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Ogier sees positives in Rally Italy Sardegna despite losing the win to Tanak due to a tyre issue in the final stage.
Eight-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winner Sebastien Ogier reflected on the positives from last week's Rally Italy Sardegna, despite a heartbreaking loss to rival Ott Tanak in the final stage.
Ogier, who started the Wolf Power Stage with a 6.2-second lead, saw his advantage slip away due to a tyre losing pressure towards the end of the test, resulting in a narrow defeat by just two-tenths of a second.
Although he missed the chance to secure a third consecutive WRC win and the opportunity to become the most successful driver in Sardinia’s WRC history, Ogier remained optimistic.
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21:00 - 21.04.2024
Ogier capitalises on rivals' misfortune for dramatic win at Croatia Rally
The eight-time former world champion clinched a surprise win at Croatia Rally capitalizing on key errors by competitors to secure his 100th podium.
The Toyota star led the Alghero-based rally for 12 of 16 stages and won more stages than any of his rivals showcasing his consistent performance throughout the event.
“I think I can still be happy with the weekend I’ve done. Sometimes motorsport just doesn’t go your way. We will come back and try to keep up this level of performance we’ve had," Ogier said in an interview with WRC.
Ogier is set to return to his GR Yaris Rally1 for the WRC’s next event, Rally Poland, later this month.
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22:00 - 22.11.2023
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Reflecting on the final-stage drama in Italy, Ogier acknowledged the challenging conditions and his team's efforts.
“We knew it could be tough with some stages that are very rough and maybe not the most suited to us. Still, I think we were doing a good enough job to secure the win, but unfortunately we started to lose tyre pressure three kilometres from the end [of SS16],” he explained.
The conditions during the Wolf Power Stage were particularly extreme, even worse than previous encounters, making it difficult for Ogier to maintain his lead.
Despite the setback, he emphasized that the outcome did not significantly impact the overall points for the team.
“The conditions were very extreme in this [Wolf] Power Stage, even worse than we have seen there before, and I don’t think there was much that I could have done differently. It’s something that’s never easy to take, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really change anything in terms of the overall points for the team,” Ogier added.
Ogier's resilience and positive outlook underscore his experience and determination as he prepares for the upcoming Rally Poland, aiming to continue his strong performance and challenge for the championship title.
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05:28 - 29.06.2023
MOTORSPORTS Is the WRC Safari Rally the motorsport event that has everything?
The WRC Safari rally organisers are already counting the days until next year’s big African adventure.
Follow us on X (Twitter) for more updates.
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