Oliver Solberg reignited his WRC title hopes with a commanding victory at Rally Chile on Sunday, his second win of the season. The Toyota driver, who also won the season opener in Monte Carlo, has endured a turbulent campaign but showcased his resilience on Chilean soil.
Solberg was second-fastest on Super Sunday and quickest on the Power Stage, bagging a substantial points haul that brings him within 21 points of the championship lead. "An unbelievable weekend. The whole season has been full of ups and downs, but the team has supported me throughout. I’m speechless. A huge thank you to everyone. Finally, the win has come," an emotional Solberg said.
Sebastien Ogier finished second, 16.6 seconds adrift, and praised his team. "It has been great to drive this car all weekend. Huge congratulations to the team on the championship. You deserve it. There’s nothing else to say," Ogier commented.
Adrien Fourmaux completed the podium for Hyundai, acknowledging a cautious approach. "This was a positive weekend. We had to be careful with the tyres and just tried to avoid any drama. We tried to push a little on Sunday, but then we had problems again and had to take it easy," Fourmaux said.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari saw his three-win streak end with a fourth-place finish, while championship leader Elfyn Evans suffered a puncture on the penultimate stage, dropping from second to fifth. Evans still edged Pajari by 0.1 seconds on the Power Stage, scoring one more point. The gap between them is now 17 points in Evans’s favour with two rounds remaining.
"Things change very quickly in this sport. There are still a couple of rallies left and anything is possible. We have to take the positives, even though we weren’t on the pace from the start," Pajari reflected. "We tried to drive as efficiently and as fast as possible. On the other hand, we couldn’t afford another puncture. These things happen. We were still in a good position this morning. We did what we could," Evans added.
In WRC2, Yohan Rossel dominated to finish eighth overall, nearly a minute ahead of Robert Virves (Skoda). Britain’s Gus Greensmith was third in class. Turkey’s Ali Turkkan clinched the junior title despite finishing second in Chile behind Leevi Lassila, as Sweden’s Calle Carlberg crashed heavily on Saturday evening.
Toyota secured the manufacturers’ title in Chile, their historic tenth, a feat previously achieved only by Lancia. The WRC season continues in Sardinia on the first weekend of October. Rally Saudi Arabia is on the calendar but is unlikely to take place due to the war in Iran, with Rally Catalunya proposed as a replacement.
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