Oliver Solberg will carry a 19.1 second advantage into the final day of Rally Chile BIOBÍO after producing a strong response during Saturday’s longest leg. Behind him, the fight for second has tightened considerably, with championship leader Elfyn Evans holding off a determined Sébastien Ogier charge.
The Toyota driver began the day with a 10.1 second lead over Evans but initially found himself under pressure from Ogier. The nine-time world champion was in outstanding form, winning four of Saturday’s six stages and rapidly closing the gap to the championship leader.
Ogier’s attack brought him to within just 0.3 seconds of Evans after SS11, while Solberg had extended his lead to 15.4 seconds. However, the final stage of the day, the 28.31km María las Cruces, changed the picture once again.
Solberg saved his best response for last, setting the fastest time through the final test. He was 3.7 seconds quicker than Evans and 4.7 seconds faster than Ogier, allowing him to almost double his advantage and finish the day 19.1 seconds clear. The result leaves Solberg just four stages away from a third WRC victory.
Sami Pajari heads into Sunday fifth overall, but his hopes of continuing his remarkable run of three consecutive victories have taken a blow. The Finn struggled for pace throughout Saturday and could not match the speed he demonstrated during his recent victories in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay. He now sits 1min 15.5sec behind Solberg.
Further down the order, Esapekka Lappi sits sixth ahead of Josh McErlean, while Thierry Neuville will not return for Sunday after his heavy roll during Saturday morning. Jon Armstrong also ended his rally after rolling his Ford Puma Rally1 onto its side.
The crews will tackle the new Carampangue stage twice before two runs through BIOBÍO, which will host the Wolf Power Stage.With the championship fight still finely balanced, the final day of Rally Chile BIOBÍO promises plenty of drama.
Standings after Saturday
