Oliver Solberg crashed out of Rally Japan while fighting for the lead with Toyota team-mate and World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans.
The Monte Carlo winner had been setting green split times on his rivals, rally leader Elfyn Evans and third-placed Sebastien Ogier, during stage 10 when drama struck.
Solberg lost the rear of his GR Yaris entering a tight left-hander and clouted a tree, causing terminal damage to the right-rear corner of his car.
The 24-year-old’s premature exit means Evans now leads nine-time world champion Ogier, by 14.6s. Evans was first to come across Solberg’s stricken Toyota and felt it delayed his run through the stage.
“We lost a lot of time to pass [Solberg] safely, so not ideal,” said Evans, who was 5.5s slower than Ogier, who won the stage that was later red-flagged after WRC2 runner Diego Dominguez rolled his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Ogier admitted he wasn’t surprised that his team-mate Solberg had crashed out when hearing the news at the stage end.
“It is not a surprise. This morning, the risk he [Solberg] is taking was too high. Unfortunately it is not really a surprise but it is a shame,” said Ogier.
Sebastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Toyota’s sporting director Kaj Lindstrom was asked about Ogier’s comments that suggested Solberg was taking too much risk.
“I think Seb is the best one to tell [if Solberg was pushing too hard or not]. It is a very unfortunate situation and it looks like he can’t continue for today,” he said.
The crash is the third high-profile crash for Solberg this season after accidents in Croatia and the Canary Islands.
Solberg’s exit has promoted Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari to third, with team-mate Takamoto Katsuta in fourth, while Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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