Rallying-Evans Leads Three-Way Battle as New Champion Set to Be Crowned in Sardinia
Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg are separated by 21 points, with 35 still available in the title decider.
- Rally Italy Sardinia hosts the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship finale this weekend, featuring a three-way title fight among Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari, and Oliver Solberg.
- Evans leads the standings by 17 points over Pajari, with Solberg trailing by another four, as all three vie to become first-time champions with a maximum 35 points available.
- Running first as "roadsweeper" on Friday, the points leader must clear loose gravel for rivals across 17 demanding special stages; Pajari noted "there can be some tire issue or other things that can go wrong."
- Toyota has already secured a record-equalling 10th manufacturers' crown, while this finale marks the last competitive appearance of current Rally1 machinery before new technical regulations take effect in 2027.
- Fans can tune in to the title-decider at 7.30pm ET on Thursday, Oct. 1, with full highlights on the RACER Network; a one-year RACER+ membership costs $99.
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14 Articles
Sami Pajari, 24, is fighting for the world championship in the enigmatic gravel rally in Sardinia.
WRC Rally Italy Sardinia set for three-way title shootout, first-time champ
Three drivers who’ve yet to taste WRC drivers’ championship success will make it an all-Toyota fight for the crown when Sardinia’s all-gravel event brings the WRC season to a truncated finish following the cancellation of Rally Saudi Arabia.
Channel News Asia
The Straits TimesRallying-Evans leads three-way battle as new champion set to be crowned in Sardinia
Sept 30 : Welshman Elfyn Evans leads a three-way battle for the world rally title this weekend with a first-time champion sure to be crowned in Sardinia on Sunday.Whatever the outcome on the Italian island's gravel roads, manufacturers' champions Toyota will have another winner since the experienced Evans and
After the abolition, due to the geopolitical context, of the Saudi round scheduled from 12 to 15 November, the crown of world champion of the drivers will be awarded from Thursday to Sunday at the end of 17 specials (307.2 km) in the framework as spectacular as it is tricky of Sardinia. A certainty, it will return to a Toyota driver: with a maximum of 35 points to grab, only Evans, Pajari and Solberg, three drivers of the Japanese brand already …
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