Elfyn powers back to podium in Portugal

Elfyn Evans' second place powers him back into the WRC title hunt.

Elfyn got his FIA World Rally Championship challenge back on track after his first podium of the season, finishing second on Rally Portugal.

The rough, tough gravel roads were once again a formidable challenge but Elfyn steered his hybrid-powered GR Yaris clear of trouble on the opening day to jump straight into the lead and open up an overnight gap of 13.6 seconds.

Locked in a battle with championship leader Kalle Rovanperra all weekend, he was a little too cautious during Saturday’s afternoon stages when rain made conditions extremely slippery and lost time, rounding the day off in second place, just 5.7 second adrift.

Despite a hard charge on the final day, Elfyn couldn’t overhaul Rovanperra and finished second to secure his best result of the season and move up to fifth place in the championship standings.

The result also saw another fantastic 1-2 finish for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC team, storming clear in the manufacturer title race.