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Tag: Elfyn Evans
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Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin win Rally of Finland: WRC
Elfyn Evans stormed to victory at Secto Rally Finland on Sunday afternoon to keep alive his chances of fighting for this year’s FIA World Rally Championship title.
6 August 2023: A dramatic crash for WRC-leading team-mate Kalle Rovanperä propelled Evans into the lead on Friday afternoon and the Welshman reeled off a stunning seven back-to-back stage wins on Saturday to leave closest challenger Thierry Neuville trailing in his wake.
He extended the buffer further on Sunday to triumph by 39.1sec in a Toyota GR Yaris and with maximum points for winning the closing Wolf Power Stage, Evans slashed Rovanperä’s points advantage from 55 to 25 with four rounds remaining.
“It’s been a pretty good weekend,” said Evans, for whom this was a seventh career win. “Of course we’re sorry for the loss of Kalle at the start of the rally but after that it’s been really fantastic to drive this car – it’s such a joy to be behind the wheel of on these roads and we’re really happy with this one.
“It’s been a fantastic atmosphere and great to have the support behind us. Of course, in terms of the championship it’s also not bad and we close the gap.”
Evans’ Toyota Gazoo Racing team is based near the host city of Jyväskylä and victory extended its manufacturers’ championship lead over Hyundai Motorsport to 67 points.
Changeable conditions provided furious action on the season’s fastest roads with early challengers Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi both joining Rovanperä on Friday’s list of retirements. Engine failure sidelined Tänak’s M-Sport Ford Puma while Lappi crashed his Hyundai into a tree.
Neuville enjoyed one of his strongest performances on Finland’s flat-out terrain but ultimately had no answer to Evans’ rapid pace. Remaining third in the championship after round nine, the Belgian finished with a hefty 57.6sec gap to the Toyota of Takamoto Katsuta behind.
Katsuta duelled relentlessly with Hyundai rival Teemu Suninen. The latter went all in, bravely opting to save weight by not carrying a spare wheel through the four-stage finale. But that still wasn’t enough to relegate Katsuta, who celebrated his fourth career podium and ended 4.3sec clear.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala made a popular return to top-level competition after more than three years away. The Finn was never really in the thick of the podium battle but consistency rewarded him with fifth.
High attrition at the sharp end enabled Oliver Solberg, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, to claim sixth overall ahead of WRC2 victors Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Mälkönen in a Toksport WRT2-entered Škoda Fabia RS. Eighth place went to WRC2 runner-up Adrien Fourmaux, driving an M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta MkII, while Pajari’s teammate Nikolay Gryazin and Toksport WRT3’s Andreas Mikkelsen completed the top 10.
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WRC – Evans takes lead; Rovanpera rolls out: Rally Finland
Elfyn Evans was catapulted into the lead of Secto Rally Finland when team-mate Kalle Rovanperä’s golden streak came to an abrupt halt during Friday’s opening leg.
Home hero Rovanperä, who carried a commanding 55-point lead into this ninth FIA World Rally Championship round, reeled off five consecutive benchmark times in a Toyota GR Yaris and headed chasing colleague Evans by 5.7sec approaching the day’s seventh stage in Myhinpää.
But a rare mistake 11.1km after the start brought a disastrous end to the defending world champion’s day when he lost control of his GR Yaris and rolled end-over-end. Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen emerged from the wreckage unscathed despite the force of the impact being strong enough to tear a rear wheel from the car.
Evans, currently second in the points, inherited the top spot from his stranded team-mate and negotiated the remaining two stages error-free to head Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by a mere 6.9sec overnight.
“Overall it’s been an okay day,” said Evans, who was frustrated to give away 2.8sec to Neuville in the Harju finale. “We’re pretty happy overall and obviously we’ve still got a lot of driving to do tomorrow.”
Mistakes were punished brutally on central Finland’s superfast gravel roads and Rovanperä wasn’t the only victory contender to come unstuck. His Hyundai-driving compatriot Esapekka Lappi crashed into a tree in SS4 whilst running fourth overall.
Ott Tänak, leader after Thursday’s evening’s super special stage in Jyväskylä city centre, retired his Puma in SS3 with terminal engine failure and his M-Sport Ford partner Pierre-Louis Loubet crashed in the same test.
Neuville’s day wasn’t without drama, either. The Belgian reported a lack of rear traction early in the day and struggled for visibility under scattered rain showers on multiple occasions. He headed Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who won the opening stage, by 9.5sec at close of play.
