Latest news with #ElfynEvans
CNA
2 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Rallying-Ogier edges Tanak to win in Sardinia, Evans stays top
Sebastien Ogier clinched a record fifth Rally Italy victory on Sunday, fending off Hyundai's Ott Tanak by 7.9 seconds after a tense final stage in Sardinia, while Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans stayed top of the championship standings. Ogier, with co-driver Vincent Landais, completed the sixth round of the season in three hours 34 minutes and 24.5 seconds to secure the Frenchman's third win in four starts in a part-time campaign. The eight-times world champion was beaten by Tanak on the island last year by 0.2 seconds after a final-stage puncture but this time Ogier stayed composed and took the win despite a late wobble. Ogier had built a 17.1-second cushion heading into the Wolf Power Stage, but the 41-year-old overshot a tight, rutted corner in the final kilometres. This forced him to stop and reverse after his car refused to turn, cutting his advantage by more than half in a tense finale. "In the ruts, I just couldn't turn the car," Ogier explained. "There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it - I preferred to stop and reverse. But yeah, not ideal. Still, it was enough to win." The victory follows hot on the heels of his Rally Portugal triumph and sent Ogier second in the championship with 114 points to Evans' 133. Toyota, who have won every rally so far this year, also tightened their grip on the manufacturers' race with 312 points to Hyundai's 243. "There are many places I've won several times," said Ogier. "It's just a type of rally I like, where precise driving is needed, but also smoothness for tyre management. Thanks to the team, great turnaround after Portugal in terms of speed and set-up, so good job." Tanak pushed hard in the final stage but fell short, while Kalle Rovanpera, clawing his way up from fifth during Saturday's stages, completed a double podium for Toyota in third, 50.5 seconds behind Ogier. The Finn dropped to third overall, one point behind Ogier, with Tanak fourth on 108. Evans and Takamoto Katsuta rounded out a strong showing for Toyota, taking fourth and fifth respectively. Hyundai's reigning champion Thierry Neuville, fifth in the championship on 83 points, took four points from the Power Stage and one from the 'Super Sunday' format after returning following Friday's retirement. The next round is in Greece on June 26-29.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Third win for Ogier with victory in Rally of Sardinia
Sebastien Ogier won the Rally of Sardinia for a fifth time to move second in the world championship standings (Andreas SOLARO) Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier picked up his third win of the season with victory in the Rally of Sardinia on Sunday. The Toyota driver, who is not competing in the full 14 rounds of the WRC, began the day 17 seconds ahead of Ott Tanak (Hyundai), enabling him to control the rally from the front until a late error almost cost him the win. Advertisement On the final stage, Ogier failed to turn into a tight corner carved with deep ruts and was forced to stop and reverse before restarting. "In the ruts, I just couldn't turn the car," said Ogier. "There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it. I preferred to stop and reverse. Not ideal. Still, it was enough to win." Ogier's fifth win in Sardinia and his 64th career victory lifts him to second in the title race, 19 points behind leader Elfyn Evans, who could only finish fourth in his Toyota. "We have to be satisfied with this weekend," said a positive Evans who lost time with a wheel change on Saturday. Advertisement "We didn't have any major problems and we're in the championship battle with these guys (who finished ahead of him). They were very fast." The Estonian Tanak closed the gap to Ogier to 8sec but had to settle for second ahead of another Toyota driver, Finland's Kalle Rovanpera who came in 50sec off the lead and drops to third in the title race, a point behind Ogier. It was Toyota's sixth victory in six rallies this season and meant the same podium for the second rally running following Portugal in mid-May. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) rounded out the top five while reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) went off the road on Friday's fifth stage and finished outside the points in 19th position. The next round of the WRC is the Acropolis Rally which takes place in Greece at the end of June. cpb/ig/bsp/pi
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Evans' WRC lead cut as Ogier secures Italy record
