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Tag: Rally de Portugal
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Taylor Gill tops Rally de Portugal; claims back-to-back FIA Junior WRC victories
Taylor Gill kept his cool on Sunday to claim back-to-back FIA Junior WRC victories and draw level with Mille Johansson in the championship standings, topping the leaderboard at Vodafone Rally de Portugal after a measured drive through the final leg.
Portugal, 18 May 2025: The Australian, co-driven by Daniel Brkíc, maintained a calm and consistent approach throughout Sunday’s six-stage final leg – showing the same composure that had defined his entire week. Starting the day with a 45.5sec advantage, Gill managed his lead perfectly to secure victory by 13.4sec over Johansson.
Taylor Gill: “What a tough weekend. So long and so demanding — physically and mentally. But yeah, I’m really proud of the job we did. We really came out of the box firing on Friday morning and controlled the rally from there. Big thanks to everyone who gave me this opportunity. Dan did a mega job this weekend, and there are so many people behind the scenes who contributed to this result. I’m just so happy right now.”
Gill took control of the rally from SS2 onwards, capitalising on an early error from Johansson, who rolled on Friday morning. That incident left the Swede on the back foot for the remainder of the event.
Despite the setback, Johansson mounted a ferocious comeback – clocking 13 fastest times across the rally. While it wasn’t enough to overhaul Gill, those stage wins proved vital. With bonus points awarded for each stage victory, the pair now sit level on 59 points apiece after round two of five.
Türkiye’s Kerem Kazaz delivered a breakthrough performance to claim third overall. Contesting just his second Junior WRC round, the 19-year-old impressed in his M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3, finishing almost half a minute clear of Thomas Martens.Martens, also in his rookie season, gained a position on the Wolf Power Stage by overtaking South African driver Max Smart. Just 4.3sec separated the duo at the finish.
Estonian driver Joosep Nõgene completed the rally in sixth, while Eamonn Kelly bounced back from a puncture on Friday to win a stage on Sunday and finish seventh. Diego Domínguez damaged his suspension on Friday but battled through to the end in eighth.
Despite early troubles, Ali Türkkan, Tristan Charpentier and Claire Schönborn all made it to the finish – locking out positions ninth to 11th.
The FIA Junior WRC season continues next at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, which takes place from 26 – 29 June.
Provisional Rally Classification:
1. Taylor Gill (AUS) – 4:15:07.3;
2. Mille Johansson (SWE) – +45.5;
3. Kerem Kazaz (TUR) – +4:11.7;
4. Thomas Martens (BEL) – +4:40.9;
5. Max Smart (ZAF) – +4:45.2;
6. Joosep Nõgene (EST) – +5:53.6;
7. Eamonn Kelly (IRL) – +10:46.3;
8. Diego Domínguez (PRY) – +20:10.3;
9. Ali Türkkan (TUR) – +34:12.5;
10. Tristan Charpentier (FRA) – +1:24:15.3;
11. Claire Schönborn (DEU) – +1:50:15.5.
Stage Winners:SS1 SSS Figueira da Foz – Mille Johansson
SS2 Mortágua 1 – Taylor Gill
SS3 Lousã 1 – Mille Johansson
SS4 Góis 1 – Taylor Gill
SS5 Arganil 1 – Taylor Gill
SS6 Lousã 2 – Diego Dominguez
SS7 Góis 2 – Mille Johansson
SS8 Arganil 2 – Taylor Gill
SS9 Mortágua 2 – Interrupted
SS10 Águeda / Sever – Mille Johansson
SS11 Sever / Albergaria – Mille Johansson
SS12 Vieira do Minho 1 – Taylor Gill
SS13 Cabeceiras de Basto 1 – Taylor Gill
SS14 Amarante 1 – Mille Johansson
SS15 Vieira do Minho 2 – Mille Johansson
SS16 Cabeceiras de Basto 2 – Mille Johansson
SS17 Amarante 2 – Mille Johansson
SS18 SSS Lousada – Mille Johansson
SS19 Paredes 1 – Mille Johansson
SS20 Felgueiras 1 – Eamonn Kelly
SS21 Fafe 1 – Mille Johansson
SS22 Paredes 2 – Taylor Gill
SS23 Felgueiras 2 – Tristan Charpentier
SS24 Fafe 2 – Mille Johansson -
Gill poised towards second straight FIA Junior WRC victory
Taylor Gill is poised to make it two-from-two in this year’s FIA Junior WRC, heading into the final day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal with a commanding advantage at the top of the M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 leaderboard. Porto district (Portugal), 18 May 2025: The Australian talent, already a winner at Rally Sweden, picked up right where he left off — blitzing Saturday morning’s opening stages to stretch his lead to 1min 26sec. But Gill wasn’t just fast — he was smart, too. Knowing when to push and when to protect the car, he eased off during the rockier second pass, managing his margin with composure well beyond his years.