In fourth overall and within reaching distance of the podium was Teemu Suninen. The Finn is contesting his second rally aboard an i20 N Rally1 and trailed Katsuta by 12.4sec after building his speed throughout the day.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the top five on his first WRC start since 2020. Behind him was Jari Huttunen, who led WRC2 in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 after leapfrogging Sami Pajari when the youngster suffered tyre damage in the penultimate stage.
Toksport WRT2’s Nikolay Gryazin, Oliver Solberg, both in a Škoda Fabia RS, and Adrien Fourmaux in an M-Sport Ford-entered Fiesta MkII, complete the top 10 going into Saturday, host to the rally’s longest leg with eight special stages totalling 160.68km.
Benjamin Korhola heads the WRC3 class, ahead of fellow countryman Jesse Kallio (+32.0) and Turkey’s Ali Türkkan, almost two minutes behind, all in Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars.
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Evans takes the lead on a dramatic Friday; Loeb, Ogier retire
Mikołajki (Poland), 20 May 2022: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin avoided punctures and technical issues to edge into a lead of 13.6 seconds after a further eight demanding special stages of the 55th Vodafone Rally of Portugal on Friday.
With tyre wear causing chaos on the second loop of gravel stages during the afternoon, and both multiple World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Sébastien Loeb retiring, Evans took advantage and four stage wins enabled the Welshman to seize the initiative.
“Pretty happy to be here, quite extreme conditions,” said Evans. “Everyone trying to pick their way through. It was a bit of a lottery to be honest. You can always say you could have gone faster, but it’s difficult to know.”
His championship-leading team-mate Kalle Rovanperä had carried out road sweeping duties all day, from his position as first on the road, but the championship leader drove cleanly and preserved his tyres to give Toyota a 1-2 at the night halt.
Dani Sordo was making his first appearance of the season for the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT and the Spaniard gradually began to climb up the leader board and avoided the on-stage carnage to snatch third place in his i20 N Rally1. Takamoto Katsuta also drove cleanly and an afternoon spin was the only blot on the Japanese’s copybook; he held fourth place in a third Toyota GR Yaris.
Gus Greensmith was the best-placed of the five Ford Puma Rally1 drivers in fifth, despite his own tyre and dust issues, while team-mate Pierre-Louis Loubet rounded off the top six after a spin into a banking in the eighth stage cost him a potential top four finish.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville held second overall for much of the day but the Belgian lost drive to a wheel on the road section and, despite managing his tyre wear perfectly, the drive shaft issue pushed him down to seventh at the night halt.
“We could have been in the fight for the rally,” said Neuville. “But we had this issue. We’re missing the points at the end of the year and mainly due to small technical issues. I cannot do more than this to be honest. It is frustrating.”
Craig Breen was also hovering around the podium until dust issues cost him time and a spin in the dust in Mortágua pushed the Irishman down to eighth in the third of the Pumas. Adrien Fourmaux suffered tyre issues and erred on the side of caution to hold ninth, while Ott Tänak dropped back when he was forced to stop and change a tyre during the afternoon and also suffered a transmission scare.
Ogier opted to take one spare tyre for the afternoon loop and it was a costly choice by the eight-time World Champion. He sustained two punctures in subsequent stages and was forced to pull over in Arganil 2 and retire for the day,
Loeb led after stage four, but an uncharacteristic mistake by the Frenchman on the next stage saw his day end prematurely with wheel damage after an impact with a stone wall.
Mikkelsen snatches WRC2 advantage
A shredded rear tyre ruined Hyundai Motorsport N Teemu Suninen’s day-long advantage in the FIA WRC2 category and the Finn’s hard-earned lead disappeared on stage seven. Norway’s 11th-placed Andreas Mikkelsen duly inherited the lead in a Škoda Fabia Evo and the Toksport WRT driver completed the Lousada super special with an advantage of 37 seconds, despite a misfiring down-on-power engine. PH Sport’s Yohan Rossel was classified in third in a Citroën C3.
Jean-Michel Raoux (Volkswagen Polo GTI) topped the standings in the new FIA WRC2 Masters section, the Frenchman leading fellow countrymen Frédéric Rosati (Hyundai i20 N) and Laurent Battut (Hyundai NG i20) heading to Lousada.
