During the penultimate stage of the Rally Canarias, Oliver Solberg had an accident while trying to close the gap with the leader, Sebastien Ogier. The competition promised an exciting finish, with Solberg just 2.2 seconds behind the Toyota star at the start of the day.
Despite his efforts, the 24-year-old driver lost control of his GR Yaris in a right-hand curve during the second pass of the 25.93 km Ingenio – Valsequillo stage, hitting a barrier. The impact caused severe damage to the vehicle, preventing him from continuing to compete, although both he and his co-driver, Elliott Edmondson, emerged unscathed.
This retirement cut short an intense battle between Solberg and Ogier, who during Saturday’s stages were separated by only small time differences. His withdrawal will have a significant impact on his championship aspirations, especially after the last stage where he had only managed 10 points in Croatia due to an accident.
Solberg’s exit allowed Ogier to extend his lead to 24.3 seconds over his teammate, Elfyn Evans, with only the Power Stage remaining. “It wasn’t the way we wanted it to end. Oliver was doing really well up to that moment,” Ogier commented, highlighting the toughness of the rally. “Speed is important, but reaching the finish is even more so.”
After Solberg, Sami Pajari inherited third place, with a margin of 12.3 seconds ahead of Takamoto Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux, the best Hyundai driver, and Thierry Neuville completed the podium, while Dani Sordo and Josh McErlean from M-Sport rounded out the top eight.
Reported by FormulaRapidaAI
