Oliver Solberg ended Friday at the head of Rally Chile BIOBÍO after adapting best to a day of constantly changing road conditions. The Toyota driver holds a 10.1 second advantage over championship leader Elfyn Evans, with Adrien Fourmaux, Sébastien Ogier and Sami Pajari all still within striking distance after six demanding stages around Concepción.
Friday began in conditions that were very different from those expected before the rally. Overnight rain left the opening stages wet, muddy and extremely slippery, changing the advantage of running first on the road.
Evans, who arrived in Chile leading the championship, had hoped for rain to reduce the disadvantage of sweeping loose gravel, and the conditions initially played into his hands. Solberg immediately showed his pace by winning the opening Turquía stage by 1.4 seconds over Evans. The championship leader responded on Nuevo Rere, moving 0.4 seconds ahead overall before Solberg regained the lead on Hualqui. The Toyota driver reached midday service with a narrow 2.3 second advantage.
The afternoon brought a completely different challenge as the roads began to dry and the gravel became faster but increasingly abrasive. Solberg remained composed as the conditions evolved, taking another stage win on the final pass through Hualqui to finish the day with a much healthier advantage.
Five different drivers claimed stage victories across the six tests, highlighting just how competitive the opening leg was.
Sami Pajari, who arrived in Chile on a run of three consecutive WRC victories, struggled initially to find confidence on the inconsistent surface and lost 17.8 seconds on the opening stage. The Toyota driver recovered strongly during the afternoon, winning the second pass of Turquía and finishing fifth overall, just 21.7 seconds behind Solberg.
Evans maintained second place despite becoming less comfortable as the roads dried. Opening the road gave him an advantage in the muddy morning conditions, but the effect diminished during the afternoon. Nevertheless, the Welshman kept his Toyota within 10.1 seconds of Solberg and heads into Saturday with a strong position.
Adrien Fourmaux ended the day third for Hyundai. The Frenchman had to manage a technical issue during Nuevo Rere but limited the damage and remained firmly in the fight. His advantage over Sébastien Ogier is just 1.7 seconds, while Pajari is another 2.0 seconds behind the reigning Rally Chile winner. Fourmaux also came close to taking the final stage victory, finishing just short of Solberg.
Ogier’s Friday was less straightforward. The Toyota driver struggled for grip on the opening Turquía stage and lost valuable time as the road deteriorated. However, he recovered to win the second pass of Nuevo Rere and finished fourth overall, keeping himself within 18 seconds of the rally leader.
Thierry Neuville completes the leading six, 27.4 seconds from the top. The Hyundai driver admitted to lacking confidence during parts of the day and also encountered a small damper leak, although he was able to continue without a major time loss.
Further down the order, Josh McErlean leads the M-Sport Ford battle in seventh, just 2.4 seconds ahead of team-mate Jon Armstrong. Esapekka Lappi sits ninth after a difficult return to WRC competition, while Nikolay Gryazin leads WRC2 in tenth overall, 8.5 seconds ahead of championship leader Robert Virves.
The biggest casualty of Friday was Takamoto Katsuta. After topping Thursday’s shakedown, the Japanese driver went off the road approximately six kilometres into Turquía and became stuck, ending his hopes of fighting at the front. Katsuta and stand-in co-driver James Fulton were both unhurt.
Saturday will bring the longest day of Rally Chile BIOBÍO, with 139.2 competitive kilometres across six stages. Crews will tackle two passes of Pelún and Lota, alongside two runs through the demanding 28.31 kilometre María Las Cruces.
Standings after Friday
