PREVIEW: Can Evans keep the WRC title fight alive at Rally Spain?

Two rounds to go, and just two drivers remain in the FIA World Rally Championship title fight as the destiny of the 2022 crown reaches a potentially decisive point on the asphalt of Rally Spain this weekend.

Sebastien Ogier can seal his eighth WRC drivers’ title in nine seasons at Rally Spain (Oct. 15-17). The only man who can deny him and take the battle into a final-round decider on Italy’s Monza Rally next month is his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate, Elfyn Evans (pictured above).

The contrast could not be greater. Frenchman Ogier has dominated the WRC over the last decade, delivering 53 rally wins in his career, and is now in his final season before stepping back from full-time competition.

Evans secured his fifth WRC event win on the super-fast gravel roads of Rally Finland two weeks ago and is desperate for a maiden world title after losing out to Ogier last season. Back then, the Welshman started the final round at Italy’s legendary Monza circuit with a points lead over Ogier, but ended in despair after crashing out.

This time around, Ogier carries a 24-point advantage in his Yaris World Rally Car onto the fast, flowing asphalt in the hills behind Catalunya’s Daurada coast, south of Barcelona. With a maximum of 30 points available this weekend (25 for the overall win, and five for fastest time on Sunday’s closing Power Stage), the crown will stay in France if he outscores Evans by seven points.

It’s the third straight season that Toyota is guaranteed the drivers’ championship and Ogier, a three-time Rally Spain winner, will come out fighting.

“Spain will be the first realistic chance for me to claim the title and I know what I need to do to make it happen,” he says. “When I have the chance to win, I try to fight for it, and this will be the simplest way to achieve our goal.”

Evans, who is yet to win a WRC event on asphalt, isn’t giving up on his chase of his legendary teammate and is fired up by his Finland success.

“The win on Rally Finland was a great result for us,” he says. “The drivers’ title is still a long shot, but once more we’ll be giving our best in Spain and trying to get the best possible result there.”

On Thursday’s pre-rally shakedown, Ogier set fastest time in his Yaris WRC, stopping the clock at 2m33.6s on the 2.68-mile test. But with Evans just 0.2s behind, get ready for an intense intra-team duel in Catalunya.

Ogier made his intentions clear with a scorching Shakedown run for Toyota. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Ogier, Evans and their teammate, 21-year-old Finn Kalle Rovanpera, can also regain the WRC manufacturers’ title for Toyota on the event. It holds a 61-point lead over Hyundai Motorsport, and if that advantage remains above 52 at Sunday’s finish, the Japanese manufacturer can begin the celebrations.

Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, the winner in Spain when the rally was last held in 2019, Estonian Ott Tanak and home hero Dani Sordo are the drivers charged by Hyundai with keeping the manufacturers’ battle alive in their trio of i20 Coupe WRCs. Neuville set third-fastest time at Shakedown, just 0.4s off Ogier’s benchmark, with Sordo (+0.6s) and Tanak (+0.8s) completing an ultra-close top five that hints at an ultra-close lead fight through the weekend.

Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith carry M-Sport Ford’s hopes in a pair of Fiesta World Rally Cars, and despite not testing prior to the event, Shakedown times just 1.3s and 1.4s off Ogier’s pace, respectively, gave cause for some optimism.

Completing the World Rally Car entry, 20-year-old Oliver Solberg makes his top-flight asphalt debut in an i20 for Hyundai 2C Competition. The French squad has also called up Spain’s Nil Solans to replace Pierre-Louis Loubet, whose season is over after breaking his hip in a collision with a car. And making it 11 full-on WRC cars in the field, Toyota fields a fourth Yaris for Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta, who continues to gain experience and speed.

Oliver Solberg is set for his debut on pavement with this Hyundai i20 WRC. McKlein/Motorsport Images

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, the title’s still in play, too. But a quirk of the series’ format means the two protagonists, points leader Andreas Mikkelsen and closest rival Mats Ostberg, won’t be going head to head in either of the final two rounds.

With WRC2 drivers limited to seven WRC rounds, Ostberg completes his hand in Spain, while Mikkelsen will fulfill his quota on Rally Monza.

Mikkelsen heads his fellow Norwegian on total points scored and when dropped scores are applied, so reigning WRC2 champ Ostberg needs a win in his TRT World Rally Team Citroen C3 this weekend for any chance of retaining his title.

Others vying for a WRC2 win in Spain include Mikkelsen’s Toksport teammate, rapid Bolivian Marco Bulacia, and Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin, both in Skoda Fabia Evos, plus an all-Finnish Hyundai attack from Jari Huttunen and Teemu Suninen. The latter is fresh from a WRC2 win on Rally Finland in a VW Polo GTi, so it will be interesting to see how quickly he gets to grips with his Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in the Catalunyan hills.

But for a WRC2 wild card, how about the all-American crew of Sean Johnston and co-driver Alex Kihurani. Johnston’s told RACER he’s not going all-out for a podium this weekend, but could his sports car racing background be a decisive factor for a potential upset?

Gryazin’s 2m41.8s pass was fastest of the WRC2 runners at Skakedown, 0.4s quicker than Ostberg, with Johnston 2.9s off the Russian’s benchmark. But as the Californian gets dialed in on his first fully-dry asphalt WRC round, expect to see some promising stage times from his Sainteloc Junior Team-run Citroen C3.

Sean Johnston worked his way up to speed Thursday for his WRC debut on dry asphalt. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

For the first time since 2009, when it was still known as Rally Catalunya, the event is pure asphalt. The roads in the hills are fast and flowing, but high-grip abrasive surfaces and plenty of hard braking will make it tough for Pirelli’s tires.

After a Thursday ceremonial start in the holiday resort of Salou, the real action begins on Friday with six special stages and 69.61 competitive miles. Another seven stages and 73.04 competitive miles make up Saturday, before four stages and 31.63 competitive miles, including the bonus points-paying 10.16-mile Riudecaynes Power Stage, wrap things up on Sunday.