Solberg edges closer to Latvia WRC2 triumph

After a dominant Friday, during which the Swede won six out of seven stages to construct a 31.1sec advantage, Solberg’s focus switched to lead preservation on Saturday’s equally fast gravel roads east of the rally’s Liepāja base.

Being the first Rally2 competitor onto the stages presented a challenge in itself, with Solberg forced to sweep a fresh line after the wider, more powerful Rally1 cars had been through. Despite that, he and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were inside the top three on each stage and collected two fastest times along the way.

The Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 pair headed Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 rival Mikko Heikkilä by 26.6sec overnight, with Sami Pajari’s similar car 5.0sec further back. Heikkilä also led the WRC2 Challenger category.

Emil Lindholm’s podium bid went awry when he crashed his Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on SS14. Škoda man Fau Zaldivar was promoted to fourth as a result, although he trailed Pajari by more than two minutes, while Roberto Daprà took fifth ahead of Ford Fiesta Rally2 hotshot William Creighton.

Also in trouble were Toyota men Brandon Semenuk and Gregor Jeets, both of whom rolled. Jeets managed to continue and ended the day seventh but Semenuk, a world-famous mountain bike racer, was forced to retire.

Armin Kremer’s WRC Masters Cup lead stood at more than 20 minutes after Mauro Miele, his nearest challenger up until SS12, rolled out of contention. The German driver held eighth in the overall WRC2 standings while Joosep Nõgene continued to dominate WRC3.