Evans survives late puncture as Solberg wins in Chile to keep title race alive
Oliver Solberg won Rally Chile on 13 September, holding off Sébastien Ogier into second. Elfyn Evans finished fifth after a final-day puncture but kept the lead of the World Rally Championship, BBC reported per official timing.
Evans looked set for a strong finish on the gravel forest roads of the Biobío region. Then came stage 15, the penultimate test. A puncture forced him to stop and change the wheel at the roadside.
He lost more than two minutes there. That dropped him to fifth, one place behind Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari in fourth.
Evans hit back on the Powerstage, the short final sprint that pays extra bonus points. He was second quickest and banked four points for Sunday. Small margins. Big reward.
The result leaves Evans on 230 points. Pajari has 213, Solberg has 209. The gap at the top is now 17 points, trimmed slightly from the 20-point advantage Evans carried into Chile.
Solberg earned it. He led for much of the rally, which ran from 10 to 13 September, and withstood a Saturday morning charge from Ogier to carry a 10.1-second advantage into the final day.
There was consolation for Toyota in the team race. Its combined results in Chile sealed the manufacturers' championship, the title decided by points from across its crews, for a record-equalling 10th time.
Evans has led the drivers' standings since April's Rally Islas Canarias. He has been with Toyota Gazoo Racing since 2020. Keeping that streak alive after a roadside wheel change took nerve.
Elsewhere, Josh McErlean also hit puncture trouble and finished seventh. Jon Armstrong did not finish after hitting a bank and rolling his Ford Puma Rally1, the top tier of rally car, during Saturday's stages.
For fans, this means a three-driver fight to the finish. Next up is Rally Italia Sardegna on 1 to 4 October, with a maximum of 35 points on offer. Evans is still in front. Only just breathing easy.
