Latest news with #Ogier
France 24
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- France 24
Tanak leads after tough day at the Acropolis Rally
With the sun beating down, the Estonian, world champion in 2019, reached the end of the second day with a slim three second lead over his Hyundai teammate Adrien Fourmaux. Eight-time former champion Sebastien Ogier was placed third at almost 17 seconds. Ogier's Toyota teammate and championship leader Elfyn Evans was in fourth, almost one-and-a-half minutes adrift of Tanak. "It was a typical day in the Acropolis Rally, very difficult," said Welshman Evans. "Seb (Ogier) put in incredible times, but we weren't able to match that," Evans added. World champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was one of the drivers who struggled, ending the day over two minutes off the lead. The Belgian lost a chunk of time due to a brace of punctures. In the overall standings, Evans holds a 19 point lead over Ogier, who is only competing part-time this season.
Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Irish crew endure tough seventh round of World Rally Championship
It didn't take long for the Irish crew of Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy to experience the brutal nature of the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece where two deflations cost them time and places before they eventually finished the day in twelfth place in this seventh round of the World Rally Championship. Overnight, Estonian Ott Tanak (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) leads his teammate French ace Adrien Fourmaux by just three seconds with another French driver Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 13.9s further behind in third. Thursday night's super special stage in Athens was delayed for an hour and 23 minutes due to 'severe traffic congestion' on the road from Lamia to Athens where the transporters carrying the competing cars were caught up in the delay. Tanak and Ogier set equal time on the 0.9-mile test where McErlean was tenth - 3.2s behind as the Kilrea driver remarked: "It will be tough on the mountains and really hot. I'll try my best." Unfortunately, he didn't have to wait too long to find out when they were forced to stop and change a punctured wheel after hitting a rock - losing some two and half minutes and dropping to fortieth position on the day's opening stage. They arrived at the remote service (after SS4) in 17th place. Out front, Ogier, who finished SS4 with a partial wheel deflation, held a 6.1s lead over Ott Tanak, whose Hyundai team mate Adrien Fourmaux was third. Neuville, who led after SS3, lost some 40s with a front left wheel puncture with little rubber on the rim at the stage finish. McErlean's Ford Puma also sustained a puncture on SS4. "It