This is it then. Three crews from Toyota come to this final round with the chance to become the 2026 World Rally Champions. Elfyn and Scott have been brilliant again this year and come to this final round with a seventeen-point lead over second placed Sami and Marko. Oliver and Elliott are further four points back, twenty-one points from the leaders.

 

In regard to the possible points permutations as to how any of the crews could win the title, let’s just see how that each day of competition progresses.

 

The weather will be interesting to keep an eye on as well, as if there is any rain either overnight before Friday’s stages or during the day this will certainly benefit Elfyn and Scott’s pace.

 

Let’s take a look at the stages then which will be the challenge for the championship contenders, and they will hope that they can navigate them to deliver the crown.

Shakedown takes place on Thursday morning, before the first stage taking place in the afternoon. Friday then sees them tackle 121 kilometres over six stages for stages two to seven. Saturday has the longest day with 123 kilometres over stages eight to thirteen. Then Sunday has 61 kilometres over stages fourteen to seventeen.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers then.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Elfyn Evans

“Our approach for Sardinia doesn’t change just because it’s the last rally of the season: we have to go there and have the best rally that we can. We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position, holding on to the lead through a difficult run of gravel rallies. Sami and Oliver have been driving well, and with so many points still available, especially on Sunday, we know things will most likely remain open until the end. We just need to drive it like a normal rally and focus on doing the best job we can. Sardinia is usually not an easy rally to open the road on, and although we might be more likely to see some rain at this time of year, which could help reduce the cleaning effect for us, we have to prepare for a demanding event like usual.”

Sami Pajari

“It’s really nice to be in the fight for the championship with only one rally to go, and I’m looking forward to it. I just need to do the best that I can, like in every single rally, so nothing really changes on my side. The gaps closed up between the top three in Chile, but Elfyn still has the advantage in the points; anything is still possible, and we’ll focus on doing what we can. Sardinia is a rally that I normally like a lot. The stages are quite twisty and most of them are pretty narrow, but I’ve been able to do quite well there in the past. Now we’re going at a different time of year, but I don’t expect it to affect the nature of the rally too much, even if the temperatures may not be quite as high as usual.”

Oliver Solberg

“The championship has looked like a long shot for us at times this year, but we never gave up. It was great to get back into the fight with our result in Chile and go into this last rally with a shot at the title. It’s a big gap to Elfyn to try to close in one rally, but we will give it everything of course, and in a rally like Sardinia, anything can still happen. The stages are challenging, with fast sections where you need good commitment, as well as more technical parts where you have to be more patient. I don’t have so much experience there, especially in the top category, but we had a good run to win the Rally2 class last year and we just have to aim for the top step once more and see what happens.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Sardinia is a rally that I have always enjoyed going to during my career. While the island itself is beautiful, the rally is really demanding and it took me a few years to master it, but it was very satisfying to win there again last year after a close fight right until the end. I also remember driving there in October a couple of times before, and it can still be really challenging at this time of year, especially with weather that can change very quickly when you’re on an island. Now that the team has secured another manufacturers’ title, and that we officially no longer have a chance in the drivers’ championship, our target will be to enjoy driving this great car one last time and, of course, try to achieve one more victory to end the season.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I’m looking forward to Sardinia. The rally is really demanding but it’s one that I always enjoy going to with a nice atmosphere around it, and it will be interesting to drive there this time as the final round of the season. We’ve had some really good moments this year, as well as some tougher ones more recently, but the team is really supporting me a lot and now I’m just focused on coming back stronger and having a positive end to the season – and enjoying the last event with this Rally1 car. Our road position, being sixth on the road, should be better for us – if it doesn’t rain – and hopefully it can be a good opportunity for us.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“Sardinia is an event where I have always been fast, but for different reasons I’ve never managed to come away with the result I felt was possible, so the plan is to change that this year. Having the rally in October can be a little different. There is probably a greater chance of rain, although we have also seen rain in Sardinia in June, so the weather can always play a role. If it stays dry, I expect the conditions to be quite similar to what we know: it’s a very demanding rally for both the cars and the crews, and you need to manage everything well throughout the weekend. It will also be a special event as the final round of the championship and the last rally for this great generation of Rally1 cars. We want to finish the season in the strongest possible way and fight for a good result.”

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Italia Sardegna is the final round of the Rally1 era, and our target is clear – to fight for victory. This is an event we have won in the past, so hopefully we  have found what we need to feel confident and be fast during our pre-event test. The biggest challenge here is the nature of the stages, which are technical, demanding, and leave no room for mistakes. Tyre management will also be crucial, although the weather will be much cooler than usual. In general, I think the last 10 years have been the most competitive cars ever in WRC; they have been super-fast and spectacular, and I’ve enjoyed the different challenges of both the WRC and the Rally1 cars. It would be great to close out this era with a win.”