Elfyn Evans won two of the first three rallies this season in Sweden and Kenya [Getty Images] Elfyn Evans' World Rally Championship lead has been cut further, as Sebastien Ogier made it back-to-back wins with victory at Rally Italia Sardegna. Welshman Evans finished fourth, more than five minutes behind Toyota team-mate Ogier who became the most successful driver in the Italian event's history with a fifth success. Advertisement The French eight-time world champion has cut his series deficit to Evans from 30 points to 19, with another GR Yaris Rally1 driver, Kalle Rovanpera, a further one point back. Rovanpera was fourth in the baking heat of Sardinia, behind Hyundai's Ott Tanak - who finished runner-up to maintain his own championship challenge. All six of this season's rallies so far have been won by Toyota. Ogier's victory was his third of the season and came 12 months after losing out to Tanak by 0.2 seconds following a heartbreaking final-stage puncture in this event. He also had a scare on Sunday's finale, when an overshoot in the final kilometres slashed his lead over the Estonian from 17.2s to 7.9s. Advertisement "In the ruts, I just couldn't turn the car," said Ogier. "There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it, I preferred to stop and reverse. "Yeah, not ideal, still, it was enough to win." Evans once again found the gravel roads tough on the opening day, as he did in Portugal last month. He never challenged for overall victory and also lost time on the top three when he punctured on Saturday's stage 11, though ironically he gained a place to fourth with Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari taking even longer over a wheel change. Josh McErlean's Rally Italia was over almost before it started. He was one of six drivers caught out by the newly introduced Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda loop, ripping the entire rear-left corner off his M-Sport Ford Puma on stage two. Advertisement The Northern Irish driver was forced to retire with suspension damage before restarting, out of contention, on Saturday and finishing 11th in class. He remains 10th overall. The drivers face similar conditions in round seven of the 14-event series, with more gravel stages in Acropolis Rally Greece from 26 to 29 June. Rally Italia Sardegna result 1. Sebastien Ogier (France), Toyota, 3 hours 34 minutes 25.5 seconds 2. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, +7.9secs 3. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, +50.5secs 4. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, +5min 05.7secs 5. Takamoto Katsuta (Japan), Toyota, +7min Advertisement Selected 11. Josh McErlean (Ireland), Ford, +57min 10.1secs FIA World Rally Championship drivers' standings 1. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, 133 points 2. Sebastien Ogier (France), Toyota, 114 3. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, 113 4. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, 108 5. Thierry Neuville (Belgium), Hyundai, 83 6. Takamoto Katsuta (Japan), Toyota, 63 Selected 10. Josh McErlean (Ireland), Ford, 12 12. Gus Greensmith (Great Britain), Skoda, 8
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Evans' WRC lead cut as Ogier secures Italy record
Elfyn Evans' World Rally Championship lead has been cut further, as Sebastien Ogier made it back-to-back wins with victory at Rally Italia Evans finished fourth, over five minutes behind Toyota team-mate Ogier who became the most successful driver in the Italian event's history with a fifth French eight-time world champion has cut his series deficit on the current leader from 30 points to 19, with another GR Yaris Rally1 driver, Kalle Rovanpera, a further one point was fourth in the baking heat of Sardinia, behind Hyundai's Ott Tanak who finished runner-up to maintain his own championship six of this season's rallies so far have been won by Toyota. Ogier's victory was his third of the season and came 12 months after losing out to Tanak by 0.2 seconds following a heart-breaking final-stage puncture in this also had a scare on Sunday's finale, when an overshoot in the final kilometres saw this year's lead over the Estonian slashed from 17.2s to 7.9s."In the ruts, I just couldn't turn the car," said Ogier."There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it, I preferred to stop and reverse. "Yeah, not ideal, still, it was enough to win."Evans once again found the gravel roads tough on the opening day, as he did in Portugal last never challenged for overall victory and also lost time on the top three when he punctured on Saturday's stage 11, though ironically he gained a place to fourth with Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari taking even longer over a wheel McErlean's Rally Italia was over almost before it started. He was one of six drivers caught out by the newly-introduced Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda loop, ripping the entire rear-left corner off his M-Sport Ford Puma on stage two. The Northern Irish driver was forced to retire with suspension damage before restarting, out of contention, on Saturday and finishing 11th in remains 10th drivers face similar conditions in round seven of the 14-event series with more gravel stages in Acropolis Rally Greece from 26 to 29 June. Rally Italia Sardegna result 1. Sebastien Ogier (France), Toyota, 3 hours 34 minutes 25.5 seconds2. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, +7.9secs3. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, +50.5secs4. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, +5min 05.7secs5. Takamoto Katsuta (Japan), Toyota, +7min Josh McErlean (Ireland), Ford, +57min 10.1secs FIA World Rally Championship drivers' standings 1. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, 133 points2. Sebastien Ogier (France), Toyota, 1143. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, 1134. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, 1085. Thierry Neuville (Belgium), Hyundai, 836. Takamoto Katsuta (Japan), Toyota, 63Selected10. Josh McErlean (Ireland), Ford, 1212. Gus Greensmith (Great Britain), Skoda, 8
