The Ueno Rally del Paraguay joined the World Rally Championship (WRC) as the 10th round of the season for the first time-ever, and it turned out to be an unforgettable event. Fans gave the drivers a huge welcome, the service area was full of energy, and the stages were packed with red dust that made conditions tricky. The rally featured 19 stages in total. Unlike other WRC rounds, there was no Thursday night stage. After Thursday’s ceremonial start, with plenty of donuts, the action kicked off properly on Friday.
Friday – Rovanperä vs. Fourmaux
Friday included four stages run twice: Cambyretá, Nueva Alborada, Yerbatera, and Autódromo. The day quickly turned into a battle between Kalle Rovanperä, the two-time WRC champion, and Adrien Fourmaux.
Rovanperä began strongly, but Fourmaux stole the lead with a 5.5 second advantage. His luck changed in SS7 when a puncture cost him almost 19 seconds, pushing him back to second overall, 7.6 seconds behind Rovanperä.
The day ended with:
- 1st: Rovanperä – 1:16:13.3
- 2nd: Fourmaux – +7.1
- 3rd: Tänak – +7.6
Other drivers also struggled. Grégoire Munster went off on SS1, Thierry Neuville overshot a hairpin, and Sébastien Ogier picked up a puncture. The hardest hit was Takamoto Katsuta, who crashed but was able to continue under Super Rally.
Saturday – Ogier Moves Up
Saturday brought seven stages, including Carmen del Paraná, Artigas, Cantera (all run twice), plus another run at Autódromo.
Tänak started strong and overtook Fourmaux for second place on the opening stage (SS9), but a puncture in SS10 cost him 36.8 seconds, dropping him back. That opened the door for Ogier, who moved into third overall, just 3.8 behind Fourmaux.
The fight for second heated up, and in SS13 (the first stage of the afternoon), Ogier overtook Fourmaux to climb into second place. Then came the biggest twist: rally leader Rovanperä hit trouble in SS14 with a puncture, dropping him all the way to sixth overall.
By the end of the day, the leaderboard looked very different:
- 1st: Ogier – 2:17:20.5
- 2nd: Fourmaux – +10.3
- 3rd: Evans – +36.6
Sunday – Rain Shakes the Podium
The final day featured four stages, repeated twice, including Bella Vista and the Power Stage at Misión Jesuítica Trinidad.
Evans slipped off in SS16, giving third place to Tänak, but Tänak’s hopes collapsed when water entered his engine after the watersplash in SS18, forcing him to stop. Evans regained third position, and Tänak moved into fifth position .
Then came the Power Stage. Heavy rain suddenly changed everything. Fourmaux lost grip and dropped from second to fourth. Ogier also lost nearly 20 seconds, but with a healthy lead, he held on for the win.
The Power Stage winners were: Neuville, Rovanperä, Tänak, Evans, and Katsuta.
WRC2 – Solberg Heroics
The WRC2 category also brought plenty of twists. Oliver Solberg had a rough start with a puncture on SS3, dropping to 10th. But he fought back brilliantly and by SS16 was leading, eventually winning WRC2 in Paraguay.
Nikolay Gryazin had been in first place until SS14, when a puncture forced him to stop. He eventually finished third, while Yohan Rossel took second place. Local favorite Diego Domínguez also showed promise, running third on Friday, but retired on Saturday after an overshoot and oil issues.
Final Overall Standings
🥇 Sébastien Ogier & Vincent Landais – 3:00:06.6
🥈 Elfyn Evans & Scott Martin – +26.2
🥉 Thierry Neuville & Martijn Wydaeghe – +27.2
Final Standings – WRC2
🥇 Oliver Solberg & Elliott Edmondson – 3:07:00.4
🥈 Yohan Rossel & Arnaud Dunand – +22.5
🥉 Nikolay Gryazin & Konstantin Aleksandrov – +1:54.4
Overall Championship Standings after Paraguay (rd. 10)
