Ogier Ties Record As Evans Misses Out On Wrc Title

47 minutes ago

Elfyn Evans drives his Toyota Yaris done soil astatine Rally Saudi Arabia

Sebastien Ogier has won a record-equalling ninth Word Rally Championship (WRC) title, denying Elfyn Evans a first world crown aft a arguable Rally Saudi Arabia.

Evans, 36, is now a five-time runner-up contempt taking a three-point title lead into nan last information of nan season.

Ogier vanished 3rd down victor Thierry Neuville successful nan Jeddah-based event, besides collecting 9 prize points to decorativeness 4 up of Toyota team-mate Evans astatine nan extremity of nan 14-race calendar.

"It was a reliable arena obviously," said Welsh driver Evans, who vanished sixth successful Saudi Arabia but did triumph nan last shape to besides cod 9 final-day prize points.

"We've done what we can, that's it. We're competitors astatine nan extremity of nan day, we ever want better, we ever want more."

After equalling Sebastien Loeb's tally of World Championship wins, 41-year-old Ogier said: "What a play that's for sure, what a conflict pinch Elfyn and Scott honestly.

"There is only awesome champions erstwhile you person awesome opponents – they person been super-strong, pushing america to nan limit to nan very past shape of nan year."

Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans talk adjacent to a car

Both Ogier and Evans, on pinch galore different drivers, had criticised conditions successful Saudi Arabia, describing nan caller rally added for 2025 arsenic "a lottery".

The treacherous quality was ne'er much evident than connected nan penultimate shape erstwhile leader Martins Sesks suffered 2 punctures, Takamoto Katsuta rolled successful soft soil and Kalle Rovanpera was forced to extremity to alteration a wheel.

The resulting shake-up successful nan leaderboard saw past year's world champion Neuville spell connected to triumph his first rally of nan season, giving Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais breathing abstraction up of Evans successful nan title championship for nan first time.

Although nan Welsh driver trailed nan Frenchman passim nan season-ending rally, up to shape 16 location was seldom much than 1 constituent either measurement betwixt nan pair, arsenic nan virtual title leaderboard flip-flopped 1 measurement past nan other.

Evans has now vanished 2nd champion to Ogier connected 3 occasions, including 2020 erstwhile he again took a title lead into nan last information astatine Monza only for a clang connected treacherous snow-covered roads to costs him nan title.

He has besides vanished 2nd down Neuville (2024) and Rovanpera (2023) and must hold different twelvemonth for his chance to go only nan 3rd British WRC victor aft Colin McRae (1995) and Richard Burns (2001).

Ireland's Josh McErlean placed ninth successful nan 17-stage event, to decorativeness his first full-time WRC play successful 11th overall.

England's Gus Greensmith took nan WRC2 honours successful Saudi to decorativeness 4th down second-category title victor Oliver Solberg, who will thrust a Toyota Rally1 car adjacent season.