Here is the thing about chasing a world championship on gravel: it demands everything, and sometimes it takes it all back in a single heartbeat. As Motorsport.com reports, Oliver Solberg came agonizingly close to taking the ultimate crown in Sardinia, only to see the dream slip away a mere two corners from the finish line.
Coming into the weekend sitting 21 points adrift, the 25-year-old pilot put together a stunning drive in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 run by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT. Alongside co-driver Elliott Edmondson, Solberg fought his way into a final-stage showdown where beating the benchmark set by Elfyn Evans would hand him the world title.
It hurts a lot but I have no regrets. If I didn’t try and I had lost on time I would be struggling even more, but I at least tried. I somehow got the chance to try which was incredible,
On the final stage itself, the machine was flying. Solberg was running 1.9s up on Elfyn Evans’ time and looked fully on course to pull off the incredible comeback until disaster struck within sight of the flag. Veering off the gravel road and into the bushes just two corners from home, the championship momentum vanished in an instant.
“I expected the corner to be fine and it was fine until there was a bush, like a gravel bank on the outside and I didn’t expect the car to hook me in, so it came like a surprise,” an emotional Solberg explained.
Despite the costly detour, the crew managed to haul the Toyota back onto the road to finish the stage and claim victory at Rally Sardinia, though the championship points ultimately fell to Elfyn Evans. Speaking about the raw pain of the result, Solberg held nothing back.
“It hurts a lot but I have no regrets. If I didn’t try and I had lost on time I would be struggling even more, but I at least tried. I somehow got the chance to try which was incredible,” he said. “I’m proud and it has been a great season overall and a rollercoaster of a season and to actually have a chance was incredible. I struggle to talk about it."
True to form, the young driver immediately turned his attention to praising his rivals, offering a tip of the hat to new world champions Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin for their strong and consistent campaign throughout the year.
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