WRC
Sébastien Ogier has nothing left to hope for from the rest of the Rally of Japan
For Ogier, the last two stages of the Rally Japan will be long... © DPPI / N. Natikis
Bad day for Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) on the first stage of Rally of Japan 2022. The eight-time world rally champion (WRC), who had started the event with a better time in the brief opening special the day before, took a tumble in the first selective sector, the fault of a puncture.
This remains inexplicable for the Frenchman. "I really don't know what happened. analyzed Sébastien Ogier. I saw nothing, felt nothing… We had a flat tire and immediately looked for a place to change the wheel. We had trouble putting the jack on and time flew by.
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This damage slowed him down by almost three minutes, especially since he had to let the Ford pass. Craig Breen (who would abandon a few stages later). “With so much delay, our rally is necessarily less exciting. This will give us the opportunity to work well with Vincent (Landais his new co-pilot. Editor’s note) while remaining present for the team. »
Three #GRYaris in a top five covered by a pinch over 20s after day two in Japan ⏱️#ToyotaGAZOORacing #GRYaris #WRC #RallyJapan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/HMZEdVmIAr
- TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) November 11, 2022
In the afternoon, a small error of judgment caused him another alert. “A little before the end of the last special, we had to leave the main road to take a narrow road. I braked a little late, then I thought that it was still going to pass, and it is this hesitation that constitutes a mistake on my part. When I took the turn I hit the outer barrier, but it only caused cosmetic damage (on the right side door. Editor’s note). »
Rejected to 10th place 2'49"8 behind the leader, his teammate Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier will find the time long between now and the finish of this competition. “Realistically we are involved in no fights for the race. (To have) two and a half minutes behind the lead is too much to catch up by driving normally and without incident. I will move up the rankings only if my opponents encounter problems. But that’s never what we want. »
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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