Evans ends years of heartache to take first world title

Elfyn Evans finally won the World Rally Championship (WRC) title with Toyota on Sunday, ending years of finishing second. The Welsh driver had placed runner-up overall five times in the previous six years, but sealed the championship after a tense final-stage duel with teammate Oliver Solberg at the season-ending Italian event in Sardinia. Evans became Britain’s first world rally champion since Richard Burns in 2001 and only the third since Scottish driver Colin McRae won in 1995. Solberg, the son of 2003 champion Petter Solberg, won the rally itself and finished the season as runner-up. Reuters reported the result from Sardinia.