Finland’s Sami Pajari and Lauri Joona were classified as the first two Juniors running in the FIA WRC3 category heading to the Lousada super special stage. Jon Armstrong had been leading the Junior category by over a minute heading to Arganil 2, but the Briton hit trouble and slipped out of contention.The provisional results at the end of Friday can be consulted here
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Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin win Rally of Portugal: WRC
Porto (Portugal), 23 May 2021: Welshman Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin delivered a devastating performance on the final morning of the 54th Vodafone Rally of Portugal to seal a comfortable victory in their Toyota Yaris WRC and give their World Championship aspirations a major boost.
The feat marked Evans’s fourth WRC triumph after a debut win in his native Wales in 2017 and two victories in Sweden and Turkey last season. It went a long way to erasing the disappointment of missing out on victory on the last stage in Croatia recently and moves him to within two points of team-mate Sébastien Ogier at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings.
Evans stunned rival Dani Sordo on the first stage of the final morning by almost doubling their overnight advantage and it was one-way traffic from then on as the Welshman eased to victory over the Spaniard by 28.3 seconds. His success marked the sixth different winner in Portugal in as many years.Runner-up Sordo and new co-driver Borja Rozada were a shining light for the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team on an event that offered so much and ultimately delivered little.
Dramatic second-day retirements for long-time leader Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville threatened to derail the team’s push for the Manufacturers’ title, but both drivers bounced back to claim five and four bonus points for their respective performances on the final Power Stage.
Sébastien Ogier was always going to struggle after running the first car on the road during the first leg. But the Frenchman persevered and began a gradual climb up the leader board as the event progressed to seal the final podium position, the seven-time World Champion holding off his talented young Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta in the process.
The fourth-placed Japanese was rewarded with a best WRC finish to date, while Ogier maintained his World Championship lead.
The M-Sport World Rally Team has good reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season after impressive performances by both Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux. The Briton equalled his best ever finish in the WRC (Turkey 2020) with fifth place and Fourmaux was sixth on his first appearance in Portugal with the World Rally Car.
Both drivers suffered a puncture and throttle-related issues and may well have been challenging for the podium under different circumstances.
FIA WRC2 cars completed the top 10. Esapekka Lappi was the class of the field to seal victory and seventh overall in his Movisport Volkswagen Polo GTi. Second-placed Teemu Suninen pushed him hard on day two, but spun his M-Sport Ford Fiesta at the start of the final morning and drifted out of contention for the win.
TRT Citroën C3 driver Mads Østberg was a little disappointed not to be challenging the Finns for victory but the defending champion rounded off the podium places after getting the better of early rally pace-setter Nikolay Gryazin. Turbo and tyre issues on his Movisport Volkswagen Polo GTI ruined the Russian’s chances of claiming a podium finish and he was fourth, with young Oliver Solberg in fifth.
Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz reeled in Citroën driver Yohan Rossel during the course of the final morning to claim victory by 5.6 seconds in FIA WRC3. The Škoda driver and his French rival had been evenly matched for much of the rally. Chris Ingram and Nicolas Ciamin finished third and fourth.
Latvia’s Martin Sesks emerged as a comfortable of the FIA Junior WRC category. Finland’s Sami Pajari was second and Czech driver Martin Koči rounded off the podium places. Jon Armstrong arrived in Portugal as the series leader but was not able to start the final morning after issues on Saturday afternoon.
Three-time Rally of Portugal winner Armindo Araújo fulfilled his goal of being the leading Portuguese driver to reach the finish. He guided his Škoda to 19th overall. International soccer manager André Villas-Boas also completed his first ever Rally of Portugal in a respectable 33rd position.
The conclusion of the final Power Stage was neutralised for the back-markers after a crash involving Austrian driver Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof. Notional times were awarded.2021 Rally Portugal – Unofficial results
1. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 38min 26.2sec 2. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Borja Rozada (ESP) Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC 3hr 38min 54.5sec 3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 39min 49.8sec 4. Takamoto Katsuta (JPN) / Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 40min 54.6sec 5. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Chris Patterson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 43min 18.9sec 6. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) / Renaud Jamoul (FRA) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 43min 29.6sec 7. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) – WRC2 Volkswagen Polo GTi 3hr 48min 03.4sec 8. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Mikko Markkula (FIN) – WRC2 Ford Fiesta MkII 3hr 49min 46.2sec 9. Mads Østberg (NOR) / T. Eriksen (NOR) – WRC2 Citroën C3 3hr 50min 27.7sec 10. Nikolay Gryazin (RAF) / K. Alexsandrov (RAF) – WRC2 Volkswagen Polo GTi 3hr 51min 02.0sec 11. Oliver Solberg (SWE) / A. Johnston (IRL) – WRC2 Hyundai NG i20 3hr 51min 16.9sec -
Flash: Elfyn Evans & Scott Martin win tricky Rally Turkey
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin have claimed their second win of the season for Toyota after a dramatic final day of Rally Turkey, a result that moves Evans into the lead of the drivers’ championship.
