Oliver Solberg had the lead with barely a minute down to the Welshman Elfyn Evans before Sunday. But after the first two stages of the day, the gap had narrowed to 42 seconds.
Despite some problems on the penultimate stage of the Monte Carlo rally, Solberg once again managed to extend his lead over overall second-placed Evans to a whopping 58.3 seconds.
– It is so difficult to drive out there, stated the Swede in TV4’s broadcast.
Youngest ever
And well on the last stretch, Solberg and map reader Elliott Edmondson were able to drive home the sensational victory in the WC rally. In total, they won by 51.8 seconds.
– It has been an emotional day. There has been so much pressure, I have been so stressed. It’s the hardest thing I’ve done in my career, says a noticeably touched Solberg.
The 24-year-old thus becomes the youngest winner ever and the first Swede to win in Monte Carlo in 55 years. The last time someone from Sweden did it was Ove “Påven” Andersson in 1971.
This is Solberg’s second career WRC victory. He took the first one in Estonia last July. He now leads the overall WC standings on 32 points (five points ahead of runner-up Evan) in his first full season in the premier class.