Dani Sordo

“I’m really motivated for Rally Italia Sardegna. The biggest challenge is the narrow roads and the stones by the side of the road. In Sardinia, you need to be precise and fast, and if you make a small mistake, there’s always a stone waiting for you. This weekend, I will have Patricia in the co-driver seat. We have already done some rallies together, and I think we can do very well next weekend. She is so clear in the pace notes, which really helps me focus. The only target we have is to be on the podium at least, but we would love to win. It’s a rally I like – the roads are quite technical, and I perform well there – Sardinia gives me a special energy, and so I hope it will be the same again this year.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“Sardinia is always a really demanding rally, with technical stages and conditions that can be tough on both the car and crew. It’s going to be a special weekend with it being our final event in the Rally1 cars, so we really want to make the most of it. We’ve had some solid results recently and I want to carry that momentum into Sardinia, push hard and finish this chapter on a high.”

Jon Armstrong

“I’m really looking forward to Rally Sardinia and the final round of the WRC season. It’s been a huge year for us with a lot of new events and experiences in the Puma Rally1, so we want to finish the season on a positive note and put everything we’ve learned into practice.

 

“Sardinia will be another new rally for me competitively, although I’ve driven on some of the roads before when I was there testing with M-Sport Poland a few years ago. It’s a really unique challenge with narrow, technical sections, plenty of crests and some quite rough and rocky roads. In the Rally1 car, the narrow sections will be particularly demanding because you need to be very precise with the placement of the car while still carrying the speed.

 

“It’s the last opportunity of the season, so hopefully we can enjoy the rally, put together a strong weekend and finish our first year at this level in a good way.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“This will be our last dance with the Rally1 car and our last dance with the team this year. It’s been a great two and a half years, so we really want to put on a good show, do a good rally and get a good result. Our focus is to enjoy the stages and see what we can do on this last WRC event with these cars. It will be a great event in Sardinia, and it would be really nice to end this era with a good result.”

The end of an era

Five years ago, the Rally1 cars made their debut at the 2022 Rallye Monte Carlo with the hybrid power. M-Sport Ford WRT took that first victory with Seb Loeb and Isabella Galmiche and the late Craig Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle were third.

The hybrid was removed after a couple of years, and it was great to see all the teams score podiums and victories in these last five years. Toyota and Hyundai have won the titles for the drivers, co-drivers and manufacturers during these years.

What happens next year then will be interesting as Toyota have been developing a new car to the new WRC27 rules, but we are yet to hear about cars from Hyundai and M-Sport. Hopefully there will be some news in the weeks which follow this round. There is the Project Rally One team who have been developing a car to these new rules. Let’s wait and see what kind of programme they have for next year and who the drivers will be.

Summary

Back then to this final round and the championship decider. Elfyn and Scott are really in a good position to win the championship given their points advantage. Should Friday be dry, a good run for them could mean they hold fifth at the end of the day and would give the pairing a good opportunity to take a good level of points, before even considering what they could take on Sunday in terms of Super Sunday.

 

For Sami and Marko, the best thing they could do to secure their first top level championship is take victory and see what points their teammates take. It will be tricky though to win from second on the road given the level of gravel waiting to be swept from these roads.

 

Oliver and Elliott have to go for victory, and this will be very tricky given their lack of experience on these roads with this car. They do have the capability though which will make this interesting.

Today we got the news that what was meant to be the season ending fourteenth round of the World Rally Championship has been removed by the FIA for this year’s championship. This will mean that the final round of the championship will take place in Italia Sardegna over the weekend of the 1^st to 4^th of October.

 

I don’t think that I need to go into the reasons for this decision given how things have developed in the region.

 

What does this mean for Elfyn and Scott’s championship hopes then? Well, given that following the end of Rally Chile held over the last weekend they hold a seventeen-point lead over Sami and Marko, whilst Oliver and Elliott are twenty-one points behind.

Those crews are the only who could take the world championship should either of them somehow outscore their teammate it will be remarkable. However, I do believe that we are finally set to see Elfyn and Scott take their first world championship next month.

Let’s hear from the FIA President, and the boss of the WRC Promoter.

 

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA

“We have worked closely with our partners in Saudi Arabia, our Member Club the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, WRC Promoter and our championship stakeholders in recent months to explore every possible route that would allow Rally Saudi Arabia to take place as planned. However, ongoing regional developments mean that the WRC element of Rally Saudi Arabia will not proceed this year. These are never easy decisions, particularly after the significant work undertaken by everyone involved in preparing for the event.

 

“While the WRC element of the event will not take place this year, our confidence in the organisers and in the long-term future of the rally remains unchanged. The FIA Middle East Rally Championship event will continue as planned in November, and we will continue to work closely with SAMF, SMC and the organising team to support the successful delivery of the event in November.

 

“Our focus now is firmly on the future. We will continue working together with our partners in Saudi Arabia and WRC Promoter towards bringing the FIA World Rally Championship back in 2027.

