Chile podium keeps Elfyn's championship bid alive

Welshman overcomes tough road position to earn second place in South Amercia.

Despite the disadvantage of running first on the road on the opening day, Elfyn was able to battle for the lead of Rally Chile and eventually took second place to keep his title bid on track.

Damp weather meant that Friday’s opening morning loop had a little less road cleaning that expected and Elfyn made the most of the opportunity to edge into an early lead, holding an advantage of just 0.5s after three stages.

However, conditions dried up in the afternoon and Elfyn lost the momentum, dropping to fifth place overnight as the drier roads meant more loose gravel to sweep.

Conditions on Saturday played out in a similar style, again making for a day of two halves for the drivers, with heavy rain creating a muddy and slippery surface for the morning loop of three stages.Elfyn excelled in scenes reminiscent of those historically seen on rallies in his native Wales. He stormed to the front of the field with the strongest pace of the frontrunners in the difficult conditions, turning a 13.1s deficit into a lead of 5.6s in three stages.

For the afternoon’s repeat loop, the stages had dried out considerably and tyre management came to the fore once more on the most abrasive roads of the rally. Road position again played a role as Elfyn’s team-mate Sebastien Oger edged ahead into the lead to hold a 5.3s advantage going into the final day.

With just four short Sunday stages, there was no change in the overall leaderboard. Ogier took the win and claimed the maximum additional Super Sunday and Power Stage points to edge ahead of Elfyn in the championship by just two points.

Elfyn’s second place sealed another 1-2 finish for Toyota Gazoo Racing and was enough to ensure maintain his title ambitions with just three events remaining.