Latest news with #Solberg
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Kuwait Times
Solberg secures first WRC win in Estonia
KAARIKU: Winners Swedish Oliver Solberg (right) and his British co-driver Elliott Edmondson celebrate on the podium after winning the Rally Estonia. – AFP TARTU: Sweden's Oliver Solberg followed in his world champion father's footsteps as he claimed his first WRC victory in the Rally of Estonia on Sunday. The 23-year-old is the son of 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg and was making his first appearance in the elite class since 2022. Solberg made the most of the opportunity handed to him by Toyota, who gave him the chance to drive one of their cars for this rally in the absence of eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier. The Swede charged into the lead on Friday and never relinquished it on the high-speed gravel roads. He finished 25.2 seconds ahead of home favorite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville of Belgium came in third place. 'After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and (co-driver) Elliott (Edmondson) finally made it,' said Solberg. 'I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life.' Tanak replaced Elfyn Evans at the top of the WRC standings, moving a point clear of the Welsh driver who ended the weekend in sixth place. – AFP
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Motors: McErlean and Treacy finish ninth at the Delfi Rally Estonia
The Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) took their fourth WRC points scoring finish of the season with ninth place in the Delfi Rally Estonia as Swedish driver Oliver Solberg (23) took a magnificent debut Rally1 maiden victory with the Toyota GR Racing outfit. Taking the lead on Saturday's opening stage (SS2) Solberg, the son of former WR champion Petter, showed pace and calmness that belied his years and indeed his Rally1 experience in what was his first Rally1 drive in some three years. Shedding tears at the finish, he said, 'After everything, for so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, me and Elliott (Edmondson, his co-driver) have finally made it. I don't know how to describe it. I just want to say a big thank you to Toyota, to the team and to the test team, who have helped me get so comfortable. For all the help in this beautiful team, I've never had such a good time in my life, so thank you.' Solberg finished 25.2s ahead of Hyundai's Ott Tanak, who moves into a one point lead of the championship, with his team mate and reigning champion Thierry Neuville, 23.1s further behind in third. Through Saturday's second leg of nine stages, McErlean/ Treacy maintained their 10th place throughout the day. Running second on the road and having to sweep the loose gravel they had a consistent run as they tried to find their limits without taking risks. At a junction soon after the start of SS12 they out-braked themselves and ended up in a ditch but luckily, escaped unscathed. Out in front, Solberg continued to impress and with four stage wins ended the day with a 21.1s lead, Some changes to the set-up of his Toyota GR Yaris gave Solberg some extra confidence and he duly topped the time sheets on three of the four morning speed tests. His performance allowed him tailor his approach during the afternoon stages to one of stage management. All the time, the Hyundai i20 duo of Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville battled for second - trading places on six occasions with local hero Tanak ending the day 4s ahead of the reigning World champion, who lost some 7s on the day's first stage when he stalled after clipping a chicane bale. Japan's Takamoto Katsuta and his Northern Ireland co-driver Aaron Johnson were sixth overnight. As Solberg went on to claim an astonishing victory, second placed Tanak became the new leader of the championship, Neuville incurred a 10 second penalty for a jump start on Sunday's first stage. While McErlean admitted he wasn't as committed as he would have wished, it was important to get to the finish and with the final stage retirement of Katsuta/Johnston due to a mechanical issue, the Irish crew were classified ninth. On the domestic front, Kilkenny's Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5) won the Sligo Rally to reclaim the lead of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. Throughout the nine stage where tyre choice was difficult, he traded times with late entry Donegal's David Kelly (VW Polo GTi R5), who led twice. At the final service, Doherty held sway by 2.5s before taking a 2.4s advantage into the final stage where Kelly, who had previously narrowed the deficit to 0.8s had an altercation that took a wheel off his VW Polo GTi R5, temporarily blocking the stage. Doherty went on to finish 10.9s ahead of the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 of Donegal's Declan Boyle, whose son Michael, also in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, wad 14.2s behind in third. There was early drama when pre-event and joint championship leader Josh Moffett rolled his Hyundai R5 into retirement on SS1 where Donegal's Kevin Eves (Ford Fiesta Rally2) also crashed out. Sam Moffett was amongst the non-starters. Elsewhere, Omagh's Cathan McCourt (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) won the Banbridge based R Kings Down Rally, that dovetailed as rounds of the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Rally Championship and the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship. Fastest on six of the day's eight stages, he finished 58.6s ahead of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 of Carryduff's Jonny Greer, that ran with a 32mm restrictor, Jersey driver Sam Touzel (Ford Fiesta Rally2), who was third, took maximum points to lead the UK Asphalt series. Delfi Rally Estonia (Round 8, World Rally Championship) Tartu: 1. O. Solberg/E. Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)2h. 36m. 35.1s; 2. O. Tänak/M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+25.2s; 3. T. Neuville/M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+48.3s; 4. K. Rovanperä/ J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+55.6s; 5. A. Fourmaux/A. Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+1m. 33.0s; 6. E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 43.4s; 7. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+2m. 55.6s; 8. M. Sesks/R. Francis (Ford Puma Rally1)+3m. 36.0s; 9. J. McErlean/E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1)+5m. 29.8s; 10. G. Munster/L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)+5m. 57.5s. World Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings (After Round 8): 1. O. Tanak 162pts; 2. E. Evans 161pts; 3. S. Ogier 141pts; 4. K. Rovanpera 138pts; 5. T. Neuville 114pts; 6. A. Fourmaux 71pts; 7. T. Katsuta 63pts; 8. O. Solberg 52pts; 9. S. Pajari 38pts; 10. 10. G. Munster 19pts; 11. J. McErlean 14pts. World Rally Manufacturers' Championship Standings (After Round 8):1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 399pts; 2, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 347pts; 3. M-Sport Ford WRT 111pts; 4. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 68pts. Sligo Rally (Round 5, Triton Showers National Rally Championship) Sligo: 1. E. Doherty/T. Murphy (Skoda Fabia R5) 49m. 55.8s; 2. D. Boyle/P. Walsh (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+10.9s; 3. M. Boyle/D. McCafferty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+25.1s; 4. J. Dickson/M. Brady (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+47.1s; 5. D. Henry/D. O'Sullivan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+53.4s; 6. P. Barrett/D. Kelly (Citroen C3 Rally2)+1m. 07.7s; 7. M. Boyle/G. Byrne (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 08.5s; 8. G. Kiernan/J. McCabe (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 19.2s; 9. D. Gass/N. Shanks (VW Polo GTi R5)+1m. 49.0s; 10. A. McIntyre/P. O'Callaghan (Toyota Starlet)+2m. 32.1s. R Kings Down Rally (Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Rally Championship) Banbridge, Co. Down: 1. C. McCourt/B. McNulty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) 52m. 26.9s; 2.J. Greer/N. Burns (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+58.6s; 3. S. Touzel/M. Freeman (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 15.7s; 4. M. Kelly/W. Atkins (VW Polo GTi R5)+1m. 23.8s; 5. A. McLaughlin/K. McLaughlin (VW Polo GTi R5)+3m. 04.4s; 6. N. Roskell/R. Fagg (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+3m. 05.4s; 7. C. Wilson/K. McDaid (Hyundai i20 R5)+3m. 45.9s; 8. B. Cole/D. Petrie (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+3m. 50.2s; 9. M. Toner/A. Rankin (Proton Satria)+4m. 22.8s; 10. L. Edwards/S. Spencer (Ford Escort G3)+4m. 35.9s. 2025 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship (Positions after Round 5): 1. S. Touzel 114pts; 2. Jason Pritchard 110pts; 3. N. Roskell 107pts; 4. Brad Cole 93pts; 5. John Stone 87pts.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Swede Oliver Solberg wins maiden World Rally Championship race in Estonia
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Swede Oliver Solberg (right) and his British co-driver Elliott Edmondson celebrate on the podium after winning the Rally Estonia, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, on July 20, 2025 in Kaariku. Sweden's Oliver Solberg claimed a stunning maiden World Rally Championship (WRC) victory at Rally Estonia on Sunday, nearly 20 years after his father Petter Solberg won the last of his 13 WRC races. The win marked Toyota's 100th in the WRC. Solberg extended his lead to seal a 25.2 second win over home favourite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak and the Estonian's Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville finished third. However, Tanak snatched the championship lead from Toyota's Elfyn Evans by a single point, with the Briton managing a sixth-place finish in Estonia. On his debut in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, the 23-year-old Solberg and British co-driver Elliott Edmondson were drafted in for a one-off drive a few weeks prior to the rally and had only two days of testing. 'After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and Elliott finally made it,' Solberg said. 