Wed 25 Sep 2024

Solberg’s sights set on WRC2 glory in Chile

Oliver Solberg heads into this week’s Rally Chile Bio Bío (26 – 29 September) with a clear objective - securing the WRC2 title.

This event marks Solberg’s seventh and final points-scoring opportunity of the 2024 season. With three wins and two runner-up finishes already under his belt, the 23-year-old leads WRC’s premier support category by three points before dropped scores come into play.

Sami Pajari is second in the standings, but the Finn is competing in the headline Rally1 category this week. Meanwhile, Yohan Rossel, currently third, trails Solberg by 25 points and knows he’ll need a strong result in his Citroën C3 Rally2 if he is to stay in contention.

A win in Chile would ensure Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson cannot be caught, making them the 2024 WRC2 champions. However, should Solberg fall short of a P1 result, the title will most likely be decided at FORUM8 Rally Japan, where Pajari is expected to complete his WRC2 campaign.

Despite not driving in WRC2 machinery this week, Pajari can still secure some WRC2 silverware in Chile. Depending on the performance of Nikolay Gryazin - who, like Rossel, drives a Citroën - the Finn and co-driver Enni Mälkönen could wrap up the WRC2 Challenger title. Gryazin must finish third or higher to keep that fight alive.

Other WRC2 regulars competing this week include Gus Greensmith, Fau Zaldivar and Kajetan Kajetanowicz, all behind the wheel of Škoda Fabia RS Rally2s. Local talents including brothers Alberto and Pedro Heller, Jorge Martinez and Emilio Rosselot will look to impress on home soil.

Japan
Starts: Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 12:00:00 AM
Poland
Starts: Friday, October 11, 2024 at 9:30:00 AM
Turkey
Starts: Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 8:30:00 AM