The title was ultimately decided by the Power Stage in a dramatic conclusion to the championship at Rally Italia Sardegna. Elfyn Evans began the rally with a 17-point advantage over Toyota teammate Sami Pajari, while Oliver Solberg was third and 21 points in arrears in the standings.
Having controlled the rally to bag the maximum 25 points, Solberg added four points on Super Sunday to narrow the deficit to one point going into the Power Stage. A puncture on the final day dropped Evans out of the Super Sunday points, which effectively set up a winner-takes-all final stage where whoever finished ahead was guaranteed the crown.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was quickest on SS17 with a 4:54.2s followed by Pajari, who was 3.3s adrift. Evans went before Solberg to set the benchmark of a 4:59.8s, sitting 5.6s in arrears of Neuville on the demanding gravel stages.
Solberg was quickest to the first sector by three tenths of a second but faded as the stage progressed, albeit still 1.9s quicker than Evans. The Welshman looked on in horror as his title seemingly slipped away before the unthinkable unfolded right at the very end.
Just two corners from the finish, Solberg lost control of his Toyota and speared off the road in a heartbreaking error. Evans’ anguish quickly turned to elation as he was lofted into the air, celebrating his first-ever World Rally Championship title.
"I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet," said Elfyn Evans in the moments after being crowned champion. "I mean, I was quite sure that it was over. I didn’t drive the best stage. I threw everything at it, but it wasn’t clean. I feel sorry for Oliver as well – he did an incredible weekend, and I’m sorry for him to lose it so close to the finish there."
Solberg’s father Petter could barely watch while his mother Pernilla grew with excitement as the stage neared the end. Petter jumped as the harrowing ordeal unfolded in front of him while Pernilla sunk as her son went off the road.
Solberg swore in disgust at his mistake, realising the championship title was lost in a split second. "I expected the corner to be fine and it was fine until there was a bush, like a gravel bank on the outside and I didn’t expect the car to hook me in, so it came like a surprise," explained Oliver Solberg.
"I tried my very best to the very end and that is all I can say. I’m not a guy that gives up. I have a lot of passion. It hurts a lot but I have no regrets. This was my whole dream. I thought I actually could do it so it is a strange feeling," he concluded.
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