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.

 

Onto the final day then of this very tricky rally and after all the tyre drama on Friday, Saturday was a quieter day in terms of incidents. The predicted rain never arrived either on the second day of competition. With five stages to run and a total of 66-kilometres to go, what would we see happen?

 

First up was SS18 Encarnación 1 and Takamoto set the early pace in this one which was beaten by Seb and then Thierry. However, when the leaders came through, they were not able to beat the times set by the first three cars to complete. Elfyn lost third position to Adrien who set the  fifth fastest time.

 

Into SS19 Artigas 1 and Oliver was fastest by 1.3 seconds from Adrien whilst Seb was third. The gap between Adrien and Elfyn widened to 3.1 seconds as well. Meanwhile Jon passed WRC2 leader Diego for seventh overall as well in this one.

 

Next came SS20 Artigas Oeste which was a shortened stage from the original length and Oliver set the pace by one and a half seconds from his teammate Seb, whilst Adrien was third a further half a second back. For the championship leaders, they would see the gap grow a few seconds to Adrien and Alex. Unfortunately, we lost Jon and Shane after this stage after their Puma slid wide and after contact with a bank the rear left suspension was really badly broken.

 

SS21 Artigas 2 was red flagged and then cancelled after a really big crash for Takamoto and Aaron which meant the Yaris was blocking the road. Thierry and Martijn were already in the stage and would stop at the location of the incident. The remaining crews passed through the stage at normal road speed, whilst Takamoto and Aaron were taken to hospital for a check over.

 

It was back then to SS22 Encarnación 2, the powerstage and Oliver would set the pace from Seb, whilst Adrien, Elfyn and Thierry completed the top five positions in this stage. Meanwhile, Sami had taken victory from Hayden and Adrien, the Finnish crew becoming the first to win their first three events in a row.

 

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

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“I’m really happy and it’s a very proud moment; to realise that we’ve done something that nobody ever has before is really special. A big thank you to the team once again. It was not an easy rally for the drivers or the team, so building such a reliable car is key to this success. This was a very different rally to Estonia and Finland; it was not about being flat-out all the time. We had to manage many different things and I tried to be clever with my driving. It was a really demanding rally but that just makes it even sweeter to be able to win. We’re also well in the fight for the championship. It’s still quite a few points to catch but I will just keep doing the best job that I can.”

Elfyn Evans

“This weekend started pretty well on Friday until we had the issue with the tyre in the afternoon, and after that we didn’t really settle into a good enough rhythm and were missing some pace to hold off Adrien who was really strong. We were maybe a bit too conservative after all the drama of Friday when conditions were perhaps more extreme, but it’s not easy to find the right balance between risk and reward. I can’t be completely happy with the weekend, but others fared worse, and we still come away with some decent points.”

Oliver Solberg

“This morning we lost a bit of time on the first stage which was getting more muddy with each car, but after that we won every stage we drove so we can be happy with that. A big thanks to the team; the mechanics have done an amazing job to keep the car running all weekend on such an incredibly rough event. I feel we were a bit unlucky with some small details on Friday which cost us time, but it’s still been a great weekend feeling so much passion and support from the fans who have really put a smile on my face.”

Sébastien Ogier

“We had a good battle with Oliver today trying to recover as many points as we could from a tough weekend. I was happy with how our day was going up until the Power Stage, where we had a half-spin in a muddy section where I think a lot of people were struggling. Still, we could take nine points from the day which isn’t bad, even if it’s not making a big difference for us in the championship anymore. We didn’t get the result we wanted here but we still had fun behind the wheel and enjoyed our time with the fans.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“The impact in this accident was quite big and that Aaron and I are both OK shows how well the cars are built to keep us safe. Thank you to the team and the FIA for the regulations and thank you also to everyone who helped us afterwards and supported us. I’m not sure exactly what happened but I lost the rear of the car, I tried to correct it and we hit a small bank on the inside that lifted the car onto two wheels. I still tried to save it but we rolled. It was my mistake and I’m sorry for the team and grateful for their ongoing support. This weekend didn’t go well but highs and lows are part of the game and I just need to come back stronger.”

