ELFYN Evans is still in second place after day two of Rally de España but has fallen further behind leader Thierry Neuville.

After a strong performance on Friday, Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Evans began the day only 0.7 seconds away from the rally leader but was not quite able to repeat the same stunning form on a different set of stages and ended the day 16.4s behind the leader.

Still, he remains in second overall and ahead of team-mate and World Rally Championship leader Sébastien Ogier by 22.3s.

Going into Sunday final stages Dolgellau’s Evans said they’ll keep trying to the final Power Stage to overhaul Neuville’s lead.

Championship leader Ogier saw his advantage over fourth place reduced during the morning loop but he responded spectacularly in the afternoon after setup changes in service, setting the fastest time in both SS11 and SS12.

Although time was lost in the evening’s closing street stage, he is still 1.2s ahead of the driver in fourth.

By occupying second and third overall, the team remains on course towards its goal of securing the manufacturers’ championship on Sunday, depending on the results of the Power Stage.

Dolgellau’s Evans said: “We didn’t have such a great day today and not what we wanted.

“The times were OK but not as good as yesterday obviously.

“We tried to improve the car in certain areas, like in the dirty places where we were struggling yesterday afternoon – and also this morning when we were running further back on the road.

“To an extent we managed to improve that, but in the process we affected the overall balance of the car.

“We had to try something but it didn’t work out: I never really found the sweet spot and never felt as comfortable as yesterday.

“ Here you have to be very confident, and I wasn’t at my very best today and it showed in the times. But tomorrow we’ll keep trying.”