Wales Rally GB: Win makes up for 'painful' year in 2016 says Elfyn Evans

Elfyn Evans (left) and co-driver Daniel Barritt

Elfyn Evans says winning his home rally makes up for missing out on a World Rally Championship (WRC) drive in 2016.

The 28-year-old became the first Welsh driver to win the Wales Rally GB as he and co-driver Daniel Barritt triumphed.

It was Evans' first WRC event win and sweeter after missing out on a drive 12 months earlier.

"Obviously it was very painful to miss my home event last year... and to be stood here now having won the event, it feels pretty good," he said.

"It is great to finally get the first one out [win] of the way and hopefully we can follow it up with a lot more of them now."

Evans led from the early stages on day two, and in the end had a 37.3 second winning margin over Thierry Neuville 37.3 with Sebastien Ogier a further 7.9sec back.

Frenchman Ogier's third place was enough to secure his fifth consecutive world title with one round still to go in Australia next month.

"It feels amazing. I think today I had one of the strongest emotions I have ever had in rallying," Ogier told BBC Wales Sport.

Evans was British Rally champion in 2016, emulating his father Gwyndaf who won the title in 1996.

The Welsh speaker from Dolgellau in north Wales said he felt no pressure as he closed in on victory in unusually dry weather on Sunday.

"It has been a great weekend with many, many highs from all around the team with Seb [Ogier] securing the drivers title and M-Sport securing the manufacturers title and ourselves taking the win. It has been an incredible weekend," he said.

"I think overall we were able to maintain being quite calm and to steadily build on our advantage. We managed to make no mistakes and it put us in a strong position at the finish."

There was more home success in the second-tier WRC2 event with Aberdovey-based driver Tom Cave third in the support class.

Welsh co-driver, Craig Parry, ended the rally in sixth in the WRC2 category alongside English driver Gus Greensmith..