Championship leader Mille Johansson, who rolled on Friday, mounted a determined fightback to keep the pressure on. The Swede won five consecutive stages in the afternoon to trim Gill’s advantage to 45.5sec, but with just six stages and 72 kilometres of action left, the odds remain in Gill’s favour.
Gill first stormed to fame in the Rally Star cup at Chennai winning the Asia Pacific championship and earned a free drive in the selections for the WRC Junior shot. And he did it. Gill has no connections to India and is not related to Gaurav Gill, a multiple INRC and Asia Pacific Rally Champion.
Kerem Kazaz maintained third overall, over a minute behind Johansson but with a solid cushion of 1min 5.9sec over Max Smart in fourth. Smart climbed the order from sixth, gaining ground as Thomas Martens slipped to fifth and Ali Türkkan retired with a broken propshaft.
Joosep Nõgene and Eamonn Kelly ended the day sixth and seventh respectively, with Diego Domínguez eighth following a frustrating Friday. Tristan Charpentier restarted and immediately showed pace, clocking several top-three stage times, while Claire Schönborn also returned and logged valuable mileage on her maiden gravel rally at world level.
Adding further weight to his performance, Gill also leads the WRC3 category outright heading into Sunday.
Classification after SS18 (Saturday)
Taylor Gill (AUS) – 3:22:12.8
Mille Johansson (SWE) – +45.5
Kerem Kazaz (TUR) – +3:09.1
Max Smart (ZAF) – +4:15.0
Thomas Martens (BEL) – +4:35.3
Joosep Nõgene (EST) – +5:22.9
Eamonn Kelly (IRL) – +6:51.6
Diego Domínguez (PRY) – +18:54.2
Ali Türkkan (TUR) – +33:19.1
Tristan Charpentier (FRA) – +1:24:32.5
Claire Schönborn (DEU) – +1:46:51.0
Stage Winners:
SS1 SSS Figueira da Foz – Mille JOHANSSON
SS2 Mortágua 1 – Taylor GILL
SS3 Lousã 1 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS4 Góis 1 – Taylor GILL
SS5 Arganil 1 – Taylor GILL
SS6 Lousã 2 – Diego DOMÍNGUEZ
SS7 Góis 2 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS8 Arganil 2 – Taylor GILL
SS9 Mortágua 2 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS10 Águeda / Sever – Mille JOHANSSON
SS11 Sever / Albergaria – Mille JOHANSSON
SS12 Vieira do Minho 1 – TAYLOR GILL
SS13 Cabeceiras de Basto 1 – TAYLOR GILL
SS14 Amarante 1 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS15 Vieira do Minho 2 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS16 Cabeceiras de Basto 2 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS17 Amarante 2 – Mille JOHANSSON
SS18 SSS Lousada – Mille JOHANSSON -
Rally de Portugal: Victory gives Thierry Neuville title lead in WRC
Thierry Neuville who scored a brilliant win in Rally de Portugal to take lead in WRC. Photo: WRC Matosinhos, 20 May 2018: Thierry Neuville won the Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Sunday to swing the FIA World Rally Championship pendulum firmly in his favour. Victory at the gruelling four-day dirt road encounter promoted the Belgian to the top of the standings as the series approaches its midpoint. After starting 10 points behind reigning champion Sébastien Ogier, the Belgian leaves Portugal with a 19-point advantage.
