Ogier praises Rovanperä: “He is too far ahead of everyone! »

The era Sébastien Ogier is definitely finished. The Frenchman left his crown to the new king of WRC, Kalle Rovanperä. A worthy successor dubbed by the eight-time world champion, who finished second in the Rally from New Zealand just behind the new champion.

Hats off to @KalleRovanpera, @JonneHalttunen and the whole @TGR_WRC team! They have done a great job all year and this title is more than deserved 👏🏻 It was great to be here, to live this moment with them and to pass the crown to Kalle 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8go98yeW29

- Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) October 2, 2022

On the podium, after offering him a “shoey”, the Gapençais presented a golden helmet to the Finn. An image that looks like a transfer of power. “He doesn’t need advice. He's too far ahead of everyone! At 22 years old, I had not yet sat in a rally car in my life, declared Sébastien Ogier after the New Zealand event. Les choses sont un peu différentes. Évidemment, il doit garder son sang-froid. Tant qu’il continue à le faire, qu’il garde les pieds sur terre et qu’il ne pense pas que c’est devenu trop facile, son avenir est très prometteur. Il lui faudra bien sûr une bonne équipe autour de lui parce que nous gagnons et nous perdons ensemble et Toyota a été une grande partie de son succès aussi. »

Second podium for Ogier this season

For Sébastien Ogier, the New Zealand Rally was a great success: a 2nd place for a second podium this season. The Frenchman even led the rally on Friday, before ceding command to Kalle Rovanperä. The Ogier – Veillas duo had not been back on the podium since the Monte-Carlo Rally. “I really appreciated, confided the multiple French world champion. It was the right choice to take this race in the calendar because these roads are magical to drive. Even though the weather has been tough, it's still fun in the car. The team did a great job, as always, and I am happy that we are getting closer to the celebrations for the constructors' title, which is our next goal. It was a very good weekend and I can be happy with my rally. »

Although he did not win the Rally of New Zealand by 34 seconds, Sébastien Ogier played the team's game as a priority. “Of course, I'm always chasing victory and I can't be happy with a second place, but it's a good performance from my side. The weather made things difficult for everyone. When you come back to rallies like this you expect to have a bit of an advantage with your road position, but that wasn't really the case this weekend. » From now on, the Gapençais will meet for the last two rallies of the season, in Spain and Japan, where he will no longer have any constraints to compete for first place. “Now I am looking forward to the next asphalt rally which will be very different and a very strong competition to fight for victory. »

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