Britain's Elfyn Evans has finally won the World Rally Championship, sealing the drivers' title with Toyota after a tense final-stage duel with his teammate Oliver Solberg in the season-ending round in Sardinia.
A long-awaited triumph
The Welshman had finished runner-up five times in the previous six seasons, making Sunday's breakthrough the culmination of years of near misses. He held his nerve against Solberg in the decisive final stage of the Italian rally to claim the crown.
Evans is the first British world rally champion since England's Richard Burns in 2001, and only the third Briton to win the title since Scotland's Colin McRae became the nation's first champion in 1995.
Solberg takes the rally, settles for second
Sweden's Oliver Solberg won the Sardinia rally itself and finished the season as runner-up. The son of Norway's 2003 world champion Petter Solberg, he pushed his Toyota teammate all the way in the final showdown before settling for second place in the championship.
Sources:
Reuters: Evans ends years of heartache to take first world title
A long-awaited triumph
The Welshman had finished runner-up five times in the previous six seasons, making Sunday's breakthrough the culmination of years of near misses. He held his nerve against Solberg in the decisive final stage of the Italian rally to claim the crown.
Evans is the first British world rally champion since England's Richard Burns in 2001, and only the third Briton to win the title since Scotland's Colin McRae became the nation's first champion in 1995.
Solberg takes the rally, settles for second
Sweden's Oliver Solberg won the Sardinia rally itself and finished the season as runner-up. The son of Norway's 2003 world champion Petter Solberg, he pushed his Toyota teammate all the way in the final showdown before settling for second place in the championship.
Sources:
Reuters: Evans ends years of heartache to take first world title
