Elfyn Evans defies historical past to affix Britain’s rally greats Colin McRae and Richard Burns with WRC title

For what will need to have felt like an eternity, Elfyn Evans feared historical past was repeating itself but once more.

At 3.05pm native time in Sardinia on Sunday, Evans may solely stand and watch as one other international stage rally title seemed to be slipping from his grasp.

Evans was getting ready in his head yet one more runners-up speech – it might be his sixth – as he waited for Oliver Solberg to cross the end line and be topped international stage champion.

How may this be taking place once more?

Of the 5 earlier occasions he had been championship runner-up, three had been selected the ultimate day and twice after he had taken a lead into the ultimate occasion.

But at 3.06pm, for as soon as the motor-racing gods have been on his aspect.

With simply two turns to go on the ultimate stage of the ultimate spherical and with victory in sight, Solberg by some means careered off the observe into the Sardinian sand to hand Evans his first world title.

In essentially the most dramatic of finishes, the 37-year-old from north Wales turned the primary British winner of the of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 25 years.

Only two British males had taken the title for the reason that WRC’s 1977 inception, matching the exploits of legendary pair Colin McRae (1995) and Richard Burns (2001).

Louise Aitken-Walker was Britain’s first international stage champion when WRC ran a ladies’s model in 1990.