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Oliver Solberg crashed out at the Rally of Japan while chasing Elfyn Evans, leaving Sébastien Ogier as his main rival. This unexpected turn of events could change the course of the championship.
Saturday started with Evans in the lead, but Solberg showed superior pace, cutting down the Welshman’s advantage in the early stages. After setting the fastest time in Obara and Mt. Kasagi, Solberg brought himself to just 10.6 seconds behind Evans, who admitted he wasn’t feeling comfortable in his Toyota. It seemed like a tight battle for victory was on the horizon.
However, Solberg’s crash on the second run of Mt. Kasagi, after hitting a post, forced the Swede to retire. This left Evans without his closest competitor, although he also lost time navigating through the accident zone. Taking advantage of the situation, Ogier managed to set his first scratch of the weekend, reducing the gap to 14.6 seconds from the leader.
With Sam Pajari in third place, 48.8 seconds behind, and Takamoto Katsuta competing at home, the battle for the podium is heating up. The day still has two super special stages at Fujioka to go, and the outcome is more uncertain than ever.
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