Rallying-Solberg leads after opening leg of Rally Portugal

On ‌a day with only three stages, before seven on Friday and nine on Saturday, the Swede won the second ‌and stayed ahead in the sixth round of ‌the season after Fourmaux had been fastest on the first. Toyota's reigning champion Sebastien Ogier, a seven-times winner in Portugal, was ⁠in third ​place, with ⁠Hyundai's Thierry Neuville fourth and 7.4 seconds off the lead ⁠after a half-spin.

Toyota's Oliver Solberg led ​Rally Portugal after ​ending the short ‌opening leg ​with a 3.4 second advantage over Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux on Thursday. On ‌a day with only three stages, before seven on Friday and nine on Saturday, the Swede won the second ‌and stayed ahead in the sixth round of ‌the season after Fourmaux had been fastest on the first.

Toyota's reigning champion Sebastien Ogier, a seven-times winner in Portugal, was ⁠in third ​place, with ⁠Hyundai's Thierry Neuville fourth and 7.4 seconds off the lead ⁠after a half-spin. Toyota's championship leader Elfyn Evans was fifth and ​teammate Sami Pajari sixth.

“I just tried to be ⁠clean and take it easy," said Solberg. "It has been an OK ⁠start. ​It’s a long way to go and every day is going to be different.” Ogier and Evans ⁠shared the third stage with the exact same time.

Toyota's ⁠early season ⁠championship leader Takamoto Katsuta was in eighth place. The rally, headquartered near Porto, runs until ‌Sunday.