Toyota Gazoo Racing wins the Finland Rally and takes the drivers title on PortalAutomotriz.com

With two rounds remaining, this British duo is now the only team that can surpass teammates Sebastien Ogier and Julian Ingracia, who finished fifth this weekend.

This fight for the lead means only one thing: Toyota has ensured that one of its drivers has won the title for the third year in a row. In addition, with this result, he also took a step to win the constructors’ championship.

On this return to Finland in the World Rally Championship, Evans was the best placed driver at the end of the opening day, and on Saturday morning he rose to the top with four stage wins, bringing a 9.1sec lead on the final day.

Since Sunday’s opening rounds, he set the fastest times to increase his margin and took the fastest win in the final strength stage of the rally, earning a maximum of five bonus points.

The result means that the meticulously built Toyota Yaris WRC in Jyväskylä has maintained its unbeatable record on its home roads since its debut in 2017. Additionally, this was the 25th overall win in the WRC, in what was its last event. . in gravel prior to the introduction of the new 2022 technical regulations.

But that wasn’t all, it was also Toyota’s 200th podium at WRC, making it the third manufacturer to reach that number.

With his second win of the season, Evans narrowed the gap with championship leader Ogier to 24 points with a maximum of 60 points available. In the constructors’ championship, Toyota’s advantage increased to 61 points.

Ogier achieved his main goal this weekend, which is to reach the finish line and score as many points as possible towards the championship. For their part, Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm took fourth place.

Finally, Kalle Rovanperä and TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta were able to restart on Sunday and gain more experience on their first outings in Rally Finland.

“In the 2021 season, we had four rallies on our soil: in Japan, where the Yaris was developed and produced; in Estonia, where the team has a factory; and twice in Finland, where the team is. Kale and Johnny won in Estonia.This Rally of Finland takes place in Jyväskylä, where the team is located, so it’s an “at home” event, and since Rally Japan was canceled, team founder Akio Toyoda said, “We definitely wanted to win this rally. I really hope our fans and the whole team are all smiling at the end of the season!”

“Winning in Rally Finland is always very special and even more so for our team, so we are very happy to win here again. The competition was stronger here this year, but Elfyn’s performance shows we had a fast car. He can be very proud of his victory. In the drivers’ championship, it’s now only between Sepp and Elvin, and the designer’s championship looks very good to us,” commented Jari-Matti Latvala, Team Principal.

“It is very special for the whole team to win the rally at home. I am very happy and grateful to the team for all their work, it was a great weekend. I feel lucky to have been able to drive this car on this car,” said Elvin Evans, driver of car number 33.