Yuki Yamamoto

“This rally started difficult for me with punctures in the first two stages, which made it hard to find a rhythm. In the afternoon, the feeling and the split times were better but then we had to stop with an issue. Saturday also started pretty difficult with quite a few things happening, but in the afternoon things turned around for the better. I could drive with more of a normal feeling and everything was going smoothly. The final day was really good with no mistakes and good stage times, and it will be good to take that feeling forward to Chile.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Hayden Paddon

“This feels like a win after the journey we have been on. While circumstances may have helped us achieve a podium in Croatia, it feels like we can really celebrate this one. People had problems this weekend, but we also had issues, and since day one we’ve been managing the gap. There is certainly more speed in there, but we had a job to do this weekend, and we’ve done it. I knew it would be tough, and I surprised myself with how we adjusted to it. We knew this was an important rally for the team, which is why we did so much preparation to make the best of this opportunity.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“I’m very proud of what we have achieved this weekend. In particular, seeing that Elfyn was 55 seconds ahead and saying, ‘I’m going to catch him’, I think shows a strong mentality, and it paid off. I think we deserved more than the podium this weekend. In terms of performance, I think we deserved the win, but fundamentally we got a puncture and Sami didn’t. That’s rallying, and ultimately I am very pleased. We worked a lot on the car, and this has been a big step forward in the setup of the car, and it seems to be working well. It’s very encouraging for these final events.”

Thierry Neuville

“I’m obviously very disappointed with how this rally started for us. Things just aren’t going our way at the moment, and we need to cope with that, but we continued fighting and never gave up. We progressively built speed on Saturday to enable us to be fast today; we had good pace, but just not enough to secure more bonus points from the weekend. The main thing is we have brought the car home, and it’s ready for Chile. We learned a lot driving with a softer car, which could help us with the remaining events this season.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“So, that’s Paraguay finished. Sixth overall, equal to our best WRC result. All in all, it’s been a positive weekend. Obviously, it was very tricky with the conditions and everything that Paraguay threw at us. But Friday was strong. Up until the puncture, we were essentially fighting for the podium.

“Saturday was a bit more tricky with the setup and, obviously, the weather we were expecting. But we had some issues on Sunday, managed to fix them and get to the finish. So, all in all, a positive weekend and hopefully we can keep improving our pace going into Chile.”

Jon Armstrong

“So, Rally Paraguay. We had quite a good start on Friday with some good times, but then we got a puncture that we drove on, which ended up damaging the brakes. Then we spun and damaged the car. Friday ended up losing us a lot of time with the repairs we needed to do in service. Then Saturday was a strong day, with some good stage times, and we clawed our way back up to seventh on Sunday.

“Then, three stages from the end, we came to a section that changed surface slightly. We didn’t have quite as much grip as we were expecting, so we went a bit wide, touched a bank and broke the rear suspension.

“So, yeah, really frustrating not to get a result. It’s a bit tricky at the moment because there have been a few results that we’ve missed out on, but we’re going to try and do our best to finish out the year strong now, with Chile coming up next.”

Romet Jürgenson

“It was quite an up-and-down weekend again. Friday didn’t start very well. We had some stuff loose in the cockpit on stage one, which distracted me a bit, and then we got a puncture. We had some small issues in the first loop, but after that we got going. The second loop was fine, and we climbed up to fourth.

“Unfortunately, on Saturday, while pushing quite hard, the rear snapped in a fast corner, and we went off. The team managed to fix the car, and on Sunday we showed some good pace again. But that’s about it. I think we need to almost forget it and go to Chile.”

