IN a surprising turn of events at Rally Estonia, Oliver Solberg, son of rally legend Petter Solberg, achieved a remarkable maiden victory in his debut aboard a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.

This unexpected win sent ripples through the World Rally Championship (WRC) standings, as Dolgellau’s Elfyn Evans, who finished sixth, consequently lost his championship lead.

Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were last-minute additions to the eighth leg of the WRC season, given a mere two days of testing to prepare.

Despite the limited preparation, they managed to outperform seasoned competitors, marking a significant moment in Solberg's burgeoning career.

Pre-race favorite and local hero Ott Tänak, the 2019 world champion, secured second place in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1.

While not the victory he might have hoped for, Tänak's strong performance was enough to overtake Evans in the drivers' championship, now leading by a solitary point.

Rounding out the top finishers, Tänak's teammate Thierry Neuville claimed third.

Two-time world champion and three-time Rally Estonia winner Kalle Rovanperä finished fourth in his Toyota, with Adrien Fourmaux taking fifth place.

Once more tasked with running first on the road and sweeping the loose gravel stages on Friday, Elfyn Evans also had a strong final day with co-driver Scott Martin, gaining sixth overall and finishing fourth on Super Sunday and fifth in the Power Stage to leave just one point behind the championship lead. TGR-WRT continues to lead the manufacturers’ standings by 52 points.

Toyota’s Evans said: “It’s been a tough weekend. Of course, our road position did hamper us a bit on Friday but I also think we didn’t have the speed to challenge like we wanted to.

“We tried our best today and scored a few extra points but we can’t be too satisfied at the end of the weekend.

“I’m looking forward to Rally Finland like always and we’ll keep working together with the team to find a bit more speed there.”

Up nest is Rally Finland (July 31-August 3), the fastest rally on the calendar, run over smooth gravel roads containing many jumps.

It’s also a home rally for TGR-WRT, which has its headquarters close to the service park in Jyväskylä.

Evans will not be opening the roads in Rally Finland. Since he finished sixth in Rally Estonia, he will be starting further back in the field, meaning he won't have to contend with the road-sweeping effect as much as he did in Estonia.

After Rally Estonia, round nine of 14: 1, Ott Tanak (Hyundai) 162; 2, Elfyn Evans (Toyota) 161; 3, Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) 141; 4, Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota) 138; 5, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) 114; 6, Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) 71