Lisbon (AFP)

Elfyn Evans won the rally in Portugal on Sunday to come back to two small points behind Sébastien Ogier, still leader of the World Rally Championship (WRC) by finishing third on the dusty tracks in the north of the country.

Between the Toyota Yaris of the Welshman and the Frenchman, the Hyundai i20 of the Spaniard Dani Sordo finished second to save the honor of the Korean manufacturer after the disappointments of the Belgian Thierry Neuville, then of the Estonian Ott Tänak, while they dominated this fourth round of the championship.

In charge of the race since the penultimate stage on Saturday, marked by the retirement of Estonian Ott Tänak who then led the race with authority, Evans completed the last of the rally's twenty stages with a 28-second advantage. 3/10 on Sordo and almost a minute and a half on Ogier.

"We were perhaps not the fastest team this weekend, but the pace was really good and we avoided the problems," responded the 32-year-old Briton after the fourth victory of his career in WRC.

"It has not been a pleasant weekend for us, but the points are worth taking," said Ogier who, after his successes in Monte-Carlo and Croatia, is aiming for an eighth title for his last full-time season.

- Decisive power stage -

Another twist in the final kilometers would have been particularly cruel for Evans, who had made a mistake in the final corner of Rally Croatia last month, allowing Ogier to snatch the victory from him in extremis.

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On Sunday, the Welshman overtook Neuville in the drivers' standings and ends up with 77 points, against 79 for Ogier and 57 for the Belgian.

The two Toyota drivers were only separated thanks to the bonus points of the "power stage", which Ogier completed with the third fastest time, behind Tänak and Neuville, Evans setting the fifth fastest time.

Evans' victories last year in Sweden and Turkey had already earned him a second place in the league, in the Frenchman's seventh coronation.

Penalized by his status as leader of the championship, Ogier had to sweep the road on Friday while Sordo, who this season alternates with Irishman Craig Breen at the wheel of the third Hyundai, took advantage of a more favorable starting order to play. the spoilsports.

The 38-year-old Spaniard led the race for much of the first day before losing crucial seconds stalling in SS7 at Mortagua, a stage that would be even more dramatic for his teammate Thierry Neuville.

- Fourmaux sixth -

The Belgian driver broke his suspension by hitting an embankment on a turn approached too quickly.

The damage was so severe that he had to quit again the next day to repair his still damaged chassis.

Tänak, 2019 world champion and last winner in Portugal the same year, had the way open but he too was the victim of a broken suspension, the cause of which was not specified.

The third man from Toyota, the Japanese Takamoto Katsuta, finished at the foot of the podium in front of the Ford Fiestas of the British Gus Greensmith and the French Adrien Fourmaux.

In the constructors' standings, Toyota (183 points) therefore widened the gap ahead of Hyundai (146).

After the asphalt and snow, the WRC came back to gravel in Portugal and will continue on its preferred surface for the next four rounds, starting with Rally Sardinia in two weeks.

The public also made a comeback despite the sanitary limitations, but many applauded the cars which took off at full speed from the famous bump at the end of the legendary Fafe special that concluded the rally.

© 2021 AFP