Oliver Solberg delivered a stunning performance by setting the fastest time on SS6 Hualqui, Friday's final stage, to lead Rally Chile by 10.1 seconds over Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans. This is a testament to Solberg's quality in challenging conditions.
"I went back with the car's set-up to where I was before. I was too cautious at the start of the stage because I was trying to keep my lines clean. I think that was important this afternoon, though. I'm quite happy," Solberg summed up.
Second place is a more than respectable result for Elfyn Evans considering his road position. However, he did gain a slight advantage from the damp conditions in the morning. "In a way, this sounds good. The afternoon was difficult, as I expected. I didn't perform well enough. Hopefully I can do better tomorrow," Evans said.
Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux is third, 18 seconds behind leader Solberg. Toyota's Sebastien Ogier is only 1.7 seconds behind Fourmaux, with fellow Toyota driver Sami Pajari 3.7 seconds adrift. "There were a few places where you had to be really careful. I agree that I was quite close to the limit," Pajari said. Fourmaux was thrilled: "It's absolutely incredible. Getting to drive these cars on stages like these is the best thing in the world. It's so much fun to drive. I drove a really good stage considering my tyres."
Hyundai's Thierry Neuville is sixth and is also less than half a minute off the lead. The gap to seventh-placed M-Sport Ford driver Josh McErlean, however, is already almost two minutes. M-Sport Ford's other Irish driver, Jon Armstrong, is eighth ahead of Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi, who has endured a poor rally.
Six stages will be contested in Chile on Saturday. The rally concludes on Sunday. The battle for the lead is tight, with Solberg leading Evans, Fourmaux, Ogier, and Pajari, who is 21.7 seconds back. Neuville in sixth is still within reach, while McErlean and Armstrong are already far behind.
With road conditions still changeable, tyre strategy and consistency will be key. Solberg must maintain his performance, while Evans and Fourmaux will look to apply pressure. Ogier and Pajari are also ready to pounce on any mistakes. Rally Chile is far from over, and the fight for the podium promises to be intense.
Baca Juga
Conner Martell akan menggantikan Travis Pastrana di Subaru Motorsports USA untuk Overmountain Rally Tennessee. Simak analisis lengkap dan dampaknya bagi persaingan ARA.
Takamoto Katsuta jelaskan penyebab off di SS1 Rally Chile 2026. Pembalap Toyota itu terperosok di parit berlumpur dan akan restart Sabtu.
Oliver Solberg memimpin Reli Chile setelah loop pagi, unggul 2,3 detik atas Elfyn Evans. Kondisi trek basah dan strategi sore menjadi sorotan.
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