Neuville steered his Hyundai i20 away from trouble during a weekend of attrition that sidelined many frontrunners to win by 40.0sec from Elfyn Evans’ Ford Fiesta. Fellow title challengers Ogier and Ott Tänak ended pointless after falling foul of Friday’s rock-strewn speed tests and Neuville pressed home his advantage by claiming four extra bonus points in the final Power Stage.He moved to the front near the end of Friday’s first leg after the lead changed hands six times in a frantic opening. He doubled his advantage yesterday and eased through Sunday’s finale to secure his second win of the year.
“It was a clever approach all weekend,” he said. “I had a fantastic car which was working well and I felt comfortable. We can be proud of what we achieved here There are a lot of Portuguese mechanics in the team and I think the party is going to be big tonight!”
Second for Evans eased the pressure after a disappointing season and team-mate Teemu Suninen helped erase the frustration of Ogier’s blank weekend in the M-Sport Ford squad by claiming his maiden podium. He finished 7.3sec behind the Welshman.Suninen held off Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo in an intense fight for the final podium place. Lappi was 7.4sec adrift of his fellow Finn in a Toyota Yaris with Spaniard Sordo 6.2sec further back in his i20. Sordo went to bed last night in third but woke up this morning in fourth after receiving a 10sec penalty for dislodging two bales on a Porto street stage roundabout on Friday night.
Mads Østberg finished sixth on his first gravel rally in a Citroën C3, ahead of team-mate Craig Breen who was handicapped by starting first on the sandy tracks for the final two legs.
WRC 2 winner Pontus Tidemand was eighth in a Skoda Fabia and fellow support category drivers Lukasz Pieniazek and Stéphane Lefebvre completed the leaderboard.
Andreas Mikkelsen and Jari-Matti Latvala finished well down the order after retiring on Friday, while Ogier was withdrawn in the final service when lying outside the top 20. Hayden Paddon and Kris Meeke joined Tänak in retiring earlier in the weekend.
Round seven promises a high-summer shootout on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The all-gravel Rally Italia Sardegna is based in Alghero on June 8-10.
Third WRC 2 title for Pontus Tidemand
Pontus Tidemand on a charge. Photo: WRC Starting the final leg with 1m 19.4sec in hand over fellow Skoda Fabia R5 driver Lukasz Pieniazek, the Swede Tidemand took two stage wins on Sunday to finish more than two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Pieniazek settled for second on the final day, deciding to manage his advantage over third-placed Stéphane Lefebvre rather than needlessly chasing the commanding Tidemand.
Lefebvre pushed hard to try and catch his Polish rival and was quickest during the first run through the Fafe test on Sunday. But the Frenchman ran out of stages to complete his attack and finished 17.0sec behind in his Citroën C3 R5.
“It didn’t look so good on Friday, but we went out and pushed as hard as we could. We went into Saturday with good speed, no problems, and won all the stages,” Tidemand explained. “The conditions were quite hard on the tyres, many people had punctures and many drivers also made a mistake and hit something – it was not an easy rally.”
Pierre-Louis Loubet finished just off the podium in fourth after a clean run through the final five stages in his Hyundai i20 R5. He was helped when his closest challenger, Hiroki Arai, was handed a 60sec penalty for checking into a time control six minutes late.
The Japanese Toyota development driver still completed the rally in fifth place in Ford Fiesta R5, albeit only 9.5sec ahead of Juuso Nordgren who went second fastest in the Live TV Power Stage.
Gus Greensmith was eighth, just behind Benito Guerra. The Briton had led earlier in the weekend but retired before the Amarante 2 test on Saturday with steering arm failure. He rejoined on the final day and salvaged some pride by taking a pair of stage wins in his Fiesta.
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Rally de Portugal: Thierry Neuville takes control, extends lead
Thierry Neuville….well placed to claim victory in Rally de Portugal. Photo: WRC Matosinhos, 19 May 2018: Thierry Neuville gave his World title hopes a major boost after doubling his lead in Saturday’s penultimate leg of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. He starts Sunday’s short finale with a 39.8sec advantage in his Hyundai i20, and victory would propel him back to the head of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time since February.
Conditions were more benign than yesterday when rock-strewn dirt roads caused carnage among the frontrunners, and the Belgian focused on the double pass through the 37.60km Amarante speed test, the longest of this sixth round of the series.
He protected his Michelin tyres through the two previous stages of the morning and afternoon loops, before attacking in Amarante. He distanced closest rival Elfyn Evans on both occasions to build a comfortable advantage.
