Elfyn Evans celebrates world rally title with Gwynedd homecoming

Elfyn Evans celebrated his World Rally Championship title with hundreds of supporters in Gwynedd on Thursday, returning to his home community as the first Welsh driver to win the championship. BBC News reported that he drove his Toyota rally car from Dinas Mawddwy to an event in nearby Dolgellau.

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The celebrations included a visit to his former school, Ysgol Bro Idris, where pupils and teachers met the driver and saw his car. Supporters later gathered in rainy conditions at Eldon Square for photographs and autographs. Evans also took First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth for a demonstration drive around the town's main car park.

Dolgellau Town Council helped organise the reception. Evans thanked his family and supporters, and said he hoped the title would raise awareness of rallying. He described the response from local children as unusual compared with his everyday life at home, while making clear that becoming champion had not reduced his ambition to achieve more in the sport.

The homecoming followed a championship decided on the final stage in Sardinia. In its report on the title decider, BBC Sport said Evans and co-driver Scott Martin began the final round with a 21-point advantage. That margin had fallen to one point before the last stage, leaving Toyota team-mate Oliver Solberg in position to take the championship if he finished the stage faster than Evans.

Solberg crashed two corners before the finish, then recovered to complete the stage nine seconds slower than his rival. He still won the rally, but Evans secured the championship with 243 points, five ahead of Solberg. Sami Pajari finished third overall on 237 points, completing a closely contested championship among the Toyota drivers.

Evans had previously finished runner-up five times and lost title opportunities on the final day on three occasions. His breakthrough made him Britain's first world rally champion since Richard Burns in 2001. Colin McRae, champion in 1995, is the other British driver to have won the title.