Tough weekend in Croatia sees Elfyn drop to second

Crash on stage 3 of WRC Rally Croatia costs Welshman in dramatic event

The first all-asphalt event of the season at Rally Croatia delivered drama right up to the final stage, and it was a tough event for Elfyn after retiring from the lead on just the third stage of the rally on Friday morning.

He did recover some points from Super Sunday and the Power Stage but not enough to maintain his grip on the championship and he slipped to second place.

Elfyn started strong, winning the first two stages, but was forced off the road on stage three – his Toyota GR Yaris wasn’t badly damaged but it dropped down a steep bank and they were unable to get back on the road.

Returning on Saturday, Elfyn used the day to try a range of set-up and tyre options, to collect more data and refine settings for the final day. With no pressure, it was an opportunity to get back up to speed, but the low grip stages, deep corner cuts and gravel pulled onto the road made it quite a challenge.

Sunday featured four stages and a chance to score some additional championship points on the super-fast, asphalt mountain roads. Pushing team-mate Oliver Solberg all the way, he finished second in the Super Sunday standings and runner-up on the Power Stage, taking away eight points from a disappointing weekend.

Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta took his second consecutive victory to leapfrog Elfyn and hold a slender seven-point lead at the top of the championship.

The battle continues on asphalt with the Rally Islas Canarias on 23-26 April where Elfyn will be pushing to make amends for the frustration in Croatia.