Evans joins the legends with fearsome form in Finland
It was perhaps fitting that, as Rally Finland celebrated its pantheon of great drivers for the event’s 70th anniversary, it welcomed a new member to its exclusive club of winners in Elfyn Evans. Last week’s anniversary edition of the ‘Grand Prix on Gravel’ will be etched in the rally’s storied history as one of the great battles, from which Toyota’s man emerged victorious after coming through an intense head-to-head with Hyundai’s Ott Tanak and Craig Breen.
It will also be remembered as perhaps Evans’s most complete WRC drive to date and confirmation that he deserves to be regarded as an elite force in rallying. He won 10 of the 19 stages to defeat Tanak by 14.1 seconds. The victory also provided a lifeline for the Welshman’s title hopes, slashing championship leader Sebastien Ogier’s advantage from 44 points to 24 with two events remaining.
Rally Finland didn’t deliver the Kalle Rovanpera home victory the Finns craved so much, and in fact for the first time since 2013 Finnish drivers were absent from the
