Safari Rally – Oliver Solberg: “The goal was to stay clean and control the pace”

Having staged a spectacular comeback throughout the special stages, Sébastien Ogier He closed to within just one second of Oliver Solberg but couldn't quite take the overall lead. This tiny gap promises a particularly exciting weekend.

Still in the lead, Oliver Solberg is satisfied to maintain his advantage despite a slow puncture that reduced his lead.

« We're still in the lead, so we should be happy about that. Oliver Solberg confided upon arrival. Today, I mainly tried to stay very clean throughout the day. The idea wasn't to push myself to the limit, but rather to maintain the same pace as Elfyn Evans and control the situation.

Of course, Ogier attacked very hard, taking a lot of risks. Unfortunately, I had a slow puncture. It can happen to anyone, at any time. We lost a bit of time, about thirty seconds, so it's a shame.

Naturally, my lead has been significantly reduced, but a lead is still a lead. Ultimately, we're almost starting from scratch, so we'll have to attack hard again tomorrow. »

Solberg hopes for the return of rain on Saturday

When asked about the difficulty of today's special stages, the Swede highlighted the particularly demanding conditions.

« The stages were very tough today, especially with the rocks and the tires. Tomorrow will be difficult for everyone. »

Solberg acknowledges that his cautious approach has also helped to close the gap with his pursuers.

« Yes, you could say that being cautious cost me part of my lead. Half of it came from that, and the other half from the puncture. As I said, the goal was simply to stay clean and avoid punctures. Ogier had one this morning, so I was mainly trying not to have the same problem. But there you have it, that's life. It was a slow leak, unfortunately. »

Despite everything, the leader of rally remains satisfied with his position with two matchdays still to be played.

« LThe rally is still very long and being in the lead is always better than being two minutes behind. »

The Swede is now looking ahead, aware that nothing is decided yet.

« We should be satisfied, but we still have a huge day ahead of us tomorrow. And it looks like rain is coming… I'm happy! "This can be understood when one remembers the difference made during the first special stage on Thursday in Dantean conditions.

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