 

“My thanks to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, Saudi Motorsport Company and the entire organising team for their considerable efforts and continued cooperation throughout this process.”

 

 

Éric Boullier, CEO of WRC Promoter

“This has been a difficult decision, particularly given the significant work and commitment from our partners in Saudi Arabia to prepare for this year’s event. However, the ongoing regional developments and the resulting logistical challenges mean that we need to provide certainty and clarity for the remainder of the 2026 season.

 

“We greatly value our partnership with SAMF, SMC and the Ministry of Sport, and this decision is in no way a reflection of their ability or readiness to deliver a world-class WRC event. Our focus now is on working closely together towards the successful return of Rally Saudi Arabia to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2027.”

Onto the final day then and the crews faced four stages over 71 kilometres to complete the event. Takamoto and James would continue to open the road after their exit on the first stage of the rally. As confirmed, Thierry and Martijn would not return to the action as their car was too badly damaged.

 

First up then was SS13 Carampangue 1 and it was an excellent start for Elfyn and Scott as they set the pace from Adrien and Alex even though the Hyundai crew got a puncture, whilst Seb was third. The Welshman’s pace stretched the gap over the reigning champions to 5.4 seconds. This also meant that Elfyn was quickest on Super Sunday. Josh had a moment under braking and went on at a junction, hitting a bank and lost the bumper and lower front splitter as well. They finished the stage and went to check the car over.

 

Time then for the stage which be the power stage later, SS14 BioBio 1 and Oliver was quickest from Elfyn and then Seb a further nine tenths of a second back. Elfyn maintained the fastest times for Super Sunday over Seb, and this was looking really good for the championship. Josh did make it through the stage as well after checking the Puma over between the stages and stated the front end was lifting on the jumps!

 

Time then for the penultimate stage, SS15 Carampangue 2 and Seb was fastest from Adrien and Oliver. What then for Elfyn who had been the fastest throughout the Sunday’s stages? Well, it was a disaster really for him and Scott as they stopped early in the stage after getting a puncture. They completed the stage and lost over two minutes, the result of which meant they fell to fifth overall and behind Sami as well.

 

We came then to the final stage, SS16 BioBio 2, the Powerstage. The startlist was shuffled as well with Elfyn and Scott not being allowed to take their second-place overall position after Saturday’s stages and had to start fifth. They set the pace though beating everyone before Oliver came through to take the fastest time and the maximum points for the power stage. Sami was third, Takamoto fourth and Seb fifth fastest and picking up the final point in the stage. Meanwhile, Oliver and Elliott had taken their second win of the season and Toyota confirmed themselves as this year’s Manufacturers Champions.

Let’s hear from the drivers then and take a look at the final finishing positions.

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Oliver Solberg

“It was always my dream to drive for Toyota and for me to be able to play a small part for the first time in winning a manufacturers’ title feels very special. It also feels incredible to be back on the top step of the podium. It has been an up-and-down season for me but the team always supported and believed in me, along with Elliott who’s been doing an amazing job, and things have really been coming together well in the last few rallies. Today it was tricky to find the right feeling on this demanding first stage, but we were able to keep a good gap and then push on the Power Stage. It’s great to also come back a bit in the championship and hopefully we can carry this momentum into the final rallies.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Congratulations to the whole team: one more time we are world champions altogether! Hats off to everybody at the factory and every single member of our team because winning so many years in a row is a special achievement and it’s never easy. Nobody in the team takes anything for granted and we are always trying to improve, which is the mentality I’ve always tried to have in my career, and it has been great fun driving this car. This weekend after the time we lost in the first stage it was a big fight to try and come back towards the top positions. We couldn’t quite get the win – congratulations to Oliver and Elliott who did a great job – but it’s still a podium so we have many reasons to smile.”

Sami Pajari

“This was a tricky rally for us. It wasn’t the result we would have wanted, and the pace was not as good as we hoped for, but today we tried to maximise what we could, and we were able to gain a few important points. In the end we didn’t lose anything because Elfyn was unfortunate today, and the championship fight is getting really interesting with Oliver doing a very good job here and scoring lots of points. Congratulations to everyone in the team for securing this manufacturers’ championship. Even if we have been scoring points for TGR-WRT2 instead, it’s nice to be part of this family and I’m super happy for everyone involved.”