“I was comfortable in the car, especially in the long stage. I tried to make a difference in there and it worked twice. It’s not finished yet but it could be a great weekend,” said Neuville whose conservative mix of hard and soft compound tyres was ideal for the wet final test.
Evans won two of the day’s six stages in his Ford Fiesta, one more than Neuville, and the Welshman looked increasingly secure in second as the day progressed. He struggled for confidence in both passes through Amarante, but had a 17.4sec margin over Dani Sordo.
The Spaniard stiffened his i20’s set-up following the morning’s opening test but slipped back into the clutches of Teemu Suninen with a final stage spin. The margin between them narrowed to 4.7sec.
The young Suninen had a stellar day in his Ford Fiesta, holding off fellow-Finn Esapekka Lappi in a furious fight. Both were on the limit throughout as they traded seconds in every stage and Lappi ended 11.1sec adrift in his Toyota Yaris.
Mads Østberg was a distant sixth, the Norwegian conceding almost a minute after sliding onto a bank at a muddy corner. The Citroën C3 driver was almost 1min 40sec clear of team-mate Craig Breen.
Breen endured a tough day opening the roads in the sandy conditions but gained a place following more disappointment for Kris Meeke in the French squad’s third C3. The Ulsterman slid wide on a fast left bend and his C3 rolled heavily down a bank and into trees. Both Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were unhurt.
Pontus Tidemand took the WRC 2 lead and held eighth place, ahead of fellow support category drivers Lukasz Pieniazek and Stéphane Lefebvre.
Five more stages covering 51.53km lie in wait on Sunday, including two passes through the classic Fafe test and its famous jump. The second pass forms the Power Stage with bonus points on offer to the fastest five drivers.
Pontus Tidemand recovers to forge ahead
Pontus Tidemand….grand recovery to lead WRC 2. Photo: WRC Tidemand recovered from a disappointing Friday to claim all six Stage victories on Saturday and move into the lead of the WRC 2 category. The Skoda Fabia R5 driver started the day 1m 44.6sec off the lead in fifth place after two a double puncture yesterday, but he combined blistering pace with bad luck befalling his rivals to move his way up the order. By lunch-time service, he was second, with 49.4sec to make up to Stéphane Lefebvre. Another three wins on the afternoon loop sealed his place at the top of the class at the end of the day.
He was helped by a puncture for Lefebvre on SS14 and then brake and transmission problems cost the C3 R5 driver more than two minutes one stage later. The Frenchman finished the day in third.Overnight leader Gus Greensmith had a day to forget in his Ford Fiesta. On the opening Vieira do Minho test, he had a puncture which forced him to use his spare, and then another tyre de-beaded. With no more spares, he had to be cautious through the next two stages. Having slipped to sixth, he was quickly reclaiming the time he lost but had to retire with broken suspension on the road section before the second run of Amarante.
Benefiting from his retirement was Lukasz Pieniazek in a Fabia R5, who kept his second place despite a puncture of his own on SS14. Fourth place went to Pierre-Louis Loubet. The Hyundai i20 R5 driver had a clean run through the tests to move to within 8.0sec of compatriot Lefebvre.
Toyota development driver Hiroki Arai grew in confidence as the day went on, with top-five stage times allowing him to claim fifth place before the final stages on Sunday. Juuso Nordgren ended the day sixth in his Fabia, despite a puncture on SS14 slowing his progress.
Pedro Heller dropped out of the top five after a challenging day of his own. After a puncture this morning, he retired with mechanical issues 6.4km into SS15. His team-mate Nil Solans also hit trouble on the final stage, retiring at the 24.1km mark.
Finnish ŠKODA junior Juuso Nordgren was delayed by another two punctures and are sixth after the Saturday leg.
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Rally de Portugal: Neuville makes profit amidst crashes and retirements
Thierry Neuville, who made most of the situation to take early lead on Friday. Photo: WRC Porto, 18 May 2018: Thierry Neuville led the Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Friday night after a chaotic opening leg destroyed the hopes of a host of front-runners. The lead changed hands on six occasions on rock-strewn dirt roads near the Spanish border before the Belgian took a 17.7sec advantage in his Hyundai i20 over Elfyn Evans. Dani Sordo was a further 6.6sec adrift in third.
