Ogier leads, but Solberg ups the pressure in WRC Canary Islands Rally Saturday scrap

Sebastien Ogier will carry a slender 3.8s lead over Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg into the final day of the WRC’s Canary Islands Rally after a close-fought Saturday battle on Gran Canaria’s ever-changing asphalt roads.

Nine-time and reigning FIA World Rally champion Ogier (above) began the penultimate leg 8.9s clear after dominating Friday’s stages in his GR Yaris Rally1, but Solberg steadily reduced that advantage across Saturday’s six stages, winning both passes of the 17.96-mile Moya-Galdar test to set up a tense Sunday finale.

Elfyn Evans completed the overnight podium heading into Sunday’s final four stages, albeit 21.9s from the lead, while Sami Pajari and current WRC points leader Takamoto Katsuta ensured Toyota’s factory Rally1 fleet continued to lock out the top five.

Rain and damp patches complicated the morning loop, particularly on the 8.54-mile Arucas-Firgas-Teror 1 stage and Moya-Galdar 1, where grip levels changed rapidly. Evans made the strongest start, winning the first two stages of the day in his GR Yaris to move closer to his dueling teammates ahead.

Solberg then responded on that first pass of the Moya-Galdar stage, edging Ogier by just 0.1s despite a brush with a roadside barrier. Ogier admitted the final miles had been slippery as rain intensified, and his lead was down to just 5.3s by the midday service halt.

Conditions were drier in the afternoon, but the pressure and intensity only increased. Evans was fastest again on the repeat of the 8.37-mile Maspalomas stage, before Solberg and Ogier set identical times on Arucas-Firgas-Teror 2.

The biggest swing came on the final stage of the day, where Solberg threw everything at Moya-Galdar 2 and went 1.4s faster than Ogier to close the gap to less than four seconds at the overnight halt.

“I did a few mistakes, it wasn’t perfect,” said Solberg. “[Our retirement in] Kenya was bad luck and [an opening-stage crash in] Croatia was my fault, so I won’t panic to take [Ogier], but at least we’ve been there all day to put some pressure on him. Let’s see; it’s four long stages to go, a long loop, and everything is possible.”

Oliver Solberg put the hammer down to close to within just 3.8s of Toyota teammate Sebastien Ogier and set up a final-leg showdown.

Ogier, chasing his first win since the asphalt of Rally Japan last November, welcomed the fight.

“It looks like it’s going to be a good Sunday,” he said. “I’m excited. Tomorrow, we have some new stages which are going to be fun to drive. That’s the reason we are here – if you don’t enjoy this kind of fight, then better stay home.”

Evans ended the day third after a much-improved performance compared with Friday. The Welshman won three stages and moved clear of Pajari, although he admitted there was still more to find.

“It was important to do better than yesterday, that was the only target really,” said Evans. “I wasn’t happy with my day yesterday. I’m not fully satisfied today either, but it’s a good step forward at least.”

Pajari held fourth, 52.7s from the lead, while Katsuta, who came to the Canary Islands after back-to-back wins in Kenya and Croatia, completed the all-Toyota top five after a more difficult day. The Japanese driver briefly closed on Pajari during the morning, but continued to search for confidence on the clean, high-grip asphalt.

Adrien Fourmaux led Hyundai Motorsport’s challenge in sixth, moving ahead of teammate Dani Sordo during the morning and finishing the day 32.5s clear of the Spaniard, who’s making his first WRC start of the season. Sordo held seventh, with 2024 WRC champ Thierry Neuville eighth after another frustrating day in the third of the factory i20 N Rally1s.

Adrien Fourmaux moved his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 ahead of teammate Dani Sordo to finish Saturday as best of the non-Toyotas. Red Bull Content Pool

M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean consolidated ninth overall after a steady run, while teammate Jon Armstrong’s difficult rally continued when he went off the road 16 miles into the final stage. Spectators helped push his Puma Rally1 back onto the road and he reached the finish with front and rear damage.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Yohan Rossel will carry a 27.5s class lead into the final day after another composed performance on the Gran Canaria asphalt.

The Frenchman maintained control of the category as he seeks a second successive class win for WRC returnee Lancia’s Ypsilon HF Rally2. He began the day 22.0s clear of Alejandro Cachon’s GR Yaris Rally2 and stretched that margin during the morning loop, reaching the service halt 28.8s ahead of the Spaniard. Although the gap narrowed slightly in the afternoon, Rossel still ended Saturday firmly in command.

“It is never easy, to be honest,” said Rossel after the final stage. “We need to keep the concentration. It is a bit difficult for us to create the gap like we did yesterday, but it’s been a clean day and I’m very happy about the car.”

Behind him, the battle for second tightened significantly. Cachon remains Rossel’s closest challenger but now has Leo Rossel’s Citroen C3 just 0.2s behind after the younger of the Rossel siblings mounted a strong afternoon charge.

After a clean Saturday leg, Yohan Rossel is within four stages of giving WRC returnee Lancia a second-straight WRC2 class win. Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday’s final leg features four stages and 48.7 competitive miles, with two passes of Ingenio-Valsequillo and Santa Lucia-Aguimes – the latter’s second run as the bonus points-paying, rally-ending Wolf Power Stage – deciding the outcome of what’s set to be an intense morning duel between Ogier and Solberg.

WRC Canary Islands Rally, positions after Saturday/Leg Two, SS14
1 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h58m05.7s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3.8s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +21.9s
4 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +52.7s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m03.1s
6 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m54.5s
7 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m26.3s
8 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m28.3s
9 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m53.8s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 – WRC2 leader) +4m55.0s

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• Tune in on Monday, April 27 at 9.00pm ET for full highlights from the Canary Island Rally. It’s the WRC’s second all-asphalt round of the season, so get set for race track-style action on the fast, wide mountain roads around capital city Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
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