Oliver Solberg secured consecutive victories at the Bauhaus Rally of Scandinavia, dominating the 17 stages by winning 12 of them. This impressive performance occurred during the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship, where he fended off the defending ERC Champion Hayden Paddon. Paddon finished the first day 3.3 seconds behind the 22-year-old Swedish driver.
On Saturday, Solberg aimed to win every stage, widening the gap between him and Paddon to 21.4 seconds with one stage remaining. Paddon faced difficulties with his Hyundai’s handling during the morning loop and suffered wheel damage in the final stage. As a result, Mikko Heikkila seized second place on the last stage, pushing Paddon to the third position on the podium.
Unfortunately, Mathieu Franceschi, the current leader of the ERC Championship, rolled his Skoda out of fourth place in the final stage.
Final Classification:
1. O Solberg / E Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS 1hr 32min 40.8sec
2. M Heikkilä / K Temonen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +38s
3. H Paddon / J Kennard Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +51s
4. F Larsen / L Lundgren Volkswagen Polo GTI +1min 28.7s
5. M Østberg / P Barth Citroën C3 Rally2 +1min 33.8s
6. M Sesks / R Francis Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +1min 41.7s