Oliver Solberg was the early leader of Rally del Paraguay after a dramatic opening stage on which Takamoto Katsuta crashed out, Thierry Neuville limped through the stage with suspension damage and Sébastien Ogier lost time with a puncture.
Solberg’s Toyota GR Yaris was 3.1 seconds faster than the Hyundai i20 N of Adrien Fourmaux through the challenging 15.3-mile Cambryeta stage.
Solberg, running fourth on the road, did not appear happy with his time, noting it “felt horrendous”. Clearly conscious of aggravating the back injury he suffered in Finland, he added: “I was so scared over all those big jumps and bumps, and it’s the first time since Finland – a bit too scared.
“Very slippery – I lost the rear so many times and it was so snappy.”
Fourmaux, running two cars further back, reported that loose rocks were already being pulled onto the road but “I really tried to get through this one without losing much time”.
On his return to gravel in the WRC’s top-flight, Fourmaux’s Hyundai team-mate Hayden Paddon was third quickest, a further 1.7s back.
Sami Pajari, winner of the past two events, albeit in very different conditions in Estonia and Finland, was fourth fastest, 2.4s slower than Paddon. However, he appeared to drop time in the later sectors and was anxious to check his car on the road section for an unspecified problem.
From second on the road, Pajari was 2.9s quicker than team-mate and championship leader Elfyn Evans, with the pair separated by the M-Sport Ford Pumas of Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong.
Evans appeared to adopt a relatively cautious approach to what a stage that is already developing a fearsome reputation in the event’s short WRC history.
It would seem to be a sensible tactic, given the dramas that befell fellow Toyota drivers Katsuta and Ogier. Katsuta was less than two miles into the stage when his Toyota ran slightly wide through a fast right-hander. The GR Yaris dipped its left-hand wheels into a ditch and the car pitched into a roll. Katsuta was initially able to continue but pulled up after a short distance. With his head in his hands, the distraught driver had to be consoled by co-driver Aaron Johnston.
Ogier had been setting quick split times when he suffered a rear-left deflation. The world champion continued without changing the tyre, dropping 24.4s to Solberg.
Neuville fared worse from what initially appeared to be a similar puncture. The Hyundai also continued without stopping but appeared to have suffered rear suspension damage. Neuville lost nearly three minutes and will be pushed to effect a fix in the short road section between stages.
“We went slightly wide over a jump and it immediately ripped off the braking line,” reported Neuville.
