Solberg sets the pace in Croatia Rally shakedown

Oliver Solberg secured the top spot during the opening shakedown for the Croatia Rally, clocking a 2:17.7 benchmark on the 3.44km test near Rijeka. Takamoto Katsuta, fresh off his victory at the Safari Rally Kenya, finished 0.4 seconds behind the Swede, while Thierry Neuville rounded out the top three, trailing by 0.8 seconds. Championship leader Elfyn Evans placed fourth, followed by Adrien Fourmaux in fifth.

For Solberg, the session served as a vital learning opportunity to adjust to the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 on dry asphalt ahead of future events. Meanwhile, competitors are bracing for a challenging weekend as road conditions are expected to evolve significantly due to surface debris caused by aggressive corner cutting.

Hyundai’s Neuville noted that the team anticipates a period of refinement as they adapt their setup to the technical Croatian roads. The rally officially kicks off on Friday with an eight-stage opening leg in the Istria region, covering 126.86 competitive kilometers.