Solberg maintains lead in Safari Rally

Oliver Solberg will carry a razor-thin one-second lead over eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier into Saturday after a dramatic Friday at the Safari Rally Kenya in Naivasha.

Right behind him, eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier closed the gap dramatically after clocking 1:33:51.

Solberg had looked comfortable earlier in the day, stretching his advantage to nearly half a minute across the punishing Naivasha stages. But the rally turned on its head when the Swedish driver suffered a puncture on the second pass of the Geothermal test, wiping out most of his cushion and allowing Ogier to storm back into contention.

By the end of the day’s action, the gap between the two teammates had shrunk to just one second, setting up a thrilling duel heading into the toughest leg of the rally.

Solberg admitted the afternoon was a fight just to keep control in the slippery conditions.

“I tried my best to keep the pace without taking unnecessary risks. The puncture cost us a lot of time, but we’re still leading and that’s important.”

The 24-year-old acknowledged the challenge of going head-to-head with one of the most successful drivers in rally history.

 “Ogier has had an incredible day and pushed really hard. We’ve battled before, so I know what he’s capable of. The rally is still very long, so the goal is simply to stay in the fight and keep the pressure on.”

For Ogier, the comeback was exactly the response he needed after losing time earlier in the rally.

The Frenchman steadily chipped away at Solberg’s lead throughout the afternoon stages, positioning himself perfectly for Saturday’s notoriously brutal leg.

 “Saturday is always the biggest challenge here. If the weather turns, the conditions become extremely difficult. It’s far from over.”

Behind the top two, championship leader Elfyn Evans sits third, 20 seconds off the lead after a day plagued by early brake issues. Fourth place goes to Finn Sami Pajari, who impressed by posting the fastest time on four of the seven stages and second quickest on two more. Rounding out the top five is Thierry Neuville who broke the Toyota dominance on Day Two.