Evans to miss Rally Germany due to back injury
Elfyn Evans will miss Rally Germany later this month while he still recovers from the back injury he sustained at Rally Estonia.
While Motorsport.com understands the M-Sport Ford driver is nearing full fitness, there's concern about the nature of the roads aggravating the injury again.
WRC2 regular Gus Greensmith, who deputised for Evans in last weekend's Rally Finland, will do so again for the Saarbrucken-based event.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener told Motorsport.com: "Frustrating as it is for us to have a driver of Elfyn's calibre on the bench, we have to respect what the medical expertise. He's getting there, but his back's not quite right.
"As we know, Germany can be quite hard on the back with plenty of high-speed compressions and – in a dry rally – some fair high g-loadings.
"What we don't want to do is bring Elfyn back before he's absolutely ready, only to have him tweak something and set himself back again. Like I said, tough as this decision is, the only option we have is to wait for him to be ready. And when he is, the car's ready for him."
Evans admitted missing last week's Rally Finland was one of the low points of his career.
He told Motorsport.com: "It's very frustrating to be missing rallies at such a critical point in the season, but I need to ensure the injury heals properly.
"As tempting as it would be to just get on with it and come back, the reality is that I need more time so that when I do return, I'm returning at full strength with no compromises.
"I feel me and Scott [Martin, co-driver] had a solid start to the season and I'm doing everything I can to aid the process and be back as soon as possible – to build on what we started during the first half of the season."
Previous article
Why Toyota must rein in its WRC support players
Next article
Tanak set to sign new Toyota WRC deal
About this article
| Series | WRC |
| Event | Rally Germany |
| Drivers | Elfyn Evans |
| Teams | M-Sport |
| Author | David Evans |
Arctic Rally Finland: Wolf Power Stage highlights
Arctic Rally Finland: Highlights Stage 9
Arctic Rally Finland: Highlights Stages 6-8
Arctic Rally Finland: Highlights Stages 3-5
How Ott Tanak froze out the competition at the Arctic Rally
Ott Tanak made up for a disastrous Monte Carlo Rally by leading all the way on the snow-kissed stages of the Arctic Rally Finland and in the process hit back at an event Toyota had been expected to dominate…
What to look out for in the 2021 WRC
As the 2021 World Rally Championship prepares to launch amid tight COVID-19 restrictions in Monte Carlo, here are the eight things unrelated to the pandemic that you should keep an eye on this year
Evans on the talking points of WRC 2021
He came close to the title last year, and now Toyota's Elfyn Evans gives his verdict on what to expect from 2021 as the World Rally Championship prepares to reconvene for the Monte Carlo season opener.
Why Britain's continued WRC absence is a wake-up call
With Rally GB dropping off the World Rally Championship calendar for the second year in a row, one of Britain's best-attended sporting events faces an uncertain future. It's an unfortunate situation that points to troubling times ahead
The Top 10 WRC drivers of 2020
A drastically-shortened 2020 season gave the World Rally Championship protagonists precious little stage mileage to strut their stuff, but as ever the cream rose to the top across the seven events. We rank the year's best performers
The twists and turns of a turbulent 2020 WRC season
The 2020 World Rally Championship bestrode all 12 months of the Gregorian calendar, and in terms of the competition it was a cracker. Moreover, it was an inspiration in dark days for the world and our industry.
The early setbacks that shaped the WRC's greatest driver Loeb
A series of close calls in his formative years threatened to leave rallying's top echelon tantalisingly out of reach for the man who would go on to claim nine WRC titles. In an exclusive interview, Sebastien Loeb recalls the key steps on his road to dominance.
Why the WRC's unorthodox Monza ending was a necessary one
The Monza Rally was an unusual way to end an unusual WRC season, and while far from ideal, without it the series could have faced serious ramifications. To persuade stakeholders to commit to an uncertain future, Monza was an important showcase…