WRC leader Sébastien Ogier, previous round winner Ott Tänak, Toyota Yaris team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala and Hyundai duo Andreas Mikkelsen and Hayden Paddon were all sidelined as the gruelling roads took a heavy toll.Neuville’s gamble to select soft tyres for this afternoon’s second loop of three speed tests appeared to have backfired as temperatures rose and the tracks became rougher than expected. He held his nerve and jumped from sixth to first as bedlam broke out around him, retaining his advantage over two asphalt stages in the streets of central Porto.
“Today was tough, but we managed to stay out of trouble. It was very rough and there were many, many surprises. So I tried to save the car a bit. It was a risky tyre choice which was maybe not great but we made it work,” he said.
Evans held second in a Ford Fiesta until a spin dropped him down the order, but the Welshman vaulted from seventh to second in the twists and turns of the final dirt road stage.
Sordo topped the leaderboard midway through the leg in his i20. Like team-mate Neuville, the Spaniard opted for soft tyres this afternoon, but regretted his decision and had to slow as they became worn.
Teemu Suninen was fourth in another Fiesta, the Finn avoiding the carnage to trail Sordo by 10.1sec and head Esapekka Lappi in the sole-surviving Toyota Yaris by 11.4sec. Mid-leg set-up changes resolved Lappi’s traction problems.
Mads Østberg was sixth in a Citroën C3, half-a-minute clear of team-mate Kris Meeke who twice led. Tyre troubles forced Meeke to drive the final Porto stages with just a wheel rim on the rear left of his car and he conceded a minute.
Craig Breen plunged from third to eighth after stopping to change a puncture, while WRC 2 leader Gus Greensmith and Lukasz Pieniazek completed the leaderboard.
End of road for Sebsatien Ogier. Photo: WRC Ogier was fourth until he broke a steering arm in his Ford Fiesta after hitting a tree root and he crashed at the next bend. Tänak hit a rock and damaged his engine’s cooling system, forcing him to retire from the rally. Toyota’s turmoil continued when Latvala hit a rock and broke his front right suspension.
Paddon retired from the lead after a heavy impact damaged the front left of his i20 and blocked the stage. The Kiwi was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after complaining of back pain. Broken power steering and engine issues accounted for team-mate Mikkelsen.
Saturday’s leg is the longest of the event, journeying east of the rally base in Matosinhos to demanding roads in the Cabreira Mountains. Three stages are driven morning and afternoon covering 154.64 Kms.
Gus Greensmith takes early lead in WRC 2
Gus Greensmith. Photo: WRC Greensmith profited when championship leader Pontus Tidemand (Skoda Fabia R5) suffered a puncture on the very first Stage. Driving a Ford Fiesta R5, Greensmith was battling for the lead with Citroën Racing’s Stéphane Lefebvre from the very start of the day as the pair took a stage win apiece. Tidemand recovered from a right-rear puncture early on Friday to claim a stage victory on the third test of the day, but his time loss on the opener dropped him to seventh after the morning loop.
The leader going into mid-day service was Lefebvre, as an intercom failure for Greensmith before the 27.54 kms Ponte de Lima stage wiped out his early gains.
In the afternoon, it was Skoda Motorsport’s Tidemand who was on the pace as he claimed a trio of wins – including a double on the Porto Street Stage – to recover some of the time he lost, ending Friday in fifth.
Greensmith came out on top after Lefebvre was struck with a right-rear puncture on SS5 with the Brit claiming the category lead one stage later. He will start Saturday’s second leg with a lead of 34.3sec.
Citroën C3 driver Lefebvre finished the day third, 0.5sec behind Lukasz Pieniazek who kept out of trouble to work his way onto the podium. Fourth was Pedro Heller, the Fiesta driver rewarded for a clean run through the day while others hit trouble. Sixth was Nil Solans, who couldn’t match the pace of the front-runners, while Pierre-Louis Loubet ended the day’s eight stages seventh in his Hyundai i20 R5.
Six crews retired from the leg, including Sweden category winner Takamoto Katsuta as well as Simone Tempestini and Max Vatanen – who are both making their first appearance of 2018. Also running into issues was Hyundai Racing’s Jari Huttunen who retired after a mechanical problem on SS6.
