Oliver Solberg stormed to his first Rally Chile victory, reigniting the fight for the 2026 World Rally Championship title. The Toyota driver dominated from the start, leading almost every stage and finishing 16.6 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
However, the spotlight also fell on championship leader Elfyn Evans, who suffered a costly tire change on the penultimate stage. The Toyota driver had been running second before losing over two minutes and dropping to fifth. “It was looking pretty positive this morning, but these things happen,” Evans said.
Solberg's win was a golden opportunity for Sami Pajari. Despite lacking the pace of the leading quartet, the Finn managed to close the gap to Evans in the standings from 20 to 17 points. Solberg now sits third, 21 points adrift.
Behind Solberg, Sebastien Ogier and Adrien Fourmaux engaged in a tense battle throughout the rally. Ogier, ever consistent, beat Fourmaux by 16.7 seconds and won Super Sunday. “An unbelievable weekend. The team always supported and believed. Finally some luck on my side,” Solberg said.
The result also confirmed Toyota as the 2026 WRC manufacturers' champions, matching Lancia's all-time record of 10 titles. A remarkable achievement for the Japanese squad.
Meanwhile, Esapekka Lappi finished sixth in what could be his final WRC event. Josh McErlean had a scare after outbraking himself over a crest and damaging his Ford Puma Rally1's front bumper, but still finished seventh. Thierry Neuville retired after a crash on Saturday's first stage, while Takamoto Katsuta and Jon Armstrong also failed to finish due to mistakes.
In WRC2, Yohan Rossel claimed Lancia's first gravel victory and fourth of the year, beating championship leader Robert Virves by 53 seconds. Gus Greensmith completed the podium ahead of Taylor Gill. In Junior WRC, Ali Turkkan finished second to become champion after his main rival crashed out.
Baca Juga
Oliver Solberg memenangi Rally Chile 2026, memanaskan persaingan gelar WRC. Elfyn Evans masih memimpin klasemen dengan keunggulan 17 poin.
Oliver Solberg memenangkan Rally Chile 2026, sementara Elfyn Evans tersingkir dari posisi kedua dan memperketat persaingan gelar juara WRC. Toyota juara konstruktor.
Elfyn Evans gagal finis kedua di Rally Chile setelah puncture di SS15. Kehilangan waktu 2 menit 14,8 detik, ia turun ke posisi kelima dan tertinggal 48,5 detik dari Pajari.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!