Elfyn Evans

“I want to say a huge congratulations to everyone in the team and thank you for their efforts this year: it’s a privilege to be part of this team and to have now won these six straight titles together. We were having a pretty solid rally here with a good start in the rain on Friday and after that we tried to keep fighting as best as we could even if we dropped away from Oliver, who did a great job. I had a good feeling in the car today and was pleased with how the first two stages went, but then we got this puncture without warning in the penultimate stage. It was very costly in terms of points, but we took what we could from the Power Stage, and we just have to keep pushing in what’s now a full three-way fight in the championship.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I’m very proud to be part of this team and of another manufacturers’ title. At least in the two rallies this year when the team needed me to score manufacturers’ points, in Sweden and Croatia, I could achieve good results so I’m proud to feel like I could contribute as well. But this title is mainly because every single person in the team is working so hard and pushing all the time. Thank you to them for that and for supporting me in the more difficult moments. I had a difficult start to this weekend but at least I could come back strongly and take two points from the Power Stage. A big thank you to James who did an amazing job, and to Aaron who was also helping us remotely.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“To be honest, we have no regrets this weekend, we tried everything to optimise the tyre package that we had; it didn’t pay off which is a shame because I feel like I can push a lot more in the stages, but the tyres don’t allow us. This morning I started to push hard and as soon as I did, we started to have some issues with the tyres, so it was quite frustrating. This has been a pure driving rally, with different profiles from Friday through to Sunday, and the fans have been amazing, so it is one of the rallies I like the most. Now we switch focus to Sardinia; I have always been fast there and hopefully it will be a good one for us.”

Esapekka Lappi

“All in all, it is good to get to the end of the rally without having any issues with the car, no punctures so we collected some points which is a positive for us. Unfortunately, the weekend was quite difficult on the whole; the conditions on Friday were not easy and I didn’t have confidence with the car, so it was hard to be able to fight. Sunday was a bit more positive as I was able to push a bit more and get more confidence, but the damage was already done on Friday.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“It’s been a weekend of ups and downs, cleaning the road on Friday came with a lot of mud, but it’s been nice to finish our South American adventure with sixth in Paraguay and seventh here in Chile. They were really tough events for the team, but we still managed to get two finishes, and hopefully in Sardinia we can have some advantage with our road position.”

Jon Armstrong

“It wasn’t our goal to have Saturday end up like that, that’s for sure, we really wanted to have a clean event. Friday was tricky because of the wet weather, so it was pleasing to get through that cleanly. Then on Saturday’s second stage, I thought I remembered a corner quite well, but it was shorter than I expected before it tightened, so I thought I had more time to slow the car. We ran wide, touched the bank, rolled and damaged the front of the car, and had to Super Rally. It’s disappointing because there’s a lot of effort and motivation from everyone, and the aim now is to have more clean rallies. We know the pace is good whenever we get into a good rhythm, it’s just about being able to put it all together, and we’re working towards that.”

 

Super Sunday Classification – Rally Chile

1	S. Ogier	39:54.9
2	O. Solberg	+3.8
3	A. Fourmaux	+6.0
4	S. Pajari	+22.2
5	T. Katsuta	+41.2

Final Overall Classification – Rally Chile

1	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:57:08.2
2	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+16.6
3	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+33.3
4	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:33.9
5	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+2:22.3
6	E. Lappi	E. Mälkönen	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+5:07.0
7	J. McErlean	E. Treacy	Ford Puma Rally1	+7:31.5
8	Y. Rossel	A. Dunand	Lancia Ypsilon Rally2	+9:31.0
9	R. Virves	J. Viilo	Skoda Fabia RS Rally2	+10:24.0
10	G. Greensmith	J. Andersson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+10:58.2

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 12

1	E. Evans	230
2	S. Pajari	213
3	O. Solberg	209
4	S. Ogier	171
5	A. Fourmaux	167
6	T. Katsuta	163
7	T. Neuville	129
8	H. Paddon	38
9	J. McErlean	35
10	E. Lappi	33

Summary

What a drive from Oliver and Elliott then bringing their second win of the season and their third ever overall victory. It was a very good drive from the Swede with his British co-driver, Elliott at the event which they won last years WRC2 crown. This brought the crew closer to their championship leading teammates Elfyn and Scott.

 

Speaking of Elfyn and Scott they had a really good rally. Yes, I know that they ended up finishing fifth and not in second place, but they drove so well, and the tyre failure was not down to them. They almost took the power stage as well in a drive on Sunday which apart from the puncture would likely have taken the majority of the Sunday points. They led the rally and made the best of the road position with the wet road on Friday morning’s taking a number of good stage wins. It was an excellent drive, and they only lost a few points to Sami and Marko, holding a seventeen-point lead to the Finnish crew.

 

Obviously, Seb and Vincent took second overall after a good drive during which they took a few stage wins and when Elfyn and Scott had their problem the reigning champions were there to move into second place.

 

Finally, Adrien and Alex who had been in third place before being passed by their fellow countrymen for that very position before they then benefitted from the tyre problem to move back onto the podium.

 

The second full day of action then dawned bright and sunny and with no rain overnight on the stages, the roads would be dry and covered in gravel for the early crews to sweep clean for the later runners. Takamoto and James would return to the action after their early Friday morning stage one exit.

 

First up then was SS7 Pelún 1 and it was good start for Seb who set the pace from Adrien by 3.4 seconds and Elfyn was third and just one tenth back from the Hyundai driver. Rally leader Oliver was fourth fastest in the stage and saw the gap to the chasers come down a little. There was some drama for three drivers as well. First of all, Josh suffered a puncture on the rear but at least made it to the end. Unfortunately, we did lose Thierry who rolled out of the rally. The pace from Seb saw him take third overall from Adrien as well.

