Rallying-Evans leads three-way battle as new champion set to be crowned in Sardinia

Sept 30 : Welshman Elfyn Evans leads a three-way battle for the world rally title this weekend with a first-time champion sure to be crowned in Sardinia on Sunday.

Whatever the outcome on the Italian island's gravel roads, manufacturers' champions Toyota will have another winner since the experienced Evans and young challengers Sami Pajari of Finland and Sweden's Oliver Solberg are teammates.

Evans, 37, can become the first British world champion since Richard Burns in 2001 and only the third on a list that started with Colin McRae in 1995. He leads Pajari by 17 points with Solberg a further four behind and a maximum 35 still to be won. 

Solberg, 25, can become the champion son of a champion - his Norwegian father Petter taking the title with Subaru in 2003 - as well as Sweden's first since Stig Blomqvist in 1984.

Finland have had a more recent winner in double champion Kalle Rovanpera in 2022 and 2023 and Pajari, 24 and in his second full season with co-driver Marko Salminen, would be the country's ninth. The Finn has won more rallies than anyone this season - three in a row in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay.

Solberg and Evans have both won two out of 12.

FIVE-TIMES RUNNER-UP

Evans and co-driver Scott Martin have led the championship since April, and the experienced Welshman needs 19 points to end a long wait that has seen him finish runner-up five times in the last six years, but has the disadvantage of having to run first as "roadsweeper" on Friday.

"Sardinia is usually not an easy rally to open the road on, and although we might be more likely to see some rain at this time of year, which could help reduce the cleaning effect for us, we have to prepare for a demanding event like usual," said Evans.

Evans said it being the last and decisive round of the season did not change anything.

"We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position, holding on to the lead through a difficult run of gravel rallies," he added. "Sami and Oliver have been driving well, and with so many points still available, especially on Sunday, we know things will most likely remain open until the end.

"We just need to drive it like a normal rally and focus on doing the best job we can.”

Reigning nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Ogier, also with Toyota, is out of contention in fourth place overall but will be starting his 214th career championship rally.

The Frenchman has the best record of anyone in Sardinia, with five wins including last year's event which was run in June rather than October and based in Olbia rather than this year's headquarters in Alghero on the north-west coast.

Sardinia became the last round after the finale in Saudi Arabia was cancelled due to conflict in the region.

Toyota clinched the manufacturers' championship for a sixth time in a row and record-equalling 10th in Chile earlier this month.