Tommi Mäkinen has described the battle for this year’s World Rally Championship as the best ever – comparing Elfyn Evans’ inclusion in that scrap with the arrival of a fourth manufacturer.
The four-time champion admitted the fans would be the real winners this season as the Welshman joined Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier and Hyundai drivers Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville in the battle for the 2020 title.
“We are,” Mäkinen told DirtFish, “in a very good situation. It will be a very big difference [to have Evans in the fight] with very much bigger interest with the fans to follow now we have a fourth new potential title winner competing with Elfyn.
“I think this is the best ever, the ideal situation – it’s the same as some new car manufacturer joining to have more drivers at the top.”
And Mäkinen said Sweden demonstrated the good news didn’t stop with Evans. Kalle Rovanperä finished an amazing third on only his second ever start in a World Rally Car.
Mäkinen added: “Our fifth challenger is following as well with Kalle – we don’t know when he will be ready, he needs some more experience, but we are sure he is coming. What he did in Sweden was incredible – more than anybody expected.”
Evans leads the title race – joint on points with Neuville – into next week’s Rally México.
