Rallying-Evans Leads Three-Way Battle as New Champion Set to Be Crowned in Sardinia
Evans leads Pajari and Solberg by 17 and 21 points, with 35 available, as the Toyota teammates chase a first WRC drivers' crown.
- Oliver Solberg won Thursday's opening stage at Rally Italy Sardinia with 2m01.4s, claiming early momentum in the season finale featuring 17 special stages across 190.77 competitive miles in Alghero.
- The cancellation of Rally Saudi Arabia due to Middle East conflict forced the WRC to conclude its season in Sardinia, intensifying the three-way title fight among Toyota teammates separated by just 21 points.
- Evans finished third Thursday, 1.1 seconds behind Solberg, though he edged Pajari in their head-to-head duel and requires 19 points to guarantee his first world title. He faces the disadvantage of 'opening the road' Friday by sweeping loose gravel.
- Solberg stated "The goal is simple but to achieve it is a different story- 35 points is what I need to get," after beating M-Sport Ford's Josh McErlean by 0.8 seconds. Pajari finished fourth, predicting the weekend would be "one crazy ride."
- This finale marks the last competitive appearance of current Rally1 machinery before 2027 regulations debut, with Toyota's record-equalling 10th manufacturers' crown already secured. Drivers requested organizers introduce four-minute gaps to address hanging dust visibility concerns.
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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.
WRC Rally Italy Sardinia set for three-way title shootout, first-time champ
Three drivers who’ve yet to taste WRC drivers’ championship success will make it an all-Toyota fight for the crown when Sardinia’s all-gravel event brings the WRC season to a truncated finish following the cancellation of Rally Saudi Arabia.
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