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WRC
Elfyn Evans wins a wild Rally Turkey to take the lead in the WRC title race
Toyota's Elfyn Evans drives smart to win the gruelling Rally Turkey and regain the lead in the WRC title race, as the rock-filled roads hurt his rivals, with punctures and suspension breakages galore.
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Evans was the only front-running driver to escape from the clutches of the fearsome 38.15km Çetibeli speed test with his car intact during the final day, as his adversaries were laid low by punctures and mechanical problems.
"It's been a tough weekend," said Evans. "We tried to drive well and stay in the middle of the road and that rewarded us. I'm well aware that a bit of luck needs to go your way and I never like to inherit positions from others in that way, but that's the nature of Rally Turkey."
Thierry Neuville won 7 stages, but a puncture ended his hopes of winning
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
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Overnight rally leader Thierry Neuville finished second in a Hyundai i20, 24.2s clear of team-mate Sébastien Loeb, who'd become the oldest driver to lead an FIA World Rally Championship round after Friday's action. The victory hopes of both drivers ended when they punctured in Çetibeli, Neuville conceding 1m 5s and Loeb 1m 20s. This was especially painful for Neuville, who was arguably the fastest driver of the weekend, winning seven of the 12 special stages and leading on two separate occasions.
Championship leader coming into Rally Turkey, Sébastien Ogier also dropped 1m 15s with a similar problem. He remained on course for a podium until he stopped in the second pass through the stage, with smoke pouring from the engine bay of his Toyota Yaris.
Sébastien Loeb became the oldest ever WRC race leader in Turkey
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Kalle Rovanperä finished fourth, more than 90 seconds adrift of Loeb after also falling victim to the Çetibeli curse. The points garnered by Evans and the teenage Finn enabled Toyota Gazoo Racing to extend its Manufacturers' Championship lead to nine points over Hyundai Motorsport.
Gus Greensmith was a career-best fifth in a Ford Fiesta after escaping the carnage. He headed team-mate Esapekka Lappi, who limped through the final stage with a broken damper having also joined the puncture victims earlier.
Teemu Suninen also retired his Fiesta in Çetibeli with broken suspension, while Pierre-Louis Loubet stopped in the same test with engine troubles.
The FIA World Rally Championship switches to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia next for Rally Italia Sardegna on October 8–11, the sixth and penultimate round of the series.
Kalle Rovanperä finished a strong fourth for Toyota
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
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