Canary Islands Rally – Shakedown: Solberg dominates a Toyota 1-2-3-4 finish

Conditions were generally favorable this morning on the island of Gran Canaria, with sunshine that is expected to continue for the rest of the weekend. Takamoto Katsuta, championship leader after his two consecutive victories in Kenya and Croatia, was the first to set off at 11:01 local time, as per the regulations, and posted the initial benchmark time of 4:13.4. Elfyn Evans then improved this time by 2,8 seconds before Oliver Solberg took the lead with an excellent 4:09.6 on his first run; the Swede was then the only driver to break the 4:10 barrier.

He subsequently consolidated his lead with a time of 4:06.9 on his second run, to which Katsuta responded with a 4:07.4 to secure second place, followed by Sébastien Ogier, returning after his absence at Rally from Croatia, in 4:07.6. Behind them, Sami Pajari, a clear outsider after his performances in Kenya and Croatia, clocked a time of 4:07.7, while Evans completed the Top 5 in 4:08.0.

On the side of HyundaiThe morning was more complicated. Adrien fourmaux et Thierry Neuville They are in sixth and seventh positions, more than three seconds off the fastest time. Dani Sordo, returning to Rally1 for the first time since the 2024 Acropolis Rally where he finished second behind Thierry Neuville, sets the eighth fastest time with a 4:12.6 and, like the Ford drivers, has M-Sport Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong completed one last Shakedown run for the promoter. Neuville and Fourmaux, meanwhile, completed a third run and managed to lower their times to 4:10.7 and 4:10.3 respectively, with the Frenchman maintaining his advantage over his teammate.

Daprà stands out in WRC2

In WRC2, Roberto Daprà was fastest in this Shakedown in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with a best time of 4:18.3, ahead of Alejandro Cachón in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in 4:18.4 and Léo Rossel in the Citroën C3 Rally2 in 4:19.0. The Frenchman, who is enjoying what he himself describes as a "dream" start to the season, seemed comfortable on these clean and fast roads after the demanding course of the Rally Croatia. His older brother, Yohan Rossel, in the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, is in sixth position, 0,1 seconds behind him: a sibling rivalry that promises to be thrilling for the rest of the event, with a clear objective in mind. again of the Croatian tournament.

The first special stage of the rally will start at 19 p.m. French time with the first pass through the Gran Canaria stadium, a spectacular 1,89-kilometer stage. Katsuta, championship leader with a seven-point advantage over Evans, will start in first position on the road.

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WRC – Safari Rally
WRC1 Shakedown standings

WRC2 Shakedown standings