Rossel and Gryazin’s Chilean double secures WRC2 title for Citroën

Just 17.3sec separated the Citroën C3 Rally2 pair after three days and over 300km of gruelling competition at the FIA World Rally Championship's 11th round. Frenchman Rossel was given a late advantage on Saturday night when event stewards awarded him a corrected time for SS11, where he was held up behind championship leader Oliver Solberg, and he began Sunday’s final leg holding a 21.6sec lead.

However, Rossel’s buffer steadily eroded as Gryazin closed in on today’s four stages. A 10-second time penalty for a jump start only added to the tension, but Rossel managed to keep his composure through the thick fog and treacherously muddy roads to claim victory. His win not only secured the WRC2 Teams' title for DG Sport Competition but also kept his own hopes in the WRC2 Championship for Drivers alive.

Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 man Gus Greensmith completed the podium, trailing Gryazin by 3.4sec after a half-spin on the Wolf Power Stage, while Solberg, who had led earlier in the rally before suffering a costly wheel change on Saturday, could only manage fourth.

Solberg has now completed the maximum seven events allowed in WRC2, and though he currently tops the standings, the Swede will have to wait anxiously for the final two rounds to see whether Rossel or Sami Pajari can overhaul him for the title.

Reflecting on his victory, Rossel said: "It was a very tough rally for sure, it’s never easy when you are fighting for the victory all weekend. I told my son that, if I win, I will decorate my helmet with Paw Patrol for Central Europe!”

While he is no longer in contention for the outright WRC2 crown, Gryazin’s performance kept the fight for WRC2 Challenger open. His victory in the category this week means that the battle will now go down to the wire at the final round in Japan, where Pajari is expected to end his season.

Further down the field, Kajetan Kajetanowicz brought his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 home over three minutes back from the WRC2 lead in fifth, but comfortably ahead of sixth-placed Fau Zaldivar. Despite suffering engine issues on Saturday, Paraguay’s Zaldivar finished as the top South American driver, capping a strong performance in his Škoda. Eduardo Kovacs was the victor in the WRC Masters Cup.