Solberg’s heartbreak is Greensmith’s gain in thrilling WRC2 conclusion

The Briton went to bed on Saturday evening thinking he was trailing Solberg by 35.4sec heading into Sunday’s finale. But when the Swede was dealt a one-minute time penalty in the early hours for a rule breach on SS15, the tables were turned.

Greensmith’s task - to keep a 24.6sec advantage intact over the remaining four speed tests - was easier said than done. A heavy landing over the famous Pedra Sentada jump in Fafe not only claimed his Škoda Fabia RS’s front bumper, but it also caused a power steering fault.

Solberg hunted down his rival, winning the first three tests of the day to trail Greensmith by 8.7sec before the Wolf Power Stage. The Fabia youngster was fastest there, too - but not by enough as Greensmith walked away with victory by just 1.2sec.

“I tried, anyway” Solberg said at the finish. “I drove too slow on the long (Cabeceiras de Basto) stage.

“It's been a great weekend really - very consistent and with good speed again. It's really a shame about everything that happened, but that's how it is,” he added.

Championship returnee Andreas Mikkelsen made it a Fabia podium lockout, trailing Solberg by 41.8sec at the finish. He headed Citroën C3 man Yohan Rossel by over a minute, the Frenchman retaining his championship lead.

Teemu Suninen brought his Hyundai i20 N home in fifth overall ahead of Bolivia’s Marco Bulacia, who also won the WRC2 Challenger category. Spaniard Alexander Villanueva was victorious in the Masters Cup which caters for drivers over the age of 50.