'I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life.' Solberg got off to a flying start, winning Friday's opening stage and taking a lead he did not relinquish all weekend. He carried a 21.1-second overnight lead into Sunday's final three stages, where he emerged untroubled by the tricky grip in slick, damp conditions. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Both Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Solberg's father Petter, who represented Norway, won 13 WRC races from 2002 to 2005. Hyundai's Tanak battled inconsistent grip and Neuville, who started the day four seconds behind, was handed a 10-second penalty for a false start on special stage 18 and finished 23.1 seconds back in third. 'I think we got the best out of this weekend, with or without my mistake on Saturday morning, Oliver was still difficult to beat,' Tanak said. Tanak had ended Saturday in second place, 21 seconds behind Solberg, his gap could have been smaller if not for a costly stall after clipping a chicane bale on the opening stage, which caused him to lose around seven seconds. 'I expected a challenging weekend, and I knew it would be tough to get the most out of these Estonian roads. They're super fast and have some big jumps, so you need a good balance and a perfect rhythm,' he added. 'We learnt a lot here to take to Finland. I'm happy to be going there in the championship lead, and we will see what it's like opening the road.' Rally Finland, which runs from July 31 to Aug 3, is round nine of the WRC season. Toyota, who have won every rally so far this year except for Greece, also tightened their grip on the manufacturers' race with 399 points to Hyundai's 347. REUTERS
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Solberg wins maiden WRC title in Estonia
Sweden's Oliver Solberg claimed a stunning maiden World Rally Championship (WRC) victory at Rally Estonia on Sunday, nearly 20 years after his father Petter Solberg won the last of his 13 WRC races. The win marked Toyota's 100th in the WRC. Solberg extended his lead with composure to seal a 25.2 second win over home favourite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak and the Estonian's Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville finished third. On his debut in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, the 23-year-old Solberg and Briton co-driver Elliott Edmondson were drafted in for a one-off drive a few weeks prior to the rally and had only two days of testing. "After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and Elliott finally made it," Solberg said. "I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life." Solberg got off to a flying start, winning Friday's opening stage and taking a lead he did not relinquish all weekend. He carried a 21.1-second overnight lead into Sunday's final three stages, where he emerged untroubled by the tricky grip in slick, damp conditions. Hyundai's Tanak battled inconsistent grip and Neuville, who started the day four seconds behind, was handed a 10-second penalty for a false start on special stage 18 and finished 23.1 seconds back in third. However, Tanak snatched the championship lead from Toyota's Elfyn Evans by a single point, with the Briton managing a sixth place finish in Estonia. Toyota, who have won every rally so far this year except for Greece, also tightened their grip on the manufacturers' race with 399 points to Hyundai's 347. Solberg's father Petter, who represented Norway, won 13 WRC races from 2002 to 2005.
The Star
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Rallying-Solberg wins maiden WRC title in Estonia
(Reuters) -Sweden's Oliver Solberg claimed a stunning maiden World Rally Championship (WRC) victory at Rally Estonia on Sunday, nearly 20 years after his father Petter Solberg won the last of his 13 WRC races. The win marked Toyota's 100th in the WRC. Solberg extended his lead with composure to seal a 25.2 second win over home favourite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak and the Estonian's Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville finished third. On his debut in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, the 23-year-old Solberg and Briton co-driver Elliott Edmondson were drafted in for a one-off drive a few weeks prior to the rally and had only two days of testing. "After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and Elliott finally made it," Solberg said. "I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life." Solberg got off to a flying start, winning Friday's opening stage and taking a lead he did not relinquish all weekend. He carried a 21.1-second overnight lead into Sunday's final three stages, where he emerged untroubled by the tricky grip in slick, damp conditions. Hyundai's Tanak battled inconsistent grip and Neuville, who started the day four seconds behind, was handed a 10-second penalty for a false start on special stage 18 and finished 23.1 seconds back in third. However, Tanak snatched the championship lead from Toyota's Elfyn Evans by a single point, with the Briton managing a sixth place finish in Estonia. Toyota, who have won every rally so far this year except for Greece, also tightened their grip on the manufacturers' race with 399 points to Hyundai's 347. Solberg's father Petter, who represented Norway, won 13 WRC races from 2002 to 2005. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru)
