Flawless Friday in Chile takes Dominguez closer to WRC3 title

Victory here in Chile would give Dominguez an unassailable lead over second-placed Romet Jürgensson, but there is no chance of 24-year-old becoming complacent.

Heartbreakingly on this same rally in 2023, Dominguez was two stages away from claiming victory and subsequently, the WRC3 title, only for a mechanical issue to strike his Ford Fiesta Rally3, forcing an unthinkable retirement.

Back for his second stint in the Fiesta, Dominguez gradually built a 50.2sec lead over closest rival Eduardo Castro across Friday’s five competitive stages, after SS1 was red-flagged due to spectator safety concerns.

France’s Ghjuvanni Rossi was forced to already retire his Renault Clio Rally3 at the completion of SS2 with mechanical failure, leaving the category as a two-car battle between Dominguez and Castro.