Elfyn Evans has taken the lead in WRC Rally Chile after a time adjustment was issued by World Rally Championship officials. Initially trailing Hyundai’s Ott Tanak by 0.4s after Friday’s six stages, Evans now holds a three-second lead following the change in the notional time awarded to him for the interrupted opening stage.
The opening stage, Pulperia, 19.72km, was cut short due to safety concerns for spectators, with only Thierry Neuville, Tanak, and Sébastien Ogier completing it successfully. Notional times based on Neuville’s performance were assigned to the rest of the Rally1 field, who had to complete the stage in road mode. However, these times were subject to revision after a second pass of the test later in the day.
Upon reviewing the times from the second pass, Evans, M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux, and Toyota’s Sami Pajari were issued new notional times for stage one. Evans’ revised time turned out to be two seconds faster than Tanak’s, putting him in the lead of the rally.
Evans had a strong start on Friday, leading the rally into midday service with a 2.2s advantage over his Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera. Although he faced some confidence issues in the afternoon stages, Evans managed to mount a comeback on the day’s final stage.
Reflecting on his performance before the time adjustment, Evans noted, “I think the afternoon could have been better. I think the feeling in the morning was quite okay but I struggled a bit in the afternoon. I couldn’t really find the confidence I was hoping for, at least the feeling was not the same as the morning.”
He emphasized the importance of the upcoming stages, stating, “It is early days in this rally and we know how pivotal the Saturday was last year, so there is a big day ahead.”
Looking ahead, Evans will be aiming to maintain his lead and capitalize on the momentum gained from the time adjustment that put him at the forefront of Rally Chile. The competition remains fierce, with drivers like Tanak and Neuville hot on his heels.
As the rally progresses, fans can expect thrilling battles on the challenging Chilean stages as the drivers push themselves and their cars to the limit in pursuit of victory. Stay tuned for more updates as the action unfolds in the World Rally Championship event in Chile.