Final Overall Classification – Rally del Paraguay

1	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	3:13:28.5
2	H. Paddon	J. Kennard	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+25.8
3	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+40.0
4	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+45.1
5	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+2:57.0
6	J. McErlean	E. Treacy	Ford Puma Rally1	+4:19.0
7	D. Domínguez	R. Peñate	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+7:40.5
8	G. Greensmith	J. Andersson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+8:03.2
9	A. Galanti	M. Toyotoshi	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+10:23.0
10	T. Gill	D. Brkic	Skoda Fabia RS	+10:36.9

 

Super Sunday Classification – Rally del Paraguay

1	S. Ogier	24:30.1
2	O. Solberg	+0.0
3	T. Neuville	+7.6
4	A. Fourmaux	+9.1
5	E. Evans	+17.5

 

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 11

1	E. Evans	216
2	S. Pajari	196
3	O. Solberg	175
4	T. Katsuta	160
5	A. Fourmaux	149
6	S. Ogier	148
7	T. Neuville	129
8	H. Paddon	38
9	J. McErlean	29
10	E. Lappi	25

 

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 11

1	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	554
2	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	381
3	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2	210
4	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	138

 

Summary

What an amazing result then for Sami and Marko who become the first crew to take their first three victories in a row. No other crew have ever done this before, which is an amazing statistic really. They were the only crew this weekend not to suffer a tyre failure, and perhaps this was down to the fact they suffered a cooling issue on the first few stages on Friday, and therefore backed off from the ultimate pace being set by other crews.

 

Moving onto Hayden and John, they were surprised by their performance to secure second place. They had a brilliant drive though, even leading at one point before suffering a tyre failure. This result though showed how good they are at maximising their talent to deliver a superb result. I hope we see them in the car again this year.

 

Finally, what a drive from Adrien and Alex who won nine stages in the end throughout the weekend which took them past Elfyn and Scott on Sunday morning and secured another third place. The pace showed they could have won their first rally as well, were it not for tyre failures. Surely their first win cannot be far away.

Next up then will see the team and crews travel to Chile for round twelve of this year’s championship which takes place over the weekend of the tenth to thirteenth of September.

Day two of this special rally dawned following a heavy storm which came through the service park and actually caused a lot of damage on the site. Three crews returned to the action following their early exit on Friday, with Takamoto, Seb and Thierry would restart with the Japanese driver opening the road followed by his world champion teammate and then Thierry.

 

Once the crews got out to the stages there was a realisation that the rain had not arrived as expected. All the teams had prepared their cars with the prospect of rain, giving the crews an interesting challenge as to how tackle dry roads with a wet set-up on the cars.

 

First up then was SS9 Bella Vista 1 and a good stage length of 21.15-kilometres to face. It was a good start for Elfyn who was fastest from Adrien and Sami. Oliver was sixth fastest and moved up one position to seventh overall. The stage was a clean one as all of the crews made it through with no drama, plus the predicted rain whilst it had fallen very heavily at the service park, there was no rain on the stage at all.

 

Next up came SS10 Bella Vista Sur 1 and remained a dry stage for all the crews. Adrien set the pace from Seb and Sami. Interestingly, Elfyn who was still in third overall behind Hayden and Sami was almost ten seconds slower than Adrien and saw the gap between them come down to 46 seconds.

 

Adrien was fastest again in SS11 Hohenau 1 from Sami and Elfyn, with the Welshman losing another almost six seconds to the charging Frenchman. Meanwhile, the gap between Sami, Hayden and Elfyn was growing. Oliver who was recovering back up the leaderboard passed the WRC2 leader Diego Dominguez for sixth overall. There was a moment for the rally leader as his car slid wide on the exit of a left-hand corner onto two wheels and the result was that although the Finnish crew continued in the stage, there was some damage to the rear wing of the Yaris.

 

The final stage before the lunchtime service, SS12 Trinidad 1 and Seb was fastest from Adrien and Jon in this stage. Elfyn lost a further eight seconds in the stage to Adrien, the gap between them now thirty-one seconds.

 

Into the afternoon stages then with SS13 Bella Vista 2 and the rain was still staying away, with in fact the temperatures were increasing with no clouds of rain in the area of the stages. Adrien was fastest from Elfyn by just one second, whilst Seb was third.

