Frenchman overhauls Elfyn Evans to hold slender lead going into final day

Sébastien Ogier ended Rally Chile Bio Bío’s penultimate leg with a 6.3sec lead over Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans after a remarkable Saturday that saw dramatic swings in fortune for the frontrunners.

The eight-time champion completed a stunning comeback from his Friday struggles to take control on his 200th FIA World Rally Championship start, winning all three of the afternoon’s stages to overhaul championship leader Evans and position himself for a crucial victory.

Ogier, who is currently nine points adrift of Evans in his bid for a ninth world title, admitted to being “way too cautious” on the day’s opening stage but capitalised perfectly on changing conditions and tyre management to emerge as the day’s dominant force.

“It sounds good, but it is going to be intense until the end,” reflected Ogier after extending his lead on the day’s final stage. “Tomorrow morning I need to be awake, not like every first stage for the last two days.”

Evans was leading at the midday service break after a strong morning loop in wet conditions, but found himself under increasing pressure as Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 partner Ogier found his rhythm on the drying afternoon stages. The Welshman dropped 5.3sec on the day’s final test alone but remains firmly in contention heading into Sunday’s four-stage finale.

Adrien Fourmaux started the day at the top of the leaderboard but ended it in third overall and 26.8sec adrift of Ogier. The Frenchman reported that he was struggling for traction and acknowledged his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 was “lacking something” in the conditions. Thierry Neuville sat fourth in his similar car, a further 14.9sec back

“It is quite frustrating for us. The positive is we are on the podium for tonight, but we want more,” Fourmaux said.

Sami Pajari held fifth in his Toyota, while championship contender Kalle Rovanperä languished in sixth, over 1min 20sec behind the leader. The defending Chile winner endured a torrid afternoon as first-on-the-road duties proved costly on the cleaning stages.

Takamoto Katsuta recovered to seventh position after spinning while attempting to catch Grégoire Munster, who dropped to eighth following a puncture that forced him to complete the final stage on worn-out tyres.

Oliver Solberg moved another step closer to claiming the WRC2 title after extending his lead to 30.2sec over Nikolay Gryazin, who rounded out the top 10.

Standings after Saturday (SS12 /16):
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2h 23m 13.9s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +6.3s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +26.8s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +41.7s
5. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +50.4s
6. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1m 23.2s