Solberg leads Evans in Toyota one-two

Oliver Solberg led Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team teammate Elfyn Evans after a muddy and slippery opening day at Rally Chile on Friday.

Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson completed the six stages in 52 minutes and 42.1 seconds. They held a 10.1-second advantage over Evans and Scott Martin in another Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.

Overnight rain transformed the narrow forest and farmland roads after dry and dusty conditions during Thursday’s shakedown.

The wet surface removed much of the usual disadvantage faced by the first car on the road. Evans, the World Rally Championship leader, and Solberg made the most of the conditions during the morning loop.

They claimed one stage win each and exchanged the rally lead twice. Solberg reached the midday service with a 2.3-second advantage.

The roads began to dry during the afternoon, leaving Evans to deal with more loose gravel. Solberg won the final stage of the day to increase his lead to 10.1 seconds.

Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux held third place, 18 seconds behind Solberg.

Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier and Sami Pajari also improved their pace in the afternoon after ending the morning in fifth and sixth positions.

Both drivers won a stage before finishing fourth and fifth overall. Ogier was 1.7 seconds behind Fourmaux, while Pajari trailed his Toyota teammate by another two seconds.

Thierry Neuville completed the top six for Hyundai, 27.4 seconds off the lead.

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta ran wide on the slippery opening stage and became stuck on a bank. He could not continue but was due to restart on Saturday.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto climbed as high as sixth in the WRC2 category on his Rally Chile debut before crashing on the sixth stage.

Yamamoto and co-driver Topi Luhtinen were taken to hospital for further medical examinations.

Saturday features the longest leg of the rally, with 139.2 competitive kilometers. The crews will contest two loops of three stages south of Concepción, across the Biobío River and near the Pacific coast.

The roads are generally wider and more abrasive than those used on Friday.