 

Adrien continued his stage winning pace in SS14 Bella Vista Sur 2 going two seconds faster than Seb, whilst Sami was third. Elfyn was fifth fastest and almost eight seconds slower than Adrien meaning that the gap now was just over twenty seconds in their fight over third position overall.

 

Onto SS15 Hohenau 2 and Adrien was again fastest from Oliver and Seb. Elfyn set the same time as Seb, but this was seven seconds slower than the Hyundai driver and now the gap between them was just sixteen seconds. This was getting really close!

 

Just two stages remained then, the first of which was SS16 Trinidad 2 and Seb set the pace from Oliver and Thierry. Adrien did have an overshoot on a left-hand corner but was still faster than Elfyn by three seconds and brought the overall gap to the Welshman down to just thirteen seconds.

 

The final stage of the day then a short 3.1-kilometre blast called SS17 Encarnación Costanera and Takamoto had the best of the conditions which were incredibly muddy. This was the only stage which had heavy rain on it overnight from Friday to Saturday. The Japanese driver was fastest from Thierry and Seb. There was a change in positions between Oliver and Josh as the Swede passed the M-Sport driver for fifth place. Nearer to the front, Adrien took a huge amount time from Elfyn and brought the gap down to just 3.3 seconds.

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

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“We can be happy with today. The conditions were still quite tricky, even if they were a lot more straightforward than the heavy rain we were expecting. Still, we had some moments, losing part of the rear wing when we ran slightly wide in one corner, which affected the handling in the high-speed sections, but it was not a big drama. Otherwise, the car was quick and reliable, and we were able to extend our lead over the day. Like in Estonia and Finland, I’m not getting too excited yet because a lot can still happen, and the weather could be hard to predict again.”

Elfyn Evans

“Our day started pretty well with the fastest time in the first stage. Then in the second stage there were already some huge rocks around, so I played it safe, and it was a similar story in the mud later in the loop. This afternoon we took some hard tyres and it’s difficult to know if that was the correct decision or not, but we were concerned about the wear after yesterday. Adrien has been charging hard and had a strong day, and it was a surprise to lose so much time in the super special, but we can expect more difficult conditions tomorrow and just need to keep doing the best we can.”

Oliver Solberg

“We were hoping to have some rain today to make things exciting for us. Unfortunately, it didn’t come but it still hasn’t been a bad day. The main goal was just to stay clean and try to catch McErlean and we were able to do that, and it’s good to get back up to fifth. It was tricky with the tyres as we didn’t have as many good spares as others to rotate around, but we managed OK. Tomorrow maybe the rain will come, and we’ll try our best whatever happens.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Today wasn’t the easiest one with nothing to really fight for, but we just focused on trying to enjoy the driving with this car as much as we could, and I think we had a decent rhythm. The rain didn’t come as expected but there was some dampness in the last stage of the loop, and we managed to take a stage win there, and another one in the afternoon. Tomorrow maybe some rain is still coming, and let’s see what we can do to try to grab some points.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Everybody was expecting that it would be quite wet today, but the rain never really came. At least with the dry conditions I could just focus on recovering after what happened yesterday. A big thank you to the team for fixing the car so that I could drive again, gain experience on these stages and try to get back the feeling ahead of tomorrow, when I want to try to take some points.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Hayden Paddon

“It’s been a clean, trouble-free day, which is exactly what we wanted. We’re missing a little bit of pace, but we haven’t been in the car for very long, so we’re happy we’ve brought it home in more or less one piece. The super special stage was probably the trickiest for everyone, but all in all it has been a solid day for us. Let’s see what tomorrow brings, as it could be a whole different kettle of fish, but in the meantime it’s mission accomplished.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“The level of this sport is incredibly high, so to be able to set the times we were doing today, I’m incredibly proud. It’s been a good push. We had to manage the tyres, and I think we did a good job. I’m very pleased with the effort from the whole Hyundai Motorsport team. It’s been a good day, and there is still a long one ahead tomorrow, but to be 3.3 seconds off the podium after starting the day 55 seconds behind is quite something.”

