Oliver Solberg will be one of the favorite drivers in the Rally Islas Canarias, which starts on friday. The young man will return, on this occasion, with the Volkswagen Polo R5, the car with which he achieved his best results in 2020. What are his options to lift the European Championship crown? We will tell you.
There are quite a few obstacles, even more so considering the cancellation of the Spa Rallye, which would be the last event of the year. The teams must have the four best results (of the five possible). Under that situation, the Russian Alexey Lukyanuk has many options to win the championship.
The Citroën C3 R5 driver needs to get 13 points on the board this weekend. A task that doesn`t seem complicated for a driver who always achieves good results. Still, anything can happen: punctures, small runway exits (even more so considering the arrival of the rain) …
Therefore, a seventh place would guarantee the Russian team their second European Championship. In the event that Lukyanuk doesn`t score, Solberg would need to score 28 points. Seeing the level of the riders at the Canarian event, it will be tough …. Alexey Lukyanuk and Grégoire Munster, their main rivals, already know this rally.
The competition will be very high, with absolute specialists on asphalt. The first who can interpose in the classification will be the drivers of the spanish Championship: Pepe López, José Antonio Suárez, Nil Solans and Iván Ares can sneak into the top positions.
In addition, Andreas Mikkelsen, winner in Hungary, and Craig Breen, with increasingly evolved MRF Tires, arrive eagerly. We cannot forget Yoann Bonato (French Champion and asphalt specialist, second in Fafe), Efrén Llarena, Adrien Fourmaux … Or even regional drivers, such as Enrique Cruz or Luis Monzón, with a lot of experience on these roads. All of them can be interposed in the general classification.
Title of ERC1 Junior
Of course, the absolute title would be insane. But the real goal of Solberg and Munster is to win the ERC1 Junior contest. Both are separated by a point (with the Dutchman in front), but Solberg has an advantage when discounting a result.
We will see what happens. The calculator will be necessary for each and every one of the classifications. Adrien Fourmaux or Efrén Llarena, within this contest, also arrive with enthusiasm and rhythm to obtain a very interesting loot.
