Page 109 - Automobile Magazine - 9.YIL Özel Kasım Sayısı Türkçe-İngilizce E-Dergi.

Elfyn Evans Retakes World Championship

Lead With Victory In Rally Turkey

elshman Elfyn
Evans held his
nerve, rode his It has been a fantastic week-
luck to an extent end,” said Evans. “We have
and measured been there or thereabouts all
his pace to per- weekend. We tried to drive well
Wfection to seal a and stay in the middle of the
priceless victory in Rally Turkey, after one road. That did reward us. I know
of the most dramatic final mornings in “a bit of luck needs to go your
the history of the FIA World Rally Cham- way. I don’t like to inherit positions but
pionship. Partnered by Scott Martin, the that is the nature of Rally Turkey, It’s not
Toyota Yaris driver reached the finish 35.2 the sweetest victory, knowing you have
seconds in front of the Belgian duo of Thi- been conservative, but that is the name of
erry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul to regain the game. We have to take all the points
the lead in the FIA World Rally Champi- we can.” The topsy-turvy morning played
onship. French legend Sébastien Loeb havoc with the entire leader board and 109
and co-driver Daniel Elena gave Hyundai young Rovanperä eventually reached the
vital Manufacturers’ points with the final finish in fourth place. Gus Greensmith and
place on the podium behind their team- Esapekka Lappi slotted into fifth and sixth
mates. The first of two passes through in the two surviving M-Sport Ford Fiestas
the Çetibeli stage delivered drama from – the former earning a career-best result. MAGAZINE.COM.TR
the start. The brutal nature of the track Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz climbed to
surface forced the retirements of both the dizzy heights of seventh overall on his
Pierre-Louis Loubet and Teemu Suninen, way to an impressive victory in the WRC3
while time-consuming punctures threw category. “We did it again,” said a delight-
the leader board into chaos, with Evans ed Pole. “This is one of the most difficult
and Gus Greensmith the only drivers in rallies of my career in the World Cham- AUTOMOBILE
the top eight at that point to escape tyre pionship.” Closest WRC3 rival Marco
damage and punctures. It was that ele- Bulacia was 10th and moved to the top
ment of good fortune that paved the way of the leader board in the championship.
for Evans to secure a third career WRC The two WRC2 front-runners, Pontus
victory to accompany his home success Tidemand and Adrien Fourmaux, were
in 2017 and a stunning win in Sweden in classified in eighth and ninth, the former
February. A maiden triumph in Turkey has maintaining his hopes of beating Mads
also thrown the title race wide open and Østberg to the title. Turkey’s Yaĝiz Avci
Evans and Sébastien Ogier now head to and Burak Çukorova were third and fifth
Sardinia separated by 18 points in the title in WRC3 with Chile’s Alberto Heller sand-
race following the six-time World Cham- wiched between them in fourth. Tänak
pion’s cruel engine overheating issues on lost his chance of taking victory on Friday
the penultimate stage. Defending World but earned four Power Stage points on
Champion Ott Tänak and young Kalle the final stage.
Rovanperä are nine points further behind,
with Neuville 32 adrift.

Kasım - November 2020