Thierry Neuville

“It was a long day out there. We didn’t get the conditions we expected this morning when we saw what had happened in the service park overnight – the rain just missed the stages, and it was pretty dry, to be honest. With no real objective other than experimenting with the set-up, we started on a soft set-up and tried to make it even softer to see how the car performed, while also adapting my driving style to suit it. I found it interesting. I’m not quite where I want to be yet and am generally missing a bit of speed in some of the stages, and there was some cleaning as well, but we were progressively improving.”

 

Sunday

The final day of action will see the crews face 66.35-kilometres over five stages, including one stage only run once. Will the rain arrive at all?

The action got underway on Thursday morning with shakedown and Takamoto set the pace from Thierry and Adrien, whilst Hayden and Elfyn were fourth and fifth.  The action then for real started on Friday morning with the first of eight stages and what would we see on this first full day of stages?

 

First up then was SS1 Cambyreta 1 a 24.65-kilometre stage and there was drama from the very start as Takamoto and Aaron rolled out very early in the stage after the rear of their Yaris stepped out. Seb and Vincent also had drama after getting a puncture. The road was changing after the early runners and some rocks were being brought out. Oliver and Elliott were fastest from Adrien and Alex, whilst Hayden and John were third. Less than five seconds covered the top three. Elfyn and Scott were seventh after opening the road and only ten seconds from the lead. Perhaps opening the road wasn’t such a bad place to be.

 

Into SS2 Nueva Alborada 1 a shorter 15.66-kilometre test and once again Oliver was fastest from Josh and Hayden this time. It was a good stage for the M-Sport squad as Jon was also showing good pace with the fourth fastest time and matching Hayden’s pace. The Kiwi’s pace took him and his co-driver John, past Adrien and Alex and into second overall. The M-Sport Irish twins were also on the move with Josh and Jon both moving into fourth and fifth respectively. There was drama again for Seb and Vincent who stopped again to change a wheel on the front left corner following another puncture which was caused when the car struck a bank on the exit of a right-hand corner. We also lost Thierry from the action following the end of stage one with the damage to his Hyundai.

The stages kept coming with SS3 Yerbateras 1 next. This was a proper test of 34.08-kilometres, the longest stage of the weekend. It was a tricky stage for Jon who suffered a puncture on his Puma which then led to damage on the front right-hand side brakes and included the whole calliper falling of the car. The car spun just a few metres down the road and damaged both bumpers and the bonnet, but they did at least make it to the end of the stage then they completed some repairs which meant that they could finish the morning stages and return to service. Hayden won the stage from Elfyn and Josh and this gave us a new top three, with the Kiwi’s leading the way from Josh and Elfyn. We did lose Seb from the action as his front suspension gave way in the stage. Also, to suffer tyre problems were Adrien, Sami, Oliver, Josh and Jon. Oliver also had a spin in the stage and his engine stalled which meant he needed to have a push start from some fans to get going again.

 

The short SS4 Autodromo 1 stage of 2.5 kilometres followed before service and Adrien was fastest from Oliver and Sami, whilst Hayden continued to hold the lead from Josh and Elfyn. The only change in position in the top ten was that Adrien passed Jon for sixth place.

 

After the lunchtime service came SS5 Cambyreta 2 and Adrien was fastest from Elfyn and Sami. Hayden continued to hold the lead from Elfyn now who had passed Josh for second place. Adrien was also gaining positions and passed Diego for fifth overall. There were no punctures incredibly for the crews in this stage, which was amazing really.

 

It was all change following the end of SS6 Nueva Alborada 2. Adrien set the pace from Sami and Elfyn. Elfyn moved into the lead from Hayden after the Kiwi suffered a puncture on the front right of his Hyundai. Also moving up was Sami who passed Josh for third place.

 

The final long stage of the day, SS7 Yerbateras 2 saw some more drama, as Sami set the pace from Oliver and Hayden. Elfyn’s lead was short lived as he suffered a tyre delamination. Scott and him, decided to continue and not stop, which worked well as they only lost just over a minute meaning they finished the stage still holding a podium position and only 56 seconds from the new leader Sami, whilst Hayden was now second even though he also had a tyre failure nearer to the end of the stage.

