Oliver Solberg’s fourth-place finish at Rally Chile has put his WRC2 title aspirations in peril, but Toksport team-mate Gus Greensmith has pledged his full support to help keep Solberg’s championship hopes alive.
Solberg currently leads the WRC2 standings with 123 points, holding a 12-point advantage over Yohan Rossel, who took a crucial win in Chile to revive his own title bid. While Rossel remains a threat, his only hope to topple Solberg lies in winning the upcoming Central European Rally (CER).
However, the biggest challenge to Solberg’s title is coming from Sami Pajari. If Pajari secures second place or higher at the season finale in Japan, he could overtake Solberg for the championship. A win for Pajari could seal the deal, especially if Rossel triumphs in CER.
Enter Gus Greensmith, Solberg’s teammate driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, who is ready to intervene. Greensmith has committed to blocking Pajari’s path to full points in Japan and aiding Solberg in his title quest.
“Yeah, for sure,” Greensmith said, confirming his intention to help Solberg. “I’ll do everything I can in Japan to help Oliver as much as I can. That will be the main focus in Japan for me.”
Earlier this season, Greensmith had been a contender himself, claiming a spectacular victory over Solberg at the Safari Rally Kenya despite battling illness. However, a series of misfortunes—starting with an off in Portugal from a leading position, a disappointing ninth in Poland, a crash in Finland, and an unfortunate run-in with a cow in Greece—ended his championship hopes.
Despite these setbacks, Greensmith bounced back in Chile, fighting for the lead and securing his first WRC2 podium since March with a third-place finish. His form makes him a key player in helping Solberg defend his championship lead.
Reflecting on the Rally Chile weekend, Greensmith said: “Yeah, it’s been a good weekend, very, very challenging with the fog and the conditions. But we started to turn things around in Greece before we had the cow incident, and here was definitely much better.”
With Solberg’s title on the line, all eyes will be on Greensmith in Japan as he aims to fend off Pajari and keep his teammate’s championship dream alive.
