Could this finally be the year when Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin clinch the World Rally Championship title? The pair have finished runner-up on no fewer than four occasions in the last five campaigns and are now leading the standings with just two rounds remaining in Japan and Saudi Arabia on the 2025 calendar.

A second-place finish in last weekend’s Central European Rally – after overhauling Hyundai’s Ott Tänak on the final stage – has given the Welshman a 13-point lead over his two Toyota team-mates, Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier. The latter had been on target for a ninth title but an uncharacteristic crash on the latest event handed the advantage back to Evans.

With three Toyota drivers occupying the top three WRC positions, the Japanese manufacturer has now secured its fifth consecutive WRC Manufacturers’ title.

“What a weekend,” exclaimed a delighted Evans. “Huge congratulations to the team on another manufacturers’ title. There’s a massive drive in this team to always push for more and to always improve.

“This title is a reward for all that hard work and dedication that everybody’s put in over the years. Thank you very much, and congratulations to everybody in Toyota.

“From our side, in the end it was a strong result for us despite some early struggles. We finished with a strong haul of Sunday and Power Stage points and managed to take second place after an intense fight with Ott, so I’m happy with how things turned out. We look forward now to Japan in a few weeks’ time.”

Elfyn and Scott – both graduates of the Motorsport UK Academy initiative – have good reason to be optimistic about Japan. They have won the asphalt event for the past two seasons, and a third consecutive victory could finally place them on the cusp of that long-awaited world title.

The penultimate round of the 2025 championship takes place between 6-9 November on the mountain roads of the Aichi and Gifu states, around the service park based in Toyota City near Nagoya.