In SS10 of Rally Chile, Sebastien Ogier snatched third place from Adrien Fourmaux after setting the fastest time on Saturday afternoon. The Pelun stage, just over 15 kilometres long, had earlier claimed a victim when Hyundai's Thierry Neuville rolled his car heavily in the morning. However, on the second run, everyone made it through safely, and Ogier once again demonstrated his dominance by going quickest.
"It felt quite good. The downhill section was really slippery. I couldn't have done much better," Ogier said briefly. That time gave him a 2.5-second advantage over Fourmaux, whose car sustained minor damage to the left-front corner. "No worries. We lost a little time to Seb, but still less than on the first run this morning," said Fourmaux, who now trails Ogier by 0.6 seconds in the overall standings.
Meanwhile, Toyota's Elfyn Evans set the third-fastest time, 3.5 seconds off Ogier's pace. "There was a better line than this morning, but there was still no grip at all," the Welshman summed up. Evans remains second overall, with a 9.8-second lead over rally leader Oliver Solberg.
Solberg, the current rally leader, finished fourth fastest on the stage, just 0.3 seconds slower than Evans. "It was quite good. I'm trying to drive cleanly and save the tyres. It's challenging because the stage was completely different this morning," he explained. His advantage over Evans has now shrunk to 9.8 seconds, signalling a tight battle in the remaining stages.
Sami Pajari, who still struggled with front-end grip, finished fifth. He admitted the rhythm was better but problems persisted. "We'll try to adjust the car and find some pace from somewhere for tomorrow," he added. Meanwhile, Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi, who was the second car onto the stage, was pleased with his driving despite the extremely slippery conditions. "There was a line in places, but it was unbelievably slippery. Braking on the downhill section was challenging. We ran a little wide at one hairpin, but otherwise there was nothing unusual," Lappi said.
With two stages remaining on Saturday and the rally concluding on Sunday, the competition in Rally Chile is heating up. Ogier, now in third, will look to pressure Evans and Solberg, while Fourmaux will not give up without a fight. The provisional standings show Toyota's dominance with five drivers in the top five, but Hyundai and Ford are trying to break that stronghold.
Rally Chile still holds tension, especially with the changing track conditions. Drivers must be wary of minimal grip and the right tyre strategy. SS10 proved that every second counts, and Ogier made the most of it. Now, focus shifts to the next stage, where rivals will look to strike back.
Baca Juga
Sebastien Ogier membatasi risiko di Reli Chile setelah insiden kecelakaan, sementara Adrien Fourmaux memimpin dengan selisih tipis 1,9 detik.
Thierry Neuville crash hebat di SS7 Rally Chile, Hyundai tak bisa lanjut. Dampak pada klasemen dan persiapan Rally Italia Sardegna.
Oliver Solberg memimpin Reli Swedia WRC 2026 setelah loop Sabtu pagi, unggul 10,1 detik atas Elfyn Evans yang masih kesulitan dengan setelan mobil.
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