Evans above

The actual Sardinian dust may have only taken a minute or so to settle on the north west coast of the island, but metaphorically it feels like it will be hanging in the air for some time to come. After more than two decades, we have another pair of British World Champions at the highest level of rallying. After five times finishing as runners-up, Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin now join Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Derek Ringer, Robert Reid and Phil Mills.

In case you missed it, the 2026 WRC season came to the sort of dramatic conclusion that would seem absurd if it were put into a movie. Even one with Tom Cruise in. Elfyn and Scott came into the final round in Sardinia with a 17 point lead over Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen, and a 21 point lead over Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson.

That may sound like the crew of car #33 was on easy street, but due to their road position (something I’ll come back to in a minute) it was far from straightforward. Pajari’s challenge gradually fell away during the three days, but Solberg drove brilliantly to lead the rally, and, combined with a horribly-timed puncture for Evans on the Sunday morning, it meant the championship came down to a winner takes all situation on the very last stage of the year. If Evans covered the 7.1km of the Power Stage faster than Solberg, then he would be champion, and vice versa.