Elfyn Evans defies history to join Britain's rally greats Colin McRae and Richard Burns with WRC title
Elfyn Evans dramatically won his first World Rally Championship title after rival Oliver Solberg crashed on the final stage of the final round in Sardinia. This victory makes the 37-year-old from north Wales the first British WRC winner in 25 years, joining legends Colin McRae and Richard Burns.
Why it matters
This win marks a significant achievement in British motorsport, ending a 25-year drought for a British WRC champion and solidifying Evans's place in the sport's history after multiple near-misses.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Elfyn Evans (centre) joins Colin McRae (left) and Richard Burns (right) as British world rally champions
For what must have felt like an eternity, Elfyn Evans feared history was repeating itself yet again.
At 3.05pm local time in Sardinia on Sunday, Evans could only stand and watch as another world rally title looked to be slipping from his grasp.
Evans was preparing in his head yet another runners-up speech - it would be his sixth - as he waited for Oliver Solberg to cross the finish line and be crowned world champion.
Of the five previous times he had been championship runner-up, three had been decided on the final day and twice after he had taken a lead into the final event.
But at 3.06pm, for once the motor-racing gods were on his side.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in