Elfyn Evans is world rally champion after INCREDIBLE last stage drama

Elfyn Evans is world rally champion, at long bloody last. The Welshman, 37, has finally joined Colin McRae and Richard Burns on the exclusive list of British WRC winners having previously finished second on five separate occasions.

It was very nearly six. Evans – together with co-driver Scott Martin – had carried a 17-point lead over teammate Sami Pajari into the finale at Rally Italia Sardegna, with fellow Toyota driver Oliver Solberg a further four points back.

But it was the Swede – son of 2003 champion Petter – who emerged as the biggest threat, powering into the lead with a stunning drive on Saturday as Evans was hampered by a mix of road position and his own caution.

And when he suffered a puncture on the penultimate stage of the rally on Sunday – whittling his provisional lead down to a single point – it looked like the title was slipping away again.

That set up an agonising Power Stage climax, in which whoever was quickest over the 7.1km Sassari-Argentiera would be crowned world rally champion for the first time.

Evans set the third fastest time but was convinced it wouldn’t be enough, and for virtually all of Solberg’s final flying run it looked like he was right, the 25-year-old 1.9s up at the last split and on the cusp of a stunning comeback.

But two corners from the finish, disaster: Solberg – still pushing with the same gusto that had put him within touching distance of rally’s biggest prize – lost control of his GR Yaris and smashed into the undergrowth, handing the championship back to Evans and sparking bedlam in the service park.

Solberg – who’d come so close to winning what would’ve been a fairytale championship in his maiden Rally1 campaign – was understandably inconsolable, but still gracious in the aftermath and brave enough to face the podium having still won his third rally of the season.

For Evans and Martin though, the win is a testament to their perseverance after so many gut-wrenching setbacks: the pair were runners up in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and with legend Sebastian Ogier only competing part-time and two-time champ Kalle Rovanperä off exploring other disciplines, missing out this season, with that final round lead, would’ve been the ultimate test of their mettle.

They passed, just. As Evans told TopGear.com a few years ago: “Go to every rally, try your best, do the best preparation you can and see what happens at the end of the year. That’s it really, the rest is simple.”

Da iawn, Scott ac Elfyn. Ardderchog!