TGR-WRT entry while Sami Pajari competes under the TGR-WRT2 banner at an event where he made just his second Rally1 appearance one year ago.

Paraguay and Chile are defined as linked rallies by the regulations, meaning that transmission components such as gearbox and differentials must remain sealed and used across both events.

The five GR YARIS Rally1 cars were rebuilt and prepared over three days in Encarnacíon earlier this week before being transported by road for the journey of around 2500 kilometres to Concepción.

Rally Chile is a more familiar challenge for teams and drivers, with this being the WRC’s fourth visit to the country. The gravel roads in the forests of the Biobío region surrounding the Pacific port city of Concepción – located about 500 kilometres to the south of capital city Santiago – combine fast and technical sections with a mix of smooth and abrasive surfaces.

The rally route is identical is that of 2024, totalling 306.76 competitive kilometres. Shakedown and a ceremonial start in Concepción on Thursday are followed on Friday by an opening loop of three stages to the south-east, to be repeated after mid-day service.

The rest of the weekend’s action takes place across the Biobío River to the south: Saturday is the longest day of the rally with 139.2 km to be driven across two loops of three stages separated by service, while Sunday features a pair of stages run twice without service.