ELFYN Evans left Croatia Rally with valuable points despite a difficult weekend, dropping to second in the FIA World Rally Championship standings after salvaging a strong Super Sunday performance.

The asphalt event returned to the WRC calendar after a year away and proved as unforgiving as ever, with loose gravel dragged onto the stages making conditions treacherous despite dry weather. Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were among those caught out on Friday morning, sliding off the road and immediately dropping out of overall contention.

From that point, Evans was forced into recovery mode, focusing on scoring what points remained available rather than fighting for victory. The Welshman responded with a composed and determined drive, building confidence across the weekend and delivering his strongest performance on Sunday.

On the final day, Evans showed his pace by finishing second on Super Sunday and again second on the rally-ending Power Stage, banking a valuable haul of bonus points. That effort ensured he emerged from Croatia just seven points adrift of new championship leader Takamoto Katsuta.

At the front, Katsuta claimed his second consecutive victory for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team after a dramatic final stage, while teammate Sami Pajari completed a superb one-two finish for the squad. Evans and fellow TGR-WRT driver Oliver Solberg underlined the team’s strength by claiming maximum Sunday points, extending Toyota’s manufacturers’ championship lead to 65 points.

Reflecting on the rally, Evans admitted it had been a challenging event: “It hasn’t been an ideal weekend for us after getting caught out on Friday morning.

“At least we were able to take some points today. It’s been a tough rally, but sometimes these things happen and now the focus is on bouncing back stronger at the next event.”

Another asphalt adventure follows at Rally Islas Canarias on April 23-26.