 

Onto SS8 Lota 1 and Seb was again setting the pace from Adrien and Elfyn, and he was opening up the gap to his fellow countryman as they battled over third place. Although Elfyn commented on his lack pace, he did edge a little closer to Oliver who still held the overall lead. There was some drama for Jon sadly as he put his Puma on its side in a partial roll following a collision with a bank on the exit of a corner. They did manage to complete the stage, but with quite a large amount of damage to the front left-hand corner of the car, plus warnings of water pressure in the cooling system, they would retire from the rally. A shame for them as following the exit of Thierry, they were in sixth overall before the stage.

The final morning stage, SS9 Maria las Cruces 1 and Oliver set the pace from Elfyn whilst Adrien was third and retook third place overall from his fellow countryman. The championship leader said he found the pace hard to judge. Oliver continued to lead the rally from Elfyn by 10.1 seconds, whilst Adrien was a further 8 seconds further back from the Welshman.

 

Onto the afternoon stages, SS10 Pelún 2 and Seb was quick in this one from Adrien by 2.5 seconds, with Elfyn a further second back. Seb’s pace took him back into third position and this pace also took him closer to Elfyn for second overall, the gap now just over six seconds between the teammates.

 

The middle afternoon stage, SS11 Lota 2 and Seb was again fastest from Oliver this time and Adrien was third fastest. The gap were really close between Elfyn, Seb and Adrien with Seb now just three tenths behind Elfyn and two and a half seconds between Seb and Adrien. Oliver was going well and holding the lead.

 

Now to the final stage, SS12 Maria las Cruces 2 and Seb set the pace in here before his time was beaten first by Elfyn and then by Oliver giving the top three in the stage. In terms of the overall standings, Oliver was ahead of Elfyn now by almost twenty seconds and then Seb a further second back from his Welshman teammate.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers then and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Oliver Solberg

“It’s been a great day. I think we’ve found a good balance so far this weekend between risk and reward and taking care of the tyres and choosing when we need to push. I was maybe a little bit careful in the first two stages this morning but could take the time back in the third one, and this afternoon I’m glad we could extend our gap. Tomorrow will still be a tricky day. We just need to prepare well, do a good job and try to have the best Sunday that we can.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been quite an OK day for us, but I feel it could have been better. It was a clean day but we were perhaps not quite on the edge enough to keep Oliver honest and keep the gap where we might have wanted it to be tonight. In some stages our rhythm was not the best or we were perhaps too cautious in how we were managing the tyres on these abrasive stages. We just need to keep fighting and try to take as many points as we can from the final day like always.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Overall, I have to be happy with my day. We gave everything and we managed to win both passes of the first two stages. The last stage was the driest and loosest and after a couple of retirements ahead we didn’t have enough cars in front of us to make a clean enough line. I think we maximised our tyre choices by being a bit more aggressive, and I enjoyed the driving today, it was good fun. We’re still in a fight for these podium places; tomorrow is a long day and we will keep pushing.”

Sami Pajari

“This was quite a tricky day for us. Our target was to try and catch the guys in front and the gap was only a few seconds this morning, but for some reason we just didn’t have the pace for that this time. It’s unfortunate but that’s the way it goes sometimes in this sport. We need to try to understand why we’re losing time, and otherwise just keep pushing tomorrow and hope that we can take some good points.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Thanks to the team for getting us back on the road today and for their support and advice after what happened yesterday. The main focus is just getting the feeling back with the driving. It’s not easy to be the first car on the road and cleaning the gravel, but I think our times were quite OK today. There’s still some room to improve and find a better feeling, but so far so good and we try to continue like this tomorrow.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“We were expecting more tyre degradation this afternoon than there was in the end, so I am happy that we managed our strategy well. At the same time, I am very disappointed to lose eight seconds in the last stage of the day, that was really a shame. The fight is not over yet; I won’t give up tomorrow because there are still a lot of kilometres to go and a new stage too. I am normally pretty good on new stages, and there are only 12s between me and second place, so anything is possible. The long stage tomorrow is the new one and normally there should be bigger time differences on these stages, so we will continue to push hard.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I wouldn’t say that today was a strong day particularly, but it was definitely a better day than I was expecting. We made a few changes overnight to the springs, differential, the anti-roll bar and the ride height and I tried to adapt my driving to the car which seemed to help a bit. There were some initial setup changes that the team suggested, and which had worked here in the past. I had one little spin but other than that, we had a clean day with no issues.”

Thierry Neuville

“I came into a compression slightly too fast, and I got kicked out of the line and we ended up in the middle of the road. We tried to push hard this morning to claim back some positions, that was our target for the day because we had nothing to lose. I underestimated the compression and that was basically the end of it. Luckily, both Martijn and I are fine, but the main thing now is to reset and focus on Sardinia.”

