Driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 for
Toksport WRT, Solberg carried a lead of 29.4sec into Saturday’s second leg
alongside his British co-driver Elliott Edmondson.
Although Solberg wasn’t able to maintain
his impressive tenure of third place in the overall standings, the
22-year-old’s advantage in WRC2 was never threatened throughout the second full
day, the rally’s longest at 125.96 timed kilometres.
“The lead is so big, I just enjoy,” said
Solberg, whose overnight advantage stands at 1min 14.0sec.
Georg Linnamäe set out on Saturday’s route
in second place in WRC2, but a spin nearing the finish of SS11 let in fellow
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver Sami Pajari for the provisional runner-up spot,
as Linnamäe fell to fourth behind Roope Korhonen.
While Pajari maintained second spot
thereafter, Linnamäe fought back to demote Korhonen, the 2023 WRC3 champion, for
third by topping the WRC2 order on SS14 before edging 0.2sec behind Pajari on
SS15.
Mikko Heikkilä, who set the WRC2 pace on
SS10, didn’t let a damaged tyre or a pop-off valve issue on SS14 prevent him
from closing to within 5.2sec of his fellow Finn Korhonen by the end of the
28.06km test. However, a bent suspension arm and a spin on SS15 left Heikkilä
16.1sec adrift of his younger compatriot in fifth.
Lauri Joona is sixth overnight and
comfortably clear of seventh-placed Emil Lindholm, who moved ahead of rising
Swedish star and Solberg’s childhood friend Isak Reiersen on SS14.
Former WRC2 champion Lindholm’s hopes of a
strong result in Sweden had suffered a setback on Friday due to turbo issues
affecting his Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Program
member Yuki Yamamoto was ninth heading into Saturday’s final stage, but a
damaged suspension arm, sustained on SS14, forced the Japanese youngster to
switch to go-slow mode for SS15. He dropped to 10th behind veteran Polish
driver and WRC2 Masters Cup leader Michał Sołowow as a result.
After
a reported battery issue put him out on Friday afternoon, Jan Solans – who had
run as high as eighth on a rare outing on snow – restarted on Saturday and
posted the fastest WRC2 time on SS13.
Sunday’s
three-stage deciding leg begins with the first of back-to-back runs through the
25.50km Västervik test from 07:27 local time.
Finland
Italy
Hungary