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Elfyn Evans wins 2026 WRC title after Solberg crash

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 9:59 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Elfyn Evans clinched the 2026 World Rally Championship after Oliver Solberg crashed near Italy’s final stage.
Evans finished with 243 points, five ahead of Solberg’s 238 and one ahead of Sami Pajari’s 237.
He became Britain’s first WRC champion since 2001 and only the third British winner after Colin McRae.
Evans’s 21-point lead fell to one before the Power Stage, where Solberg slid off, losing nine seconds.

History

Historical Context

In 2001 Richard Burns clinched the World Rally Championship for Britain, becoming the only English driver to do so, after a season-long duel that ended with a third-place finish in Wales and a total of 44 points. His title came with Subaru, while Peugeot retained the manufacturers’ crown, underscoring the era’s British-team rivalry that later inspired renewed British successes and manufacturer commitments in the WRC.

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Story summary

Elfyn Evans clinched the 2026 World Rally Championship after Oliver Solberg crashed near Italy’s final stage.
Evans finished with 243 points, five ahead of Solberg’s 238 and one ahead of Sami Pajari’s 237.
He became Britain’s first WRC champion since 2001 and only the third British winner after Colin McRae.
Evans’s 21-point lead fell to one before the Power Stage, where Solberg slid off, losing nine seconds.

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