Classification after Day Two

1 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2:17:09.5 2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +19.1 3 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +20.4 4 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +31.1 5 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1:15.5 6 E. Lappi E. Mälkönen Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +4:10.1 7 J. McErlean E. Treacy Ford Puma Rally1 +5:18.2 8 Y. Rossel A. Dunand Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 +6:54.6 9 R. Virves J. Viilo Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +7:52.6 10 G. Greensmith J. Andersson Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +8:20.7

 

Sunday

The final day of this rally will see the crews face 71 kilometres over four stages. The power stage will be the shortest stage of the day at just under nine kilometres with a much longer stage of almost 27 kilometres. This will make the final day more interesting for the crews, particularly given that this longer stage is completely new. It could have a significant effect on the final finishing positions and crucially the championship standings.

The first full day of this second round in South America and the crews would have six stages to face. Overnight rain had changed the stages, and this would mean that opening the road for Elfyn and Scott would be less painful for the championship leaders.

 

Onto the first stage then, SS1 Turquía 1 and it was a good start for Oliver and Elliott from third on the road as they took the lead from Elfyn and Scott who made the best start given their road position. Just 1.4 seconds separated the teammates, whilst it was Adrien and Alex who held third overall, but over ten seconds behind the leader. Meanwhile, Sami and Marko hadn’t made the best start finishing behind Thierry who was fourth overall. The Finns were almost eighteen seconds away from the lead.

 

Into SS2 Nuevo Rere 1 and it was a great stage for Elfyn as he set the pace from first on the road which only Oliver got the closest to the Welshman but 1.8 slower with Seb third fastest. Sami had a better stage and was fourth quickest. Elfyn took the lead from his Swedish teammate by just four tenths of a second whilst Seb was also on the move up and jumped two positions to fourth overall.

 

We had a Hyundai crew take a stage win in SS3 Hualqui 1 with Thierry setting the pace from Oliver and Seb, whilst Elfyn was fourth and saw Oliver retake the lead. Meanwhile Seb slipped down one position to fifth as Thierry jumped two places up into fourth and this also saw Sami fall to sixth overall.

 

The turnaround began for Sami in SS4 Turquía 2 as he set the pace from Seb and Adrien whilst Elfyn was sixth fastest as the road was drier and more slippery for the road opener. The pace from Sami and Seb saw them both move up the leaderboard with Thierry dropping to sixth. Jon was on the move as well, passing Esapekka and moving onto the same overall time as his teammate Josh for seventh overall.

 

Seb set the pace in SS5 Nuevo Rere 2 from Sami and Oliver which meant that the road position was starting to work in the favour of the later runners and Elfyn was sixth fastest and saw the gap grow a little to Oliver, but it was still a good run from the Welshman. Meanwhile Jon passed his teammate Josh for seventh.

Onto the final stage of the day then, SS6 Hualqui 2 and Oliver was fastest from Adrien and Seb. Elfyn was again sixth fastest and the gap to Oliver grew a little to ten seconds as they battled over the lead. There was another position change between Jon and Josh with Jon falling behind his teammate.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Oliver Solberg

“I’m very happy with my day. It helped us in our position relatively early on the road to get that rain; I think it made things more equal and I always enjoy those kinds of conditions. It was very tricky and changing all the time, and we just tried to have a good flow and I think we did quite a good job. There was no point to take big risks and I was just trying to drive efficiently. It was similar this afternoon even as the conditions dried out; I just tried to keep it clean and steady. It’s nice to have a good, clean Friday behind us. Strategy will be important tomorrow, but I feel good and I’m looking forward to it.”

Elfyn Evans

“For us it was nice to see the rain come overnight, even though it made the conditions quite tricky for everyone to start with this morning. The grip levels were changing quite a bit, so I was happy to get through without issues and also benefit a little bit from not having to sweep the road. We had drier conditions this afternoon; the grip was more consistent in a way and the feeling was OK, but we were maybe not quite as fast as we would have liked. Anyway, second is a decent position to be in overnight and gives us a good road position for tomorrow, so we have to take the positives from today and try to keep fighting forward tomorrow.”

Sébastien Ogier

“For us the rain was maybe not ideal given our start position a bit further back, but it’s also a deserved break for the championship leaders not to always be cleaning the road. We struggled in the first stage for grip and confidence with the balance of the car, and that’s where we lost most of our time today, but after that I think we reacted well and had a better rhythm over the rest of the day. Tomorrow has a different style of stage with some different challenges and there’s still a lot to play for, so we’ll keep trying.”

