The five titles that got away as Evans seeks WRC glory

Elfyn Evans has been runner-up in the World Rally Championship (WRC) five times in the past six years, coming tantalisingly close to ultimate success. The Welsh driver from Dolgellau now closes in on his elusive crown with a 17-point lead heading into the season-ending Rally Italia Sardegna from 1-4 October. If he maintains his advantage over team-mates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg, Evans would become only the third Briton to win the WRC title, joining Colin McRae and Richard Burns.

Evans' near-misses include devastating crashes and misfortune. In 2020, a last-event crash in Monza after leading by 14 points handed the title to Sebastien Ogier by just eight points. The 37-year-old's reaction was raw: "it was a massive disappointment" that made him "more determined" for the year ahead.

His 2021 campaign ended similarly, with Ogier winning in Monaco and three of the first six rounds. Despite a second victory in Finland and a second place in Catalunya forcing a final-event decider at Monza, Ogier prevailed again.

Evans' 2023 season saw struggles with newly introduced hybrid cars, including going off-road in the opening round. Now, with the WRC calendar truncated by the removal of the planned Saudi Arabia finale, Evans has his chance to seize history in Sardinia.

埃尔文·埃文斯在过去六年的世界拉力锦标赛（WRC）中五次获得亚军，距离最终的成功仅一步之遥。这位来自多尔盖劳的威尔士车手现在正以17分的领先优势，向他梦寐以求的冠军头衔发起冲击，即将于10月1日至4日在意大利撒丁岛举行的收官战 Rally Italia Sardegna 中一决高下。如果他能在与队友萨米·帕雅里和奥利弗·索尔伯格的竞争中保持优势，埃文斯将成为继科林·麦克雷和理查德·伯恩斯之后，第三位赢得WRC冠军的英国人。

埃文斯的遗憾包括毁灭性的撞车和不幸。2020年，他在蒙扎赛道的最后一站比赛中，尽管领先14分，却因撞车退赛，仅以8分之差将冠军拱手让给塞巴斯蒂安·奥吉尔。这位37岁车手的反应十分真实：“那是一次巨大的失望”，但也让他对下一年“更加坚定”。

他的2021年赛季同样以类似方式结束，奥吉尔在摩纳哥和前六站中的三站夺冠。尽管他在芬兰获得第二场胜利，并在加泰罗尼亚获得亚军，迫使比赛在蒙扎进行决胜局，但奥吉尔再次胜出。

埃文斯的2023年赛季因新型混合动力赛车而遇到困难，包括在首站比赛中偏离赛道。现在，由于原计划的沙特阿拉伯收官战被取消，WRC赛程被压缩，埃文斯有机会在撒丁岛创造历史。

关键实体：公司：丰田Gazoo Racing、M-Sport、福特 | 人物：埃尔文·埃文斯、塞巴斯蒂安·奥吉尔、萨米·帕雅里、奥利弗·索尔伯格、科林·麦克雷、理查德·伯恩斯、斯科特·马丁、朱利安·因格拉西亚 | 地点：多尔盖劳、摩纳哥、蒙扎、撒丁岛、威尔士、土耳其、瑞典、芬兰、加泰罗尼亚

FAQ：埃尔文·埃文斯距离2020年WRC冠军有多近？

埃文斯在蒙扎站前以14分领先，但在最后一站第10赛段冲下山坡退赛，最终仅列第29名。塞巴斯蒂安·奥吉尔赢得该站比赛并以8分优势夺得第七个世界冠军，令埃文斯的梦想以毁灭性方式破灭。