World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Ogier has crashed out of the Central European Rally in what could be a pivotal moment in the title race.
The eight-time world champion had just lost the lead of the 18-stage asphalt event by 0.7s to Toyota title rival Kalle Rovanpera in Saturday’s first test, before drama struck in stage 10 [Keply, 21.95k].
Pushing hard in wet conditions, Ogier ran wide onto the leaves and went off the road at high speed, resulting in an impact with a tree that sent his Toyota GR Yaris across the road and into a ditch. The damage incurred was too severe to continue, marking the Frenchman’s first retirement of the season having finished the eight previous rounds he had contested on the podium. Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais were unharmed in the incident.
It is the second year in a row that Ogier has crashed while fighting for the lead at the Central European Rally. A clearly frustrated Ogier shouted “it is not possible” when the car eventually came to rest.
Ogier’s exit will have an impact on the championship fight, with the Frenchman holding a slender two-point lead over team-mate Elfyn Evans at the start of the event.
Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Rovanpera, 21 points behind Ogier in the title race, has now inherited a healthy 38.4s lead over Evans after winning stage 10 by 6.4s over the Welshman.
Rovanpera had already moved to the top of the overall standings, snatching the lead away from Ogier in the previous stage held in dry conditions across the Czech border in Germany.
Dirt being dragged onto the road by the earlier runners didn’t halt Rovanpera’s progress as the Finn blitzed the 14.30km stage nine, held in Germany. Rovanpera was 0.8s faster than Hyundai’s Tanak while Ogier dropped 1.3s to hand Rovanpera the overall lead by 0.7s.
“I didn’t feel so good, some corners were a bit more dirty than we thought. It is only 1.3s, still very close,” said Ogier.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak, an outside shot at the world title, had been applying pressure on Evans in their fight, closing the gap to one second after stage nine. Tanak inherited third overall after Ogier’s mistake but dropped 3.3s behind Evans.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta held fifth ahead of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, who struggled in the wet conditions. Toyota’s Sami Pajari, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and M-Sport-Ford’s Josh McErlean rounded out the top eight.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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