WRC Rally Italy: Solberg Grabs Early Lead with Evans Third in Title Decider
Evans leads teammate Sami Pajari by 17 points and Oliver Solberg by 21, with 35 points still available in the season finale.
- On Thursday, October 1, the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship finale began at Rally Italy Sardinia with Oliver Solberg winning the opening Ittiri Arena Show stage. Hyundai driver Dani Sordo faced early penalties on the spectator-friendly superspecial.
- Toyota Gazoo Racing teammates Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari, and Solberg are separated by 21 points heading into the final round, with a maximum of 35 points available for all three to contend for their maiden world title.
- Championship leader Evans faces the disadvantage of "opening the road" on Friday, sweeping loose gravel for competitors behind him. Drivers expressed concerns about hanging dust reducing visibility on the island's narrow, abrasive gravel stages.
- Solberg led the opening stage with a time of 2m01.4s, with reigning champion Sebastien Ogier finishing second. Evans ended the day third, narrowly ahead of Pajari as the title contenders set their opening positions.
- Seventeen special stages covering 190.77 competitive miles await crews this weekend, concluding with Sunday's Sassari-Argentiera Wolf Power Stage. The finale closes the current generation of Rally1 machinery's final chapter before new technical regulations take effect in 2027.
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One of the three aspirants to the throne, the Swedish Oliver Solberg (Toyota GR Yaris), leads the Rally Italia-Sardinia, the final round of the championship and in which the world title is decided, by marking the best time in the superspecial opening, in which the other three candidates and teammates, the British ... Continue reading "Solberg leads first day of the Rally Italia-Sardinia: Swedish plays WRC title with Evans and Pajari"
The 2019 FIA World Rally Championship season ends this week with the Rally Sardinia. Oliver Solberg (Toyota), who is chasing his first World Rally Championship title, won the first stage held on Thursday evening.
Sami Pajari, 24, is fighting for the world championship in the enigmatic gravel rally in Sardinia.
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