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sebastien Ogier takes record-breaking WRC Sardinia victory
Sebastien Ogier claimed a third win of the World Rally Championship season after surviving a final-stage mistake to conquer a demanding Rally Italy Sardinia. The part-time Toyota driver and co-driver Vincent Landais avoided the pitfalls of Sardinia's 16 rough gravel stages to take an impressive win, as Toyota extended its 100% winning start to 2025. Advertisement Ogier was locked in a tense battle with Hyundai's Ott Tanak for the majority of the rally before pulling clear of the 2019 world champion in Sunday's all-new quartet of stages. A half-spin followed by a small touch with a tree in the final stage threatened to derail his run to victory, but Ogier held on to win by 7.9s. Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera completed the podium in third [+50.5s], ahead of championship leader Elfyn Evans [+5m05.7s], who witnessed his points lead decrease from 30 to 19 points over Ogier. Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Toyota Racing Toyota anticipated a particularly difficult challenge to claim victory in Sardinia with Evans, Rovanpera and Ogier at the top of the road order in a rally where the road-cleaning effect is significant. The Japanese brand also opted not to test before the event, unlike its rivals – including Hyundai, who had been defeated on the Italian island only twice since 2016. Advertisement However, Ogier defied his road position to lead after the first stage, only for the Frenchman to lose the advantage to Hyundai's Thierry Neuville on the next test. But it was Adrien Fourmaux who took a 2.9s lead over his team-mate at midday service. The lead then changed hands after each of Friday afternoon's stages as Neuville became the first of the title contenders to hit trouble. Neuville slightly misjudged a super fast and narrow section in the new Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda stage that caught out six Rally1 crews. The impact ripped the left-rear wheel from his car, prompting an early retirement. Ogier inherited a 2.1s rally lead from Fourmaux after stage six with Tanak lurking in third 7.3s adrift, after nursing a broken damper. Saturday was dominated by another intense Ogier versus Tanak scrap after a dramatic start that witnessed Fourmaux's demise, which resulted in Ogier briefly losing the lead. Fourmaux picked up a puncture in the day's first stage and initially decided to continue before stopping to change the wheel, which cost the Hyundai driver almost four minutes. Fourmaux rejoined the stage but his dust severely hampered Ogier's visibility for a portion of the test, resulting in a time loss of 29s and the rally lead. Advertisement Toyota appealed to the organisers, who provided Ogier with a notional time that put Frenchman into a 15.0s advantage over. Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Austral / Hyundai Motorsport Austral / Hyundai Motorsport Tanak's charge was dealt a blow by a puncture in stage nine, although the loss was stymied to 10.5s. Tanak won two of the three Saturday afternoon stages to trail Ogier by 11.1s, which set up a grandstand finish on Sunday. Ogier however couldn't be stopped, and despite a moment in the Power Stage, the Toyota driver extended his advantage to take a 64th career win from Tanak, who was unable to find the pace to challenge. Advertisement Like Ogier, Rovanpera was the only other Rally1 driver not to suffer a significant issue. The Finn delivered a smart drive in a rally that doesn't suit his driving style, delivering a third consecutive podium. Rovanpera scored the maximum 10 Super Sunday points underlined by a stunning Power Stage win by 8.1s from Neuville. Evans faced the worst of the conditions on Friday, opening the road – and paid the price, losing more than a minute on Friday. However, the Welshman benefited from what proved to be a rally of attrition to finish fourth, despite picking up a puncture on Saturday that required a rapid wheel change. Evans added three Super Sunday points to his tally. Takamoto Katsuta recovered from a puncture and slow-speed roll in the infamous Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda test to finish fifth. Toyota stablemate Sami Pajari ran as high as third, before a puncture on Saturday and then a spin after contact with a tree on Sunday dropped the Finn to seventh behind Oliver Solberg, the top Rally2 runner [albeit not registered for WRC2 points]. After retiring from the lead, Neuville managed to salvage five Super Sunday points. Team-mate Forumaux wasn't so fortunate leaving the weekend empty-handed. A roll on Saturday afternoon after misjudging a braking point forced the Frenchman to rejoin the rally on Sunday, when he was opening the road. Advertisement M-Sport-Ford endured a disastrous rally losing its three works cars for Martins Sesks (roll), Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster (suspension damage) in a matter of minutes on the Telti - Calangianus – Berchidda stage on Friday morning. McErlean and Munster rejoined the rally, which became an effective test session for Acropolis Rally Greece later this month. To read more articles visit our website.
