Solberg leads Rally Chile Biobio by 10 seconds after opening day

Oliver Solberg leads Rally Chile Biobío after the opening day, holding a 10.1-second advantage over championship leader Elfyn Evans following six stages in changing conditions around Concepción. The Toyota driver, making his first start in Rally1 machinery at this event, claimed two stage victories as crews faced wet and slippery roads during the morning before increasingly dry and abrasive conditions developed across the afternoon loop. Solberg set the pace on the opening Turquía stage, finishing 1.4 seconds ahead of Evans. The championship leader responded on the second stage, Nuevo Rere, to move 0.4 seconds ahead overall, before Solberg regained first place on Hualqui and returned to midday service with a 2.3-second advantage. Conditions changed significantly during the afternoon as the roads began to dry. Sami Pajari was fastest on the second pass of Turquía before Sébastien Ogier claimed the fifth stage. Solberg then completed the day with victory on Hualqui 2 to extend his overnight advantage to 10.1 seconds. Evans completed the opening leg in second place after running first on the road throughout the day.