DOLGELLAU’S Elfyn Evans is determined to land his maiden FIA World Rally Championship as the 2026 campaign gets underway in Monte Carlo on 22-25 January.

Evans embarks on his seventh successive full season with Toyota Gazoo Racing, along with co-driver Scott Martin. Last year’s championship runners-up, they have finished on the podium four times at Rallye Monte-Carlo during their time with the team, including second place in 2025.

After finishing runner-up for a fifth time last year, the 37-year-old said: “After a short turnaround like always, I’m looking forward to the new season and to be hopefully fighting at the sharp end.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a competitive year and we will have to be at our best.

“There’s quite a lot of continuity in terms of the car and the tyres, and although we finished last season in a pretty good place, the team is always working to find improvements and that bit more performance that we as drivers are always asking for.

“Rallye Monte-Carlo is always a bit of an unknown in the sense that you cannot be sure beforehand what conditions you will face.

“It’s a huge challenge and it’s all about adapting as best as you can during the event.”

After a record-breaking 2025 campaign, TGR-WRT enters this year with the goal to defend its manufacturers’, drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles. Not resting on its laurels, the team continues to work on improving the all-conquering GR YARIS Rally1 car.

Making use of the homologation jokers available for the final season of the current Rally1 regulations, the team has focused on developments around aerodynamics and suspension. These include a new rear wing (fitted to the three manufacturer entries for round one) while the introduction of new parts to the suspension system allows for greater setup possibilities.