Elfyn Evans’ hopes of winning the World Rally Championship have been dealt a huge blow as he slipped off the road in atrocious conditions on stage 11 of Italy’s Rally Monza.

A kilometre from the end of the stage the Dolgellau driver lost control on an icy bend and his Toyota Yaris slipped down the embankment.

The 31-year-old and his co-driver Scott Martin jumped out of the car to warn Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate and main rival for the title Sébastien Ogier.

Despite the warning, the Frenchman almost suffered the same fate but kept going to carefully complete the stage as the snow fell.Ogier is now in pole position to lift his seventh crown on Sunday afternoon in Monza. Evans was not able to recover from the incident in the wintry hills above Monza, putting him out of contention for the remainder of the day.However, he will be hoping his Toyota Yaris avoided any major damage in the incident and he can restart tomorrow, with crucial Wolf Power Stage points on offer to keep his fading title hopes alive.