Two Hyundai crews completed the podium with Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul in second position and Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena coming third. With Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen finishing fourth, Toyota increases its manufacturers’ championship lead even though Sébastien Ogier had to retire on the penultimate stage of the rally.
Neuville took top points in the Power Stage ahead of Tänak, Rovanperä, Evans and Loeb.
Pontus Tidemand took the win in FIA WRC2 in eighth overall, one place behind the FIA WRC3 victor Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
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Dayinsure Wales Rally GB: Thrilling three-way battle involving Neuville, Tanak and Ogier
Photos: Courtesy Dayinsure Wales Rally GB official website Tir Prince, 4 October 2018: A dramatic opening night under the floodlights; challenging new speed tests in the legendary Welsh forests and a stunning finale with cars racing through the closed streets of Llandudno – the first free-to-attend WRC stage in the UK for more than 20 years. Then there’s the added excitement of thrilling three-way title fights for both Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ WRC Championships as well as a local Welshman – Elfyn Evans – gunning for back-to-back GB victories after his 2017 success. It all adds up to an absolutely unmissable sporting spectacle.
More than 150 competitors will be based in the Deeside Rally Village with those contesting round 11 of this year’s 13-round FIA World Rally Championship facing 23 speed tests totaling nearly 200 miles (312kms) spread over four days of epic high-speed action.
The introduction of an awesome new generation of turbocharged, four-wheel-drive cars attracted record crowds to last year’s event and, as a result, an even more fan-friendly route has been devised for 2018.
It all blasts off under the lights at the Tir Prince Raceway on Thursday evening and concludes with the history-making Great Orme Llandudno Street Stage on Sunday morning – the first time World Championship motor sport has ever been seen on closed roads in Great Britain.
“There really is something for everyone,” enthuses Ben Taylor, managing director of Dayinsure Wales Rally GB. “We have an unsurpassed breed of stunning cars, the most exciting title race in memory, a local hero in Elfyn Evans, all the classic stages in the Welsh forests plus an amazing finish on the streets of Llandudno – it adds up to an incredible four days of epic entertainment. Even the weather seems to be set fair!”
The Welsh Government’s Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Lord Elis-Thomas, is equally excited. He says: “North Wales is very familiar with adventure, and for a weekend in October – Wales Rally GB becomes part of the family and adds to the adrenaline and excitement. Wales is home to some of the world’s most legendary rally stages – and this year’s route is a showcase of our fantastic Welsh scenery – with a spectacular finish along the coast during the Year of the Sea. We look forward to another successful event as some of the sport’s legendary drivers take on the challenges of the Wales Rally GB.”
TITLE FIGHT REACHES FEVER PITCH
Not for 15 years has the WRC produced such a captivating title battle among both drivers and manufacturers. With three rounds remaining on the 2018 calendar, just 24 points separate series leader Thierry Neuville, fast finishing Ott Tänak and five-time World champ Sébastien Ogier. With 90 points still on the table, the crown cannot be won in Wales, but, with time running out, all three protagonists will be flat-out in the forests.
A campaign that appeared to be building towards a duel between defending champion Ogier and heir apparent Neuville has been gate-crashed by man-of-the moment Tänak. The Estonian arrives in Wales having won the previous three rounds in Finland, Germany and Turkey in his Toyota Yaris and now finally admits he’s a title threat. “We are in the fight now,” he acknowledges.
Neuville still has his Hyundai’s nose in front but knows he has a battle on his hands. “We are fighting for the championship against some very hard guys to beat,” says the Belgian.
“It’s a three-way fight,” agreed Ogier. “There are still three rallies to go and everything is possible. Nothing is finished yet.” Now fans in Wales can witness the next page-turning chapter in this WRC thriller.
GOOD EVANS: A WELSH WINNER!
While many eyes will be focused on the title fight, local fans will be hoping home hero Elfyn Evans can again upset the form book.
Last year, the Welsh wizard from Dolgellau, made history by becoming the first Welsh driver ever to win a round of the World Rally Championship – a feat he’s now aiming to repeat. “Competing at home always bring a special motivation and we are targeting another victory,” he says. “The fans were amazing last year and I hope it’s going to be same again.”
