Hyundai’s acting team principal Julien Moncet has confirmed that Oliver Solberg spun off on SS9, and that the fire following his stage-ending off was not to do with the hybrid system.
Solberg went off on the Kostanjevac – Petruš Vrh test first thing on Saturday morning, and his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 quickly caught fire, causing the stage to be canceled.
Speaking in the service park, Moncet confirmed Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were unharmed in the crash and that the fire occurred at the rear of the car.
“We don’t have the full story yet, but from what we know, Oliver spun and he damaged the rear of the car, and something caught fire around the exhaust.” said Moncet.
Moncet added that fire did cause the hybrid system to trigger a red light and until the car gets back to service, he’s not sure whether Solberg will rejoin the rally on Sunday.
“We have to see the car first. I know it’s not electronic-related, nothing with the hybrid, but we triggered as well the red light due to the fire.
“But we have to see the car when it’s back.”