 

The final stage then, SS8 Autodromo 2 and Adrien was fastest from Hayden and Oliver, whilst Sami continued to lead the rally from Hayden and Elfyn.

 

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

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“It’s been a crazy day with many stories to tell for us and for everybody else. Our day didn’t start great as we got a water leak on the first stage, but thankfully we could make a fix to get through the morning and get back to service. After that, the car was working to its full potential and we could enjoy it as much as possible, but today was still more about survival than we expected. It’s nice to be in the lead but I think on this rally it’s not meaning so much; with the weather forecast, the most demanding days might still be to come.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a dramatic day for almost everybody, with very few who haven’t had their fair share of trouble already. We’ve been focused on trying to be clean and having a good rhythm, and everything’s been working fine in the car. It has been challenging for the tyres and we had to manage some issues through both long stages and unfortunately lost quite a bit of time. Others have fared even worse than us so the overall position isn’t bad, and the rain might bring a very different set of challenges for tomorrow.”

Oliver Solberg

“Today was definitely trickier than expected. I had a good feeling this morning and the first two stages were nice. Then we were a bit unfortunate; going into a junction I lost the engine and needed help from the fans to restart, and then we got a slow puncture and stopped to change it. It’s a pity so much time was lost but that’s rallying. After that we just tried to be clean, and nothing is over; there could be crazy weather over the weekend so anything can still happen.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Unfortunately, this rally quickly turned out to be very challenging for us. In the first stage we got a puncture on a landing from a jump, and we also had a bit of an electronic issue going into the next stage. I maybe lost concentration a bit, came a bit too fast over a crest and hit the bank on the outside; it was my mistake, and we damaged the front-left suspension. We tried to fix it and continue, but eventually we had to stop for the day.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“At the beginning of the first stage there was a very high-speed approach down into the forest and I probably just came too fast into this corner; it was my mistake. I lost the rear of the car and wasn’t able to recover it and we rolled. Initially we tried to continue but we stopped to prevent any further damage. I’m really sorry for the team and it’s a tough moment but we will try to regroup.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Hayden Paddon

“Today has almost been Safari-spec. It’s been difficult for everybody; managing the tyres has been the biggest thing today, and it’s been very tough. I think we’ve managed it as best as we could – obviously we had a couple of punctures, but luckily we didn’t have to stop on stage to change them and were able to manage them in the stage to avoid more damage. Tomorrow will be a different challenge – there may be rain, and whether it’s just one or 100mm, it’s going to be slippery. We will have to reset tomorrow and have a different mindset for tomorrow, as there is still a long way to go in this rally.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“All in all, I am happy with my day, particularly with my pace and how I managed the tyres – there is still some work to do as we have delaminations; it is different to when you have a puncture from a rock, so it’s a shame. Otherwise, I was enjoying the stages – although I am happy I was not in a casino today, as I would have lost everything. If the rain comes tomorrow, I think it’s going to be a really difficult day.”

Thierry Neuville

“This was the worst possible start for a rally where everything was set up for a good weekend. For the first few kilometres we had a good feeling in the car, but then we came fast over a blind crest, on the landing we went over a stone and immediately got a puncture and lost the brake line. We decided to carry on, and picked up further damage to the suspension, and had to retire the car.”

Classification after Day One

1 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1:28:28.7 2 H. Paddon J. Kennard Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +11.9 3 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +56.3 4 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:51.3 5 J. McErlean E. Treacy Ford Puma Rally1 +2:23.1 6 D. Domínguez R. Peñate Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +2:36.0 7 G. Greensmith J. Andersson Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +3:15.4 8 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +3:33.3 9 M. Bulacia J. Murado Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +4:01.4 10 R. Jürgenson S. Oja Ford Fiesta Mk II +4:36.9

Saturday

The second day of action in Paraguay will see the crews tackle 135.74-kilometres over nine stages. The morning loop has four stages and then the same four are run in the afternoon before an extra stage finishes the day. There is rain predicted for the whole day as well, which will make things very interesting.

