Evans In Position To Secure Ogier A Sixth WRC Title

Elfyn Evans has positioned himself perfectly between team-mate Sébastien Ogier and team rival Thierry Neuville after day two of Rally Australia – a situation which would give Ogier a sixth FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ title if the leaderboard was to remain the same after the third and final leg on Sunday. Driving brilliantly over the loose rainforest gravel roads of New South Wales, Evans and co-driver Dan Barritt continue to play a significant role in the outcome of the world title – being a huge help to Ogier and Julien Ingrassia and a proper thorn in the side to Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai). Evans set an equal fastest and a second fastest time through the Raleigh stage in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC to make sure he remained in seventh place – and crucially 30.6 seconds ahead of Neuville.

By Paul Evans

Elfyn Evans has positioned himself perfectly between team-mate Sébastien Ogier and team rival Thierry Neuville after day two of Rally Australia – a situation which would give Ogier a sixth FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ title if the leaderboard was to remain the same after the third and final leg on Sunday.

Driving brilliantly over the loose rainforest gravel roads of New South Wales, Evans and co-driver Dan Barritt continue to play a significant role in the outcome of the world title – being a huge help to Ogier and Julien Ingrassia and a proper thorn in the side to Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai).

Evans set an equal fastest and a second fastest time through the Raleigh stage in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC to make sure he remained in seventh place – and crucially 30.6 seconds ahead of Neuville.

With just one day and six stages remaining, the closest finish to the WRC season in 15 years is set for an exciting climax, with Evans on the verge of becoming the sport’s team-mate of all time!

“We all knew it would be difficult being early on the road today,” said Evans. “The gravel was really loose and you could see how much it was cleaning and how much faster the road was getting with every car. Still, we delivered a clean and tidy drive and it was nice to show some speed through both passes of the Raleigh stage.”

“We are witnessing a truly golden age of rallying and it is fantastic to watch – albeit pretty nerve-wracking too,” added M-Sport Ford Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson. “Whoever comes out on top tomorrow will be a deserving champion, and everyone in the service park can consider themselves winners for providing such a spectacular show.

“It was a bit of a frustrating day with all three of our drivers clearing the loose gravel, but we saw some good times in the Super Specials and – most importantly – Sébastien and Julien are where they need to be to clinch the title. Anything can happen over the closing stages, but it’s looking good at the moment.”

Rally Australia – top 10 after SS18
1. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) 2:07:52.0
2. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +21.9
3. Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +26.3
4. Mads Østberg / Torstein Eriksen (Citroen C3 WRC) +46.6
5. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +50.4
6. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +1:44.8
7. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2:04.6
8. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +2:35.2
9. Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2:49.0
10. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +6:26.8