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Ott Tanak sets early pace in Super Special Stage; Suninen, Ogier tied second
Ott Tanak in a Toyota Yaris sets the early pace in Rally de Portugal. Photo: WRC Lousada, 17 May 2018: The duo of Ott Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja in a Toyota Yaris WRC was the quickest on the Super Special Stage (3.36 Kms) in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal which commenced here on Thursday evening.
The Estonian, the recent winner of the Rally of Argentina, beat Finn Teemu Suninen (Ford Fiesta) and five-time champion and World champion Sébastien Ogier (Ford Fiesta) by 0.4 seconds, who set an equal mark to reach second fastest time.
Kris Meeeke was the fastest in Citroën, as was Andreas Mikkelsen at Hyundai, both finishing the special at 1.4s off Tanak.
Suninen outpaced Hayden Paddon, returning after missing the last three WRC rounds, while Ogier was more than a second quicker than Thierry Neuville in the evening’s headline heat. Tänak dictated the previous round in Argentina but acknowledged a repeat is unlikely this weekend.
“It will be tough to dominate here. We know how loose the roads will be tomorrow and there will be a lot more cleaning than in Argentina. It will be a key tomorrow to get a good position so we can fight hard on Saturday,” he said.
Citroën C3 pilot Kris Meeke and Mikkelsen, driving a Hyundai i20, were fourth, a full second behind the tying Ford pair. Neuville completed the top six.
Jari-Matti Latvala dropped almost four seconds after stalling his Yaris in a hairpin. “Under braking, the engine cut completely. There’s something strange happening with the engine and we need to investigate that. It doesn’t worry me, but it annoys me,” he said.
M-Sport Ford mechanics replaced the cooling pack in Elfyn Evans’ Fiesta before this evening’s start at Guimaräes Castle after damage caused by a heavy landing in this morning’s shakedown.
Friday’s first full day is based close to the Spanish border. Two identical loops of three stages are split by service in Matosinhos, before the leg ends with two short street tests in central Porto. The eight stages cover 148.66 Kms.
JARI-MATTI LATVALA QUICKEST IN SHAKEDOWN
Jari-Matti Latvala. Photo: WRC Latvala edged Origer and Neuville to win Thursday morning’s shakedown. The Toyota Gazoo driver was fastest by 0.3sec through the 4.60 Kms Baltar speed test. Ogier and the Hyundai i20-mounted Neuville tied in second. Conditions were dry and dusty and the stage, which ended with a loop of Baltar’s rallycross circuit, was closely contested. The top eight drivers were covered by a second.
Latvala set the pace in the first run, before Kris Meeke went top of the timesheets in a Citroën C3 at his second attempt. The Finn set the benchmark in his third run as most drivers posted their best time in their final pass.
It has been a disappointing year for Latvala. He is eighth in the points after retiring from the previous two rounds in Corsica and Argentina and views this rally as an opportunity to turn around his fortunes.
“Springtime has been difficult for me and I would really like to use this rally as a turning point for the season. I want to see the finish line, have a clean rally and find the speed I can do. I believe the car is competitive enough, so I have to stay cool and do my job,” he said.
“Three runs in a row this morning and no changes. You normally know that when you don’t need to do any changes then the set-up is correct and that’s the way it should be. If you have to start working in the shakedown, it’s normally not a good sign.”
Meeke, driving a C3, and Andreas Mikkelsen, in an i20, were tied in fourth 0.4sec adrift of Ogier and Neuville. Hayden Paddon, returning to the WRC after a three-rally absence, was another tenth behind in sixth.
Neuville steered his Hyundai i20 away from trouble during a weekend of attrition that sidelined many frontrunners to win by 40.0sec from Elfyn Evans’ Ford Fiesta. Fellow title challengers Ogier and Ott Tänak ended pointless after falling foul of Friday’s rock-strewn speed tests and Neuville pressed home his advantage by claiming four extra bonus points in the final Power Stage.
Second for Evans eased the pressure after a disappointing season and team-mate Teemu Suninen helped erase the frustration of Ogier’s blank weekend in the M-Sport Ford squad by claiming his maiden podium. He finished 7.3sec behind the Welshman.