Time then for the eleventh round of this years World Rally Championship as the teams head to the first of two rounds on the South American continent. At the last round, Elfyn and Scott increased their championship lead after finishing in third place in Finland. Of course, Sami and Marko are the latest crew to be second in the championship after their first championship victory in their home event.

 

The crews will have a big challenge in this weekend’s rally which is the second time that Paraguay will be running a championship round. This year’s edition has 357.64 kilometres over twenty-two stages. Comparing to last year, this means that there are three more stages this year and this has increased the number of competitive kilometres by over twenty.

 

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

 

Friday is the longest day with 153.78 kilometres over eight stages, then Saturday is a shorter day with 135.71 kilometres over nine stages, whilst Sunday has 68.12 kilometres over five stages.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“Our first time competing in Paraguay last year proved a lot more challenging than everyone had anticipated. On paper the stages looked quite straightforward with many long straights and junctions, but the rally was made far more difficult by the polished clay surface and the changing grip levels. Then, when it rained on the final morning, there was almost no grip available at all. In our position running first on the road on these gravel rallies, some rain can help to level the playing field, but it can also turn quickly into a lottery when the grip is so low. Like always, we’ll just have to do our best in whatever conditions we face when the rally begins.”

Sami Pajari

“Since Rally Finland it’s been nice to have some time to really enjoy and appreciate what we’ve achieved recently before we refocus on the coming rallies in South America. It was great to go to Paraguay for the first-time last year and see the excitement of all the fans there. It’s quite a nice rally to drive with really fast roads and some big jumps, which I always enjoy. There are also some really twisty sections and if it rains, the surface can become crazy slippery. Our recent results don’t change our approach for this event; we just have to continue trying to do the best job possible and hopefully we can keep achieving good results.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I have very good memories from Paraguay and can’t wait to go back. There were so many fans supporting us and it was a really impressive event. The roads themselves are nice and enjoyable, but we discovered last year that the surface is very unique; very compacted and very polished, and there was very little grip when it rained. With that knowledge from last year, it can be easier to go back, but we can’t know exactly how the conditions will be this time. Anyway, we will try to enjoy it once more and hopefully it can be a nice rally for us.”

Oliver Solberg

“Paraguay put on an amazing event last year and it was special to experience the atmosphere there and the passion of the people. The roads were also rather unique, with narrow sections and wide sections and jumps and dips, and the surface was quite slippery at times. It was a lot of fun, even if it was pretty difficult. In the faster places it felt like we were on the limit with the Rally2 car; with the Rally1 car and the extra downforce we will be able to carry more speed, but I’ll need to make that adjustment like on almost every rally this year. After two podiums in the last two rallies, I hope we can keep this run going.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Rally Finland didn’t turn out the way we hoped after what had been a very good rally until the point that it ended for us, but the most important thing is that Julien and I were both OK. Now we’ve had some time to rest and recover and I’m ready to compete in Paraguay together with Vincent. Even if our championship hopes are more or less over, we still want to aim for the top step in each of the remaining rallies this year, and help the team secure the manufacturers’ title. We experienced a great first rally in Paraguay last year, with an amazing atmosphere as well as challenging stages and conditions, and we will try our best to repeat our victory there.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“I’m really looking forward to Paraguay. After two fast rallies, we are back to more typical gravel stages, with a more dynamic and technical profile, which I generally prefer. I really enjoyed the stages last year and the atmosphere was great, so I can’t wait to be back. We learned a lot from the event last year, particularly with some of the technical choices we made, so this year we have made some different choices with the set-up. The roads are also quite cambered, and the weather can play an important role – when it rained last year, it was super slippery. Finland didn’t go as we wanted, although we had the speed and were back to a good feeling on Sunday. For me, I’m only chasing victories and the best possible results, so the target in Paraguay is as high as it can be.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Last year we had a really strong rally in Paraguay. We were leading on Friday and fighting at the front for most of the weekend, so it’s an event where we know we can be competitive. The stages are quite unique, with the grip changing a lot and some very fast sections, so you need to have confidence in the car and be able to adapt quickly. We learned a lot there last year, and after our recent performances on fast gravel I’m looking forward to going back. The target is clear: we want to fight at the front again and this time make sure we come away with the result.”

