Solberg Dominates Saturday Stages to Extend Rally Chile Lead
Oliver Solberg delivered a stellar performance on Saturday afternoon during Rally Chile, significantly extending his overall lead and positioning himself strongly for a potential second World Rally Championship victory of the season. His strategic driving and commanding speed in the final stage of the day proved decisive against his closest rival.
The day began with Solberg holding a narrow 10.1-second lead over his Toyota teammate, Elfyn Evans, after a morning characterized by intense competition among the top four drivers, who were separated by a mere 20 seconds. Recognizing the necessity of conserving his tires on the demanding gravel tracks, Solberg initially saw his advantage slightly diminish as Evans shaved 0.3 seconds off his lead in Stage 10, bringing the gap to 9.8 seconds.
However, Solberg swiftly retaliated in the subsequent two stages, outpacing Evans in both. His exceptional run in Stage 12, Maria las Cruces 2, spanning 28.31 kilometers, was particularly impressive. He finished 3.7 seconds ahead of Evans in this stage alone, predominantly gaining time in the final downhill section. This formidable effort widened his lead to a substantial 19.1 seconds over the championship leader, with only four stages remaining on Sunday.
Reflecting on his performance, Solberg expressed satisfaction with the increased buffer: “Tomorrow’s first stage is extremely challenging, but having this gap now is incredibly reassuring. For the championship, I need to execute my signature power stage on Sunday, and I’ll give it my all.” Meanwhile, Evans shifted his focus to fending off nine-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who was relentlessly closing in on his second-place position.
Ogier commenced the afternoon loop in fourth place, 1.9 seconds behind Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux. He quickly reclaimed third from Fourmaux for the third time that day by winning Stage 10, where he was 2.5 seconds faster than his compatriot, creating a 0.6-second lead. Ogier then intensified the pressure on Evans, recording the fastest time in Stage 11, Lota 2, reducing the gap to Evans to a mere 0.3 seconds entering the day's ultimate stage. Nevertheless, Evans responded with resilience in the final stage of the loop, beating Ogier by a single second to secure his second-place standing, with Ogier concluding the day in third, 20.4 seconds adrift of the leader.
Evans remarked on his day: “It was a clean drive. We benefited from fresh tires, but the damage had already been done in the preceding two stages. I can’t be entirely pleased with the afternoon; we had hoped for more speed. We’ll continue to push.” Fourmaux, whose gamble on tire strategy with three softs and one hard tire did not yield the desired outcome, finished fourth. Despite a similar strategy proving successful in the morning, he was unable to replicate his earlier stage win, expressing frustration: “Working with these tires is a big challenge. There was no abrasion in Paraguay, and the tires simply exploded, but here it’s like a cheese wrap.” Fourmaux heads into Sunday 18.2 seconds behind the leader and 10.7 seconds adrift of Ogier.
Championship contender Sami Pajari secured fifth place, finding himself isolated, 1 minute and 15.5 seconds behind the leader. He commented, “Not many stories to tell from today. We aren’t performing at the pace we desire. While there's much discussion about road position playing a significant role, ultimately, our pace isn't what we aimed for. Hopefully, we can be faster on ‘Super Sunday.’” Despite being disadvantaged by road position, Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi had a much more favorable day, climbing to sixth. M-Sport-Ford's Josh McErlean ended Saturday in seventh, overcoming a morning puncture and a car issue that caused a one-minute delay after the midday service. McErlean’s teammate, Jon Armstrong, was forced to retire after rolling his Ford Puma in Stage 8, while Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville also retired from the rally due to damage sustained from rolling his i20 N in Stage 7, and will not restart on Sunday. Lancia’s Yohan Rossel now leads WRC2 by 58.0 seconds over championship leader Robert Virves.
Solberg's late burst of speed on Saturday's stages at Rally Chile created a significant gap, demonstrating his mastery over the challenging terrain. With his lead now firmly established, the final day promises intense action as drivers navigate the remaining four stages to determine the ultimate victor.