Oliver Solberg delivered a stunning performance on Friday morning at Rally Chile, taking the rally lead by 2.3 seconds over Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans. The young driver set the fastest time on the opening stage and followed it up with second-quickest times on the next two, showcasing his speed and consistency on the damp, muddy roads.
“I just tried to read the road as well as possible. Whenever I saw clay or mud, I had to slow down. When the road surface was darker, I could push harder. The most important thing was finding the right balance,” Solberg told Rallit.fi.
Behind the Toyota pair, Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai holds third, nearly 20 seconds adrift. The tricky conditions, with grip changing rapidly, made it difficult for drivers to trust their pacenotes completely, especially in sections marked as flat out that turned out to be anything but.
For Evans, the wet morning provided a reprieve from road sweeping duties. Had it been dry, he would have lost significant time. “It was pretty much the morning we expected. Some sections were enjoyable, while others were really difficult. It was hard to read the grip because it changed so quickly. In the end, though, it went well,” said Elfyn Evans.
However, Evans is bracing for a tougher afternoon. The sun is expected to dry the surface, which could bring the road-cleaning effect back into play. “Obviously, we don’t want conditions to be quite as difficult as they were this morning, but on the other hand, if the roads start to dry, the road-cleaning effect could again be really significant on the second pass. We’ll see how the conditions develop. In any case, I struggled a lot here last year.”
With conditions set to evolve, adaptation and strategy will be crucial. Solberg, still in the title fight, must keep his composure, while Evans, the WRC points leader, aims to minimize the impact of sweeping. The battle is far from over.
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Oliver Solberg leads Rally Chile after three stages, 2.3 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans. Rain and slippery conditions spice up the WRC battle.
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