Evans regains WRC lead with second place in CER
Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were World Rally Championship runners-up in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024
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Elfyn Evans has regained the lead in the World Rally Championship (WRC) with rival Sebastien Ogier losing ground after crashing at the Central European Rally (CER) in Passau.
The 36-year-old Welsh driver finished second at CER behind winner Kalle Rovanpera, while previous series leader Ogier had to be content with picking up a maximum 10 Sunday bonus points.
With two events to come in the 14-rally series - each offering a maximum 35 points - Toyota's Gazoo Racing occupy the top three WRC postions and have secured their fifth consecutive WRC manufacturers' title.
Evans, with 247 points, is 13 ahead of both 25-year-old Rovanpera and eight-time World Champion Ogier, who are tied on 234.
Twice-champion Rovanpera - who announced before the race he would leave WRC after this year - finished more than 43 seconds ahead of Evans, who grabbed the runners-up spot from Hyundai's Ott Tanak after placing second on the final stage.
Dolgellau's Evans recovered from ninth place after a first-stage penalty having hit a haybale and collected 25 points from the weekend, compared to Rovanpera's 31.
"Huge congratulations to everyone at the team for another title, clearly the best team dominating, so we are super good as a team," said the Finn after his third rally win of the year.
"I'm hungry for this drivers' title, we increase our chances with this result. It won't be easy but we will try to continue."
Ogier had led the event in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany for all of Thursday and Friday's stages, before puncturing and ripping the wheel off his Yaris Rally1 on Saturday's stage 10.
However, the 41-year-old Frenchman took the honours on the final day, topping the Super Sunday standings and winning the final bonus-point powerstage.
Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville's title defence is over after he crashed out on Sunday's opening run.
The Belgian retired from seventh place after hitting the end of a bridge in an incident that led to stage 15 being cancelled.
Neuville's misfortune meant Josh McErlean, from Northern Ireland, equalled his best finish in WRC1, placing seventh for the third time this year in his M-Sport Ford Puma.
The drivers next head to Japan for round 13 from 6-9 November, before a finale in Saudi Arabia at the end of the month.
Central European Rally result
1. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, 2 hours 36 minutes 20.1 seconds
2. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, +43.7secs
3. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, +49.3secs
4. Takamoto Katsuta (Japan), Toyota, +1min 6.8secs
5. Adrien Formaux (France), Hyundai, +2min 04.6secs
6. Sami Pajari (Finland), Toyota. +2min 13.9secs
7. Josh McErlean (Ireland), Ford, +5mins 48.8secs
FIA World Rally Championship drivers' standings (provisional)
1. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, 247 points
2. Sebastien Ogier (France), Toyota, 234
3. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, 234
4. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, 197
5. Thierry Neuville (Belgium), Hyundai, 166
6. Takamoto Katsuta (Japan), Toyota, 110
7. Adrien Formaux (France), Hyundai, 96
Selected
10. Josh McErlean (Ireland), Ford, 26
14. Gus Greensmith (Great Britain), Skoda, 14