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WRC Corsica: Elfyn Evans takes lead on wild second stage

Elfyn Evans surged into the Tour of Corsica lead on a wild final Friday stage, as erstwhile frontrunners Sebastien Ogier and Robert Kubica dropped to 10th and fifth respectively

Torrential rain in the region caused floods and landslides, causing the cancellation of SS2 while SS3 was delayed.

Conditions were extremely wet and muddy when the third stage got going, and many drivers struggled for confidence.

Ogier was not among them, and he looked set to surge clear with early split times half a minute clear of his Volkswagen team-mates.

But it went awry when he picked up a puncture and had to stop to change a wheel.

Though he was under way again in less than two minutes, the delay forced him down to 10th.

NEWS UPDATE: Ogier forced to take Rally2 penalty

Kubica was among the drivers who lost time simply because they did not feel comfortable pushing hard in the conditions.

Conversely, M-Sport's Evans, Hyundai's additional driver Kevin Abbring and World Rally Championship returnees Stephane Sarrazin and Bryan Bouffier all thrived.

Evans was quickest on the stage by 10s over second-quickest man Abbring, half a minute clear of the best of the VWs.

That gives Evans an 18s overnight lead ahead of Abbring, as the pair leapfrogged from sixth and seventh to first and second on a single stage.

Jari-Matti Latvala is third, 22.9s off the pace, and 16s clear of Mads Ostberg's Citroen, with Kubica another 1.5s back.

Sarrazin and Bouffier did not make up so much ground, but progressed to sixth and ninth, split by Andreas Mikkelsen and Kris Meeke.

Dani Sordo, who had been third in the morning, also picked up a puncture and plunged to 14th place.

Hayden Paddon and Ott Tanak continued to struggle and are still outside the top 10 in 11th and 12th.

STANDINGS AFTER SS3:

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