DOLGELLAU’S Elfyn Evans is determined to push for a win at the “extremely challenging” Rallye Monte-Carlo as his Toyota Gazoo Racing team embarks on a new FIA World Rally Championship campaign.
The 36-year-old said: “Starting a new season, the goal is as always to give our best to win.
“We have a strong team for 2025 and the target from my perspective remains to fight for rally wins and for the championship titles.
“With the introduction of a new tyre supplier and some changes to the technical regulations, there will be some adaptation and learning to do on all surfaces, but it’s the same for everyone and we just need to do the best job we can to be as ready as we can.
“Rallye Monte-Carlo is the event with the biggest choice of tyres available and with the limited testing allowed, it’s not possible to try the tyres in all the different conditions.
“It’s always an extremely challenging rally and adapting to the conditions and making the right calls at the right time will be as key as ever.”
The oldest and most famous rally on the calendar provides a familiar start to this year’s extended 14-round schedule, which includes brand-new WRC events in the Canary Islands, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia.
There are also significant changes to the technical playing field for 2025.
The top category of Rally1 cars will no longer use plug-in hybrid units following a regulation change.
As a result, the minimum weight has been lowered from 1260 to 1180 kilograms and the air restrictor size reduced from 36 to 35 millimetres to help maintain a similar power-to-weight ratio to before.
Meanwhile, Hankook becomes the sole tyre supplier for the WRC’s top categories for the first time.
There has also been a tweak to the sporting regulations.
Points will once more be allocated based upon the overall positions at the end of the rally, with a win to again be worth 25 points.
The Super Sunday classification on the final day now offers up to five bonus points, as does the rally-ending Power Stage.
While just eight weeks have passed since TGR-WRT claimed the manufacturers’ title in a thrilling conclusion to the 2024 season at Rally Japan, the team has been working hard to adapt to these changes and continue improving the GR YARIS Rally1, which continues to run on 100 percent sustainable fossil-free fuel.
The team also fields a strengthened and expanded driver line-up this season, running as many as five GR Yaris Rally1 cars on many events including Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Double world champions Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen return to full-time competition alongside Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin, the 2024 championship runners-up.
Sébastien Ogier will target a record-extending 10th victory on the Monte as he begins another partial campaign alongside co-driver Vincent Landais.
These three crews are nominated to compete for manufacturers’ points for TGR-WRT on round one, ably supported by Takamoto Katsuta and navigator Aaron Johnston in a fourth entry.
Sami Pajari, the 2024 WRC2 champion, begins his first full season in the top category, for which he has reunited with experienced co-driver Marko Salminen.
To best support his development while following a similar path to that previously forged by Katsuta, Pajari’s GR YARIS Rally1 is entered under a second team, TGR-WRT2, which will also add to the competition in the manufacturers’ championship.