The Latest Breaking News from Elfyn Evans

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak moved into an early lead at Rally Poland after edging his team-mate and World Rally Championship points leader Thierry Neuville on Thursday night’s opening stage.

This month’s Rally Sardinia featured the joint-closest finish for a win in World Rally Championship history, as Ott Tanak and Sebastien Ogier contested a thrilling battle. It culminated in Tanak claiming victory by just 0.2s after the Hyundai driver overhauled a 17.1s deficit to Toyota’s Ogier on the final day.…

Tanak headed into the afternoon stages with a 3.5s lead over part-time driver Ogier, but ended the day trailing the eight-time world champion by 17.1s.

Tanak became embroiled in an intense fight with overnight leader Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) across the morning’s rough gravel stages with the lead changing hands twice, before Tanak ended the loop with a 3.5s lead.

The eight-time world champion claimed two of Friday afternoon’s four gravel stages that made up a much shorter leg than usual courtesy of the WRC’s trial of a new event format.

Toyota part-time driver Ogier made the most of his favourable road position to win one of the two afternoon tests to lead Hyundai’s Tanak by 1.8s.

Sebastien Ogier claimed a record-breaking sixth Rally Portugal victory last time out, but it was Thierry Neuville who left the weekend with the biggest laugh.

The Toyota driver felt that “everything he touched went wrong” last weekend as he witnessed his six-point deficit to championship leader Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville balloon to 24 points.

The eight-time world champion claimed four of the day’s nine stages, including two of the afternoon tests, to fend off a charging Tanak.