There is still plenty to look forward to as the battle for the drivers' championship remains open.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team were flying high in Chile. Picture: Supplied
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team’s (TGR-WRT) latest title success equals two long-standing WRC records.
One matches the six successive championships achieved by Lancia between 1987 and 1992, and the other brings Toyota level with the Italian marque on 10 titles in total.
Solberg wins in Chile
A second victory of 2026 for Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson – after their season-opening triumph at Rallye Monte-Carlo – means all five of the TGR-WRT crews have now won multiple rallies this year.
The young Swedish driver excelled in wet and muddy conditions in the opening stages on Friday morning to establish an early lead over teammate Elfyn Evans.
He then gradually extended it with smart driving across drier and more abrasive stages. Solberg ultimately secured victory by 16.6 seconds with the fastest time in the rally-ending Power Stage.
Evans leads overall
Championship leader Evans and co-driver Scott Martin also capitalised on the wet weather at the start of the event. This negated the disadvantage they have faced sweeping loose gravel roads across recent rallies.
After fending off a charging Sébastien Ogier to retain second place on Saturday evening, Evans started the final day strongly with a stage win.
He was leading the Super Sunday classification until a cruel blow in the penultimate stage, where he stopped to change a tyre and lost two minutes, dropping to fifth position.
But he fought back strongly thereafter to finish second overall in his Toyota GR Yaris and topped the Super Sunday classification by 3.8s over Solberg.
Pajari run halted
Sami Pajari, who saw his unprecedented streak of three successive maiden victories come to an end, still secured a solid fourth place finish alongside co-driver Marko Salminen for the TGR-WRT team.
Evans continues to lead the drivers’ championship by 17 points over Pajari and 21 over Solberg with two rounds remaining on the schedule.
Katsuta suffers more bad luck
After getting stuck on the edge of the road in Friday’s opening stage, Takamoto Katsuta restarted on Saturday and set strong top-six times despite running first on the gravel road together with stand-in co-driver James Fulton.
What’s next?
Rally Italia Sardegna takes place on October 1-4, switching to an autumn date for the first time since 2020. The demanding island event features fast but narrow gravel stages and a rocky, abrasive surface.