Sami Pajari

“It was quite a tricky morning for us. Clearly, the conditions were tricky and slippery but others around us made better use of them in the first stage especially and somehow our pace was not the best. It was getting better stage-by-stage during the morning, and then the afternoon was clearly better again for us. I was enjoying the driving and managed to take a stage win, so we were back on the level where we want to be. We’re only three seconds away from the podium positions and there’s still a very long rally ahead, so anything can happen, and we just need to keep pushing.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“After the rain overnight, the roads were quite muddy in places this morning and the grip levels were changing a lot along with the different gravel types. Unfortunately, in one downhill corner which was quite muddy, I just wasn’t able to slow down enough, and we went wide to the outside and got stuck on the bank. The car was not really damaged, but we weren’t able to get back on the road and continue in the stage. It’s not an easy moment, but I will just try to focus on coming back stronger.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“It was very intense trying to defend this podium position today, but we are pleased because we know that there should be a lot of cleaning effect tomorrow, so it is very important to have a good road position. Keeping our rivals behind today gives us a better opportunity to keep them behind again tomorrow. It’s going to be a challenging day; we have a good road position, and I am looking towards the leaders which is our aim, so we are going to have to push in the stages. We are going to have to be very good with the tyre choice, this will be a key point all day, I think. We might see some different choices; our plan today was to try and save some soft tyres for later in the weekend, so that is a positive.”

Thierry Neuville

“We’re a little bit disappointed with the day as we were fighting the conditions and there wasn’t much, we could do. This afternoon was not much better to be honest; we lost two positions in a single stage which has put us in a bit more of a difficult place for tomorrow. But generally, we are still in the fight and only a few seconds behind Pajari, a couple of seconds more behind Ogier and around nine seconds from the podium. Tomorrow should be drier so road cleaning will be more important; nevertheless, I hope we can be in the fight with the cars just behind us on the road and climb back up the ranking. It will be a tough challenge because the speed and the consistency aren’t totally there but let’s see if we can find something.”

Esapekka Lappi

“It’s been a difficult day for us, and, with the road position, I think it will probably be a similar story tomorrow with a lot of road cleaning. It’s not easy to come here after doing Rally Finland, with the settings that we have on the car it just doesn’t make it feel right. I am not confident enough to drive any faster than I am; some corners I can try but then I immediately start to go wide.”

Classification after Day One

1 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 52:42.1 2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +10.1 3 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +18.0 4 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +19.7 5 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +21.7 6 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +27.4 7 J. McErlean E. Treacy Ford Puma Rally1 +1:54.5 8 J. Armstrong S. Byrne Ford Puma Rally1 +1:56.9 9 E. Lappi E. Mälkönen Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +2:06.0 10 N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 +3:08.7

 

Saturday

The second day of action will see the crews tackle six more stages with a total of 139 kilometres over them. Can Oliver continue to lead at the end of the day or will Elfyn move back into the lead? Plus, what could Sami do or even Adrien in the Hyundai?

Time for the second of two rounds on the southern continent of America and the twelfth round of this season’s championship. The teams head to Chile for some of the most beautiful gravel roads in the world. Of course, Elfyn and Scott will open the road throughout Friday’s stages, whilst Sami and Marko who took their third victory in a row last time out will be second on the road due to now being second in the championship standings.

 

Elsewhere in the standings, the Hyundai team will look upon this event as an opportunity to take a strong result, maybe even victory. Of course, Adrien and Alex will want to take that win especially given the pace shown in Paraguay which saw them take the most amount of stage wins.

 

Meanwhile at M-Sport Josh and Eoin will be making their second start at this rally and will hope that what they learnt during that weekend to good use and hopefully get a great result. For their teammates Jon and Shane, they will have the same challenge as their fellow Irish teammates from twelve months ago. It will be interesting to see how they both get on.

 

This years rally has 311 kilometres over sixteen stages with six stages each on Friday and Saturday. Saturday is the longest day with 139 kilometres for the crews to complete.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans 

“After Paraguay we know that we can look forward to a similarly warm welcome from the fans in Chile. The rally is generally quite a fast one with flowing stages that are usually good to drive, but the challenge depends a lot on the weather which can change quite dramatically during the weekend. When it’s dry, the surface can be very loose for the early cars and it can also get extremely abrasive to the point that you really have to consider tyre management carefully. When it’s wet, it can get pretty muddy, similar to what you might find in Wales, and the fog can also make things extremely difficult.”

Sami Pajari

“We have been on a really nice run lately and I hope Rally Chile can be good for us as well. It is a rally I know quite well now, as I’ve done it twice already in the Rally1 car, and it’s one of my favourites because of the profile of the stages. Some of them are pretty similar to Finland: really fast and flowing with some really nice camber that helps you take more speed through the corners. It can also be pretty challenging, with high tyre wear, and the weather can change really quickly. Like in Paraguay, the fans are very passionate and I’m looking forward to it.”

Oliver Solberg 

“Rally Chile should be another fantastic South American experience. The rally culture is really big there with a lot of passion, and there’s some great stages. They can seem pretty straightforward, but the character varies quite a lot: Friday has normally been quite narrow and cambered, a bit like New Zealand, and then the other days are a bit wider, more like Wales – and it can get pretty muddy when it rains. The road can also evolve a lot from first to second pass and become really abrasive for the tyres. I have good memories from Chile last year when we won both the rally and the title in WRC2, and we’ll try our best for another good result now in Rally1.”

