Elfyn Evans lost the lead by more than 48 seconds after a puncture forced a two‑minute wheel change on the new 26.82 km Carampangue stage, dropping him from second to fifth in Rally Chile.
While Evans was topping the Super Sunday standings by 4.6 s, he hit trouble in the second pass of the stage, pulling over to swap a tyre. The delay left him 48.5 s behind Sami Pajari, the nearest title contender.
Solberg’s Title‑Boosting Victory
Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg stayed on course and seized the race win, finishing 13.3 s ahead of nine‑time champion Sebastien Ogier and tightening the overall points gap. Solberg admitted a puncture in the preceding stage, but he managed the tyres carefully to avoid a repeat.
Hyundai and Other Contenders
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux finished third, 16.2 s off Ogier, after battling two punctures earlier. The win leaves Abdul‑Samaas Pajari—who has triumphed at the last three WRC rounds—in strong position to close the 20‑point gap to Evans. Esapekkä Lappi is sixth, Josh McErlean seventh, while Yohan Rossel, Robert Virves and Gus Greensmith round out the top ten before the final stage. The day underscored the fine margins that separate triumph from setback in the World Rally Championship.
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