Solberg took a hit at times, but on the following stage he again managed to claw the gap back in his favour. Before Sunday’s four final stages, Solberg leads the rally with a hefty margin of 59.3 seconds over his team-mate Elfyn Evans.
Although Solberg’s abilities are well known, not many believed in the young man’s chances in the demanding Monte Carlo round. However, Solberg has shown that this year he may even be ready to fight for the world championship.
On the final forest stage, Solberg had a big moment when the car slid into a field. With a bit of good fortune, Solberg was nevertheless able to continue, having lost only a small amount of time.
“Absolutely incredible! Here in Monaco I didn’t dare do anything stupid, but it doesn’t matter. This has been an incredible day and an incredible week so far. I’ve tried to drive cleanly, consistently and pushed when there was the chance. On the second-to-last stage, I’m sure everyone had their moments,” Solberg told RallyJournal.com
“I had a bit more of a moment than the others, but somehow I got out of it. I had an angel with me, so I’m a bit speechless. My head is pretty empty right now,” Solberg continued.
Solberg did not expect such success on his team-mate Sébastien Ogier’s home ground. Ogier is nevertheless third in the rally, almost a minute and a half behind the Swedish sensation.
“I was hoping to be in the top five, and I would already been over the moon with a podium. Of course, there is still a long way to go, but at least we are in a good position for a podium, whatever happens,”Solberg reflected.
“I could never have expected this. We did have good tests, just like before the Rally Estonia. I changed the car and the feeling is good now. The feeling with the pace notes and the information from the gravel crew has also been fantastic. Still, in these conditions you can go off even if you have one hundred per cent concentration all the time. We saw that today as well, but I survived it purely by luck.”
