ELFYN Evans remains on course for the World Rally Championship crown despite slipping to fifth overall after a dramatic penultimate day of the season-ending rally.

The Dolgellau driver started Saturday knowing his main priority was keeping a close eye on championship rival Oliver Solberg, who began the day 21 points behind him in the standings.

While Solberg enjoyed a superb day to move into the rally lead, Evans limited the damage and still heads the virtual championship race by six points heading into Sunday's deciding stages.

Saturday's longest leg featured 123.66 competitive kilometres across six stages, with changing road conditions making life particularly difficult for the championship leader. Running near the front of the field, Evans was disadvantaged as grip levels improved throughout the day for drivers starting behind him.

A series of incidents involving rivals helped reshape the leaderboard. Adrien Fourmaux suffered tyre trouble before later stopping to change a wheel, while Thierry Neuville's challenge ended after damage forced him out.

Those setbacks promoted Evans and Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari up the order before Fourmaux reclaimed fourth place in the final stage, leaving Evans fifth overnight.

Despite losing ground to rally leader Solberg, Evans remains in the strongest championship position.

Based on the current standings, the Welshman leads Solberg by six points, with Pajari 12 points further back. However, up to 10 bonus points remain available on Sunday's final day through the Super Sunday classification and the rally-ending Power Stage.

Evans admitted road position had made it difficult to match the pace of those starting later.

"We were in a tricky position today," he said. "The feeling was OK behind the wheel and we were driving cleanly, but the road was evolving and the grip improving a lot with every car, so with fast drivers starting behind us, it was difficult to try to close the gaps."

The Toyota driver said he had pushed hard in the day's final stage after Fourmaux's puncture created an opportunity to gain a place.

"Oliver has been driving very well and put himself in a strong position, but tomorrow is still a long day and we just need to go all in."

The championship battle will now be settled on Sunday's final four stages, with Evans knowing a strong finish could secure the biggest achievements of his career.