Sun 01 Oct 2023

Korhonen crowned WRC3 champion as Dominguez times out in Chile*

A reported mechanical issue following the flying finish on Sunday’s opening stage at Rally Chile Bio Bío has denied Diego Dominguez WRC3 victory, confirming Roope Korhonen and co-driver Anssi Viinika as 2023 champions* in their Ford Fiesta Rally3.

Debuting in WRC3 this year, Finnish youngster Korhonen was untouchable all season long, remarkably claiming victory in all four rallies – Sweden, Portugal, Sardinia and Estonia – that counted towards his championship campaign.

FIA Junior WRC 2023 runner-up Dominguez needed nothing short of victory in South America to tie with Korhonen, having picked up wins in Mexico, Kenya and last month in Greece.

The young Paraguayan looked on track to achieve exactly that, carrying a commanding 3min 11.8sec lead over Peruvian Eduardo Castro into Sunday’s final four stages, only for his front-right steering to break following the flying finish on the first run of Las Pataguas, leaving him without a wheel.

Dominguez and his Spanish co-driver Rogelio Peñate worked frantically on the side of the road to repair the damage, listening to the advice of knowledgeable fans who were looking on. Remarkably, they were able to repair their Fiesta and drive to the beginning of the next stage, only to learn they had arrived outside of the allotted time.

Already showing his intent to move up a category, Korhonen is aiming to compete in WRC2 at Central European Rally later this month.

*Subject to confirmation of the results by the FIA