Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier blasted through the penultimate stage of Rally Chile with an exceptionally convincing fastest time, beating his team-mate Elfyn Evans by no less than 4.4 seconds.
At the same time, Ogier extended his overall lead over Evans to 10.3 seconds. The Frenchman now has a firm grip on victory at Rally Chile, and of course, this would also significantly strengthen his position in the World Championship fight.
At stake too is the starting position for the Central European Rally, and at the moment Ogier would be set to take the first-car spot – usually a major advantage in asphalt rallies.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, who has been struggling with engine issues, set the third-fastest time, while Sami Pajari, delivering a fine rally in Chile, was fourth. Next on the timesheets came Kalle Rovanperä. Pajari dropped 5.7 seconds to Ogier’s benchmark, with Rovanperä a further 0.2 seconds behind.
“Tyre wear has been surprisingly high today, but if there’s anything left at all, we’ll of course try to push on the Power Stage,” Rovanperä said.
Pajari is still chasing down Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville in fourth. He has gradually been closing the gap, and before the final stage the difference is now just 3.2 seconds.
“It looks like we’ll run out of kilometres, but we’ve certainly tried,” Pajari admitted.
On the Super Sunday standings, Ogier has moved into first place. He is now four seconds ahead of Evans in the Sunday classification. Rovanperä holds third, 9.8 seconds adrift of the lead, and Pajari is fourth, 11.4 seconds down. The final points-paying place on Sunday belongs to Ott Tänak.
Rally Chile standings after SS15/16:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 2:51.16.5 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +10.3 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +43.7 |
| 4. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +58.6 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:01.8 |
| 6. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1:33.0 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +2:11.2 |
| 8. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:39.3 |
| 9. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +7:56.7 |
| 10. | Nikolai Grjazin | Skoda | +8:37.4 |
Super Sunday Standings:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 28:02.6 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +4.0 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +9.8 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +11.4 |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +11.8 |
Rally Chile itinerary (CET):
Thursday 11 September
14:01 Shakedown: Conuco (6.79 km)
Friday 12 September
13:15 SS1: Pulpería 1 (19.72 km)
14:10 SS2: Rere 1 (13.34 km)
15:01 SS3: San Rosendo 1 (23.32 km)
17:56 Service (40 min)
19:41 SS4: Pulpería 2 (19.72 km)
20:36 SS5: Rere 2 (13.34 km)
21:27 SS6: San Rosendo 2 (23.32 km)
Saturday 13 September
14:07 SS7: Pelún 1 (15.65 km)
15:01 SS8: Lota 1 (25.64 km)
16:05 SS9: María Las Cruces 1 (28.31 km)
18:25 Service (40 min)
20:07 SS10: Pelún 2 (15.65 km)
21:01 SS11: Lota 2 (25.64 km)
22:05 SS12: María Las Cruces 2 (28.31 km)
Sunday 14 September
13:23 SS13: Laraquete 1 (18.62 km)
14:35 SS14: BioBío 1 (8.78 km)
15:35 SS15: Laraquete 2 (18.62 km)
18:15 SS16: BioBío 2 (8.78 km) *Power Stage
