Oliver Solberg has moved into RallyX Nordic title contention after a clinching a stunning win in Arvika, Sweden.
In sweltering weather conditions, the OSRX driver produced scintillating charge in the all-important final to snatch the lead from rival Thomas Bryntesson at the start of lap two before pulling clear to win by almost four seconds.
In a boisterous and eventful last race of the day, Helmia Motorsport’s Lukas Walfridson bounced back from problems earlier in the day the secure his second podium of the season in second, with Philip Gehrman in the Eklund Motorsport VW Beetle finishing third after Bryntesson was slowed down to fourth place with a puncture.
Winners of their respective semi-finals, Bryntesson and Solberg got the jump over their rivals through the opening turns, knocking doors as they ascended over the jump before the JC Raceteknik driver pulled ahead.
However, Solberg would stay close behind Bryntesson coming up to the end of the opening lap and after getting a better line and drive out of the final bend, Solberg pulled alongside into the turn one right-hander to grab the lead. From here Solberg couldn’t be stopped, the Norwegian racer maintaining his momentum to cross the line with a margin of almost four seconds.
Walfridson’s run to second came after a challenging day that saw him playing catch up after failing to finish Q2. However, after squeezing into the final with a third place finish in semi-final two, he successfully avoided drama around him to ascend the order to second position.
He’d finish ahead of Gehrman, who also kept himself out of trouble to finish third, benefiting from an ailing Bryntesson as he slowed back to fourth.
The series leader had looked like the driver to beat coming into the final after winning all three qualifying races and prevailing in his semi-final too.
However, despite leading after lap one, Bryntesson couldn’t resist the challenge of a charging Solberg, before a puncture forced him into the chasing pack to drop him behind Walfridson and Gehrman.
To his credit, Bryntesson successfully wrestled the Ford Fiesta home and would be rewarded with fourth after Oliver Eriksson, who finished ahead of him, was thrown out of the final.
The Olsbergs MSE driver was judged to have played the decisive part in Peter Hedstrom’s retirement on lap one. The Hedstroms Motorsport man was shuffled down to fourth after losing out in the first turns before contact with Eriksson, saw him slide into the barrier and into retirement – FULL RESULTS HERE
Despite the difficult end to his day, Bryntesson leads the standings thanks in part to his maximum haul in the three qualifying races, with Solberg up to second position nine points behind his rival. Hedstrom and Walfrdson follow in third and fourth – FULL STANDINGS HERE
In Supercar Lites, Guillaume De Ridder picked up a second win of the season with a commanding performance in the final. The Belgian led from start-to-finish but would be pressured hard by Ben-Philip Gundersen all the way to the chequered flag in an exciting contest. Simon Olofsson completed the podium.
