Oliver Solberg believes “anything can still happen” in next week’s World Rally Championship title decider and is prepared to “give it everything” to overhaul championship leader Elfyn Evans.
The WRC is set for a three-way title showdown on Sardinia’s gravel stages that will now play host to the season finale following the decision to cancel the trip to Saudi Arabia in November.
Solberg faces the biggest task of Toyota’s trio of title contenders hoping to claim a maiden world title, given he heads into the event 21 points adrift of Evans, and four points behind team-mate Sami Pajari in second place in the standings.
However, Solberg is enjoying a strong run of form and has scored more points than any of his rivals over the last four rounds, having picked up 106 points, with Pajari the next best with 97, while Evans has claimed 68 points. Solberg also heads into Sardinia fresh from claiming victory at Rally Chile last time out.
Given the points deficit to Evans ahead of the final round, and with a maximum of 35 points left on the table, Solberg’s target is clear. Evans will be world champion if he scores 19 points or more, regardless of what Pajari or Solberg achieve.
The championship has looked like a long shot for us at times this year but we never gave up. It was great to get back into the fight with our result in Chile and go into this last rally with a shot at the title," said Solberg.
“It’s a big gap to Elfyn to try to close in one rally, but we will give it everything of course, and in a rally like Sardinia, anything can still happen. The stages are challenging, with fast sections where you need good commitment, as well as more technical parts where you have to be more patient.
“I don’t have so much experience there, especially in the top category, but we had a good run to win the Rally2 class last year and we just have to aim for the top step once more and see what happens.”
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala says it will be “very special” to witness three of his crews do battle for the world title.
“This has been another amazing season for our team, with all five of our crews winning multiple rounds of the WRC, and a record-equalling manufacturers’ championship under our belt,” said Latvala.
“It’s going to be very special to go to Sardinia with three of our crews fighting to become world champion for the first time. For our team, the most important thing is to provide them all with a strong and reliable car so that they can have an even fight.
“We know that Sardinia can be a rough rally with a lot of rocks, so it can be hard for the tyres and the drivers will need to calculate the risks they take.
“Elfyn has driven another great season as we have come to expect from him, and while he may have the most difficult position opening the road in Sardinia, he also has a lot of experience he can rely on in this situation.
“Sami has grown a lot during this year, and Oliver has bounced back strongly to stay in the fight, and it’s an exciting opportunity for both of them to challenge for a title for the first time. We’re looking forward to a fair fight and a fitting finale for our GR Yaris Rally1 car.”
