Evans handed slender lead after Meeke issue
Top 15 classification after SS6 at Tour de Corse
Elfyn Evans has been handed a 4.5-second advantage at the end of day one at Tour de Corse after getting stuck behind a slow Kris Meeke on the final stage.
The M-Sport driver reclaimed his early lead at the start of the second loop with victory on SS4 Bavella 2 before cementing his advantage with a third stage win of the day on SS5 Valinco 2.
Top 15 classification after SS6 at Tour de Corse
Elfyn Evans has been handed a 4.5-second advantage at the end of day one at Tour de Corse after getting stuck behind a slow Kris Meeke on the final stage.
The M-Sport driver reclaimed his early lead at the start of the second loop with victory on SS4 Bavella 2 before cementing his advantage with a third stage win of the day on SS5 Valinco 2.
Looking to complete a strong day at Tour de Corse, Evans was up in the time splits again on the road before coming up behind a slow-moving Meeke who was struggling with rear suspension damage to his Toyota.
By the finish Evans was 10 seconds behind Toyota’s Ott Tanak but upon reviewing onboard footage Tour de Corse stewards effectively neutralised the stage between the front-runners by giving the M-Sport Ford driver the same finishing time as Tanak.
As a result, Evans takes a 4.5s lead into SS7 over Tanak with Neuville in third place 9.8s off the Welsh driver.
Dani Sordo remains a distant fourth place for Hyundai and will look to fend off M-Sport’s Teemu Suninen who is less than five seconds back, while defending WRC champion Sebastien Ogier also remains in close contract for Citroen in sixth place.
Ogier’s teammate Esapekka Lappi holds seventh place with Loeb struggling for Hyundai over 90 seconds off in eighth place.
Eric Camilli leads the WRC2 fight for Volkswagen in ninth place with Citroen’s Yoann Bonato rounding out the top 10 with Meeke limping to the end of the day’s action down in 16th place.
