Oliver Solberg once again showcased his speed at SS6 of Rally Sardinia, setting the fastest time, while Thierry Neuville successfully closed the gap to the leader. The battle at the top is heating up.
The second stage of Friday belonged to Solberg. The Toyota driver pushed his car to the limit, going 9.5 seconds faster than his teammate Sami Pajari. "I took it easy on the first pass because I was worried about punctures. This was more like getting back to normal," Solberg said. He even thought he had a puncture when the display showed a warning, but everything turned out fine. "I think I look at the screen too much," he added with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Elfyn Evans, who opened the road, was less than satisfied with his performance. The Welshman admitted he couldn't find full confidence behind the wheel. "The rear of the car in particular felt like it was getting away from me. It was pretty difficult," he complained. His teammate, Sami Pajari, who started second, was 3.2 seconds faster than Evans.
Rally leader Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai was only 1.3 seconds slower than Solberg. He chose a cautious strategy, avoiding rocks on the road. "I knew there would be more rocks the second time through, so I drove around them. I really don’t want to suffer a puncture. I will stick to this plan, and it seems to be working well," Fourmaux explained.
Thierry Neuville, taking advantage of his road position, beat Solberg's time by 2.2 seconds. That tightened the battle for victory, with the Belgian now only 4.7 seconds behind his teammate. "I am just focusing on my own driving and trying to conserve the tyres. I was surprised by how much the tyres wore on the previous stage, so I took this one a little more cautiously," Neuville said.
Sebastien Ogier, who finished fifth, praised his young teammate's performance. "A good run from him. It is difficult to drive flat out there. In places it is a complete lottery, but we are trying to make it through," Ogier said. He himself was 7.9 seconds behind Solberg.
With this result, the provisional standings after SS6 still have Fourmaux leading with a total time of 1:10:16.3. Neuville is second, followed by Solberg in third. One more stage remains on Friday, and the rally concludes on Sunday. Will Neuville continue to apply pressure? Or can Fourmaux hold on to his lead? We'll have to wait and see.
Read Also
Resmi: Rally Portugal absen dari WRC 2027, kembali 2028. Simak alasan dan dampaknya bagi kalender dan persaingan reli dunia.
Sami Pajari kalahkan Evans dan Solberg di SS5 Rally Sardinia. Fourmaux masih memimpin, Hyundai dominan. Simak klasemen dan analisis lengkapnya.
Sebastien Ogier mengeluh soal debu dan puncture yang membuatnya terpuruk di reli. Ia prediksi loop sore akan lebih buruk. Simak selengkapnya.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!