Hayden Paddon

“I’m very excited to finally be on gravel with the car, and to be doing it in South America makes it even more special. It feels like a full-circle moment. Our mileage on gravel is limited to just two short tests, but from the very first kilometre I felt at home in the car and on the surface. I know the car reasonably well now from our tarmac events, and gravel is my comfort zone, so it’s a matter of combining the two and getting up to speed as quickly as possible. We’ve spent a lot of time studying videos and data to prepare, and the fact that 40% of the route is new this year helps us a little. The target is different to our tarmac events – this time we want to drive flat out, give it everything we have and deliver the strongest result possible for the team.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“Heading back to Paraguay gives us a good opportunity to build on everything we learned there last year. Having that experience and a better understanding of the stages and conditions should put us in a stronger position from the start. “Finland was a positive weekend for us, and we want to carry that momentum into South America. We’re into the final part of the season now, so the focus is on continuing our progress and finishing the year strongly.”

Jon Armstrong

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of rallying in a new continent once again. Having never been to South America, it will be amazing to sample the roads for the first time. We’re looking to take a more steady approach with the upcoming events, whilst using our road position to our advantage. It’s nice to be coming back to WRC off the back of a victory at the Grampian Rally – which is a real confidence boost – and we’ll continue to work on our progress as we return to the Puma Rally1 for the remainder of the year.”

Rally2 competitors

Yuki Yamamoto (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)

“These next two rallies will be a completely new adventure for me and I’m firstly looking forward to visiting South America for the first time. Last year when I was watching Paraguay from home, it looked quite unique with a massive atmosphere and challenging stages. I’ve been trying to prepare as best I can by watching onboards from last year; the roads look fast but if it’s wet the conditions can be tricky with very slippery surfaces. It will be a big challenge but after the last few rallies I’m hoping that we can change the momentum towards a nice result.”

Romet Jürgenson (M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2)

“Paraguay is going to be something new for me again, and it’ll be the first time ever going to South America as well, so there is a lot to discover. But from what I remember watching from home last year, it looked like a very nice rally with a great atmosphere, and I think as an overall experience it’s going to be something very unique.

“We have had a bit of time to prepare and understand what is needed for this kind of event, and I think it’s important to get the knowledge from this rally to allow us to hopefully compete at the top level of the sport someday.”

 

Summary

This will be an important round for Elfyn and Scott in their bid to become the 2026 World Rally Champions. With a thirty-point lead over their teammates Sami and Marko, if they can increase the gap to the Finns it will put them in a very good position to join Colin and Derek and Richard and Robert as champions.

The reigning champions, Seb and Vincent are fifth in the standings and sixty-two points behind, making it a tricky challenge for the French crew to retain the title. We should never write off them though and it’s very likely that Elfyn and Scott certainly won’t have.

In terms of road position, it’s fair to state that Oliver, Seb, Adrien and Thierry will likely have the best road position on Friday’s stages should the conditions remain dry. However, if there is any rain on the stages, then this will change things and as we have seen in Kenya this can have a big effect on the times which the crews can set.

It will also be very interesting to see how Hayden and John get on as well. The 2016 Rally Argentina winners have always gone well on gravel rallies. I hope that they have a very good event, let’s see how they get on.

Looking at M-Sport Josh and Eoin will be competing at this event for the second time and will bring what they learnt last year. For their teammates, Jon and Shane, they will look to complete the stages and take learnings into the future.

The action starts with shakedown on Thursday morning where the crews will take turns to run through the stage in championship order, giving them and the teams the opportunity to prepare their cars for the three days of stages.