Toyota driver Elfyn Evans held his nerve, rode his luck to an extent and measured his tempo to perfection to seal a purposeful victory on Rally Turkey, after one of the dramatic final mornings in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Partnered by Scott Martin, the Welshman reached the have confidence 35.2 seconds in entrance of the Hyundai crew of Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul to reclaim the lead in the FIA World Rally Championship. In the lend a hand of them, French story Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena gave the Korean firm very most critical Manufacturers’ aspects with the final attach on the rostrum.
The principle of two passes via the 38.15 kilometre Çetibeli stage delivered drama from the commence. The brutal nature of the observe surface forced the retirements of Hyundai’s WRC rookie Pierre-Louis Loubet and M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen, whereas time-ingesting punctures threw the leader board into chaos, with Evans and M-Sport Ford driver Gus Greensmith the perfect drivers in the head eight at that mumble rupture out tyre hurt and punctures.
It was once that component of lawful fortune that paved the manner for Evans to stable a third career FIA WRC victory to accompany his home success in 2017 and a beautiful steal in Sweden in February.
A maiden triumph in Turkey has also thrown the title lag huge initiate. Toyota crew-mates Evans and Sébastien Ogier now head to Sardinia separated by 18 aspects in the total classification, following the six-time World Champion’s merciless engine overheating factors on the penultimate stage. Defending World Champion Ott Tänak and younger Kalle Rovanperä are 9 aspects additional at the lend a hand of, with Neuville 32 adrift.
The topsy-turvy morning conducted havoc along with your complete leader board and 19-Twelve months-venerable Rovanperä by some means reached the have confidence in fourth attach. Gus Greensmith and Esapekka Lappi slotted into fifth and sixth in the 2 surviving M-Sport Ford Fiestas – the historical earning a career-simplest result.
Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz climbed to the dizzy heights of seventh overall on his plot to a ambitious victory in the FIA WRC3 category.
Closest class rival Marco Bulacia was once 10th and moved to the head of the leader board in the championship. The two FIA WRC2 entrance-runners, Škoda’s Pontus Tidemand and M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux, had been classified in eighth and ninth, the historical hanging ahead his hopes of beating Mads Østberg to the title. Turkey’s Yaĝiz Avci and Burak Çukorova had been third and fifth in FIA WRC3 with Chile’s Alberto Heller sandwiched between them in fourth.
Defending World Champion Tänak lost his chance of taking victory on Friday because of the steering factors but earned four Energy Stage aspects on the final Energy Stage.
Final unofficial outcomes:
| 1. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR) | Toyota Yaris WRC | 2 hr 43min 02.7sec |
| 2. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 2 hr 43min 37.9sec |
| 3. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Daniel Elena (MNC) | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 2 hr 44min 02.1sec |
| 4. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) | Toyota Yaris WRC | 2 hr 45min 38.6sec |
| 5. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR) | Ford Fiesta WRC | 2 hr 47min 11.0sec |
| 6. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) | Ford Fiesta WRC | 2 hr 48min 38.9sec |
| 7. K. Kajetanowicz (POL) / M. Szczepaniak (POL) FIA WRC3 | Škoda Fabia Evo | 2 hr 55min 38.2sec |
| 8. P. Tidemand (SWE) / P. Barth (SWE) FIA WRC2 | Škoda Fabia Evo | 2 hr 56min 02.4sec |
| 9. A. Fourmaux (FRA) / R. Jamoul (FRA) FIA WRC2 | Ford Fiesta MkII | 2 hr 57min 45.3sec |
| 10. M. Bulacia (BOL) / M. Der Ohannesian (ARG) FIA WRC3 | Citroën C3 | 2 hr 57min 49.1sec |
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