 

Takamoto Katsuta 

“Like in Paraguay, the fans in Chile have always been really excited for the rally and supporting us as drivers. The stages can be quite tricky. Some of the roads – particularly those we’ve driven on Friday in recent years – are quite cambered and narrow and there’s not so much margin. If they stay dry, the roads can get abrasive so you need to manage the tyres, especially on the second pass, but the weather can also make things difficult if there’s low cloud or fog. I want to wish Aaron a speedy recovery and I’m grateful to James and to the team for their support and making it possible for us to drive together in Chile.”

Sébastien Ogier 

“Paraguay was a tough event, as it was for most, and now we just need to look forward to Chile. It’s a rally where the conditions can hopefully be more consistent and it can be a fair fight between everyone, even if we know that the weather can also change quite quickly there. It’s another event that we have great memories of winning last year, and we will of course be trying to repeat that this time. The roads are pretty good fun to drive, and the atmosphere is always nice, so it should be an enjoyable one.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I’m really looking forward to Rally Chile after showing very strong pace throughout the weekend in Paraguay – it gives us confidence and hopefully we can carry this performance into Chile. It’s a rally I really enjoy, last year we were fighting at the front and we finished on the podium. The stages are fast and flowing, but also quite technical, so you need a lot of precision and confidence in the car. We know we were competitive there last year, and after the performance we had in Paraguay, the target is to fight at the front again and push for the best possible result.”

Thierry Neuville

“Chile is very different from Paraguay. It starts with the surface, which is much more grippy and abrasive, while Paraguay is hard, very slippery and compact. Chile can also be a little bit rougher and more rutted. Tyre wear is always very high and tyre choice can be complicated depending on your starting position. It’s not the event I enjoy the most, but when you have a good feeling, it is an enjoyable drive, although still technically demanding. I have mixed experiences after a crash in 2019 and a podium in 2023. Our clear target is to fight for victory. Toyota will be very strong, but Paraguay showed that our car can be fast. The set-up will be slightly different, but the base and the choices we made between the two events are good, so I’m quite convinced the speed will be okay.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I’m very excited to drive in Chile again. I really like the roads, and it will be great to get back in a Rally1 car. I have enjoyed the stages there in the past, so I’m looking forward to returning. The weather has been challenging on several occasions, so that could be a factor again this year. The roads are also tricky because, on Friday, you normally drive between gravel banks with no room to run wide. You need to be precise and fully committed because even a small mistake can cost a lot. In terms of pace, the target is to be somewhere between Estonia and Finland, as well as having lots of fun. We want to keep improving throughout the weekend and support the team with a good result. Enjoyment is important because, without it, the results don’t come.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“After a solid run in Paraguay, we’ll head to Chile looking to push on and keep building from there. It’s a rally I really enjoy; the stages are always really nice to drive when you get into a rhythm.

“Friday will be a little different this year with the stages running in reverse, so that will bring a fresh challenge and make the recce really important. The team are doing a massive job across these two rallies, especially with such a short turnaround between Paraguay and Chile, so hopefully we can reward all their hard work with another strong weekend.”

Jon Armstrong

“I’m really looking forward to Rally Chile. It’s going to be quite different to what we experienced in Paraguay. The roads here are more traditional gravel, with a firmer and more compact base, so the feeling and the way you can attack the stages should be quite different.

“Road cleaning can also be quite significant in Chile, so hopefully we can make the most of our road position on Friday, find a good rhythm early on and carry that through the rest of the weekend.

“It’s nice to have another rally as part of this South American leg. Paraguay didn’t go to plan for us, so we’re motivated to bounce back strongly in Chile and see what we can achieve.”

 

WRC2 Rally competitors

Romet Jürgenson – M-Sport Ford

“Chile is going to be another very different event for us. There are some fast roads there, a bit more abrasive compared to Paraguay, but I think it should suit my style. It’s definitely an event that I’m looking forward to.

 

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)

“I’m looking forward to continuing this South American adventure in Chile. Paraguay was a very challenging rally, but it was nice to finish it with some good pace and a good feeling which we can carry forward to Chile. This will be another new rally for me, and I know that the character of the stages will be different again to Paraguay, but it looks like they can be quite nice and flowing to drive, and maybe a bit more like those in Finland that I’m familiar with. I’ll try to take what we learned from Paraguay and do my best.”

 

“After a very up and down Paraguay, I think it’s important to get into the rhythm again and finish our season on a positive note.”

 

Summary

This will be a very important weekend for Elfyn and Scott in their quest to win this seasons championship. If they can outscore their closest challengers Sami and Marko, then they will move one step closer to their goal.

Perhaps if one of the Hyundai crews can get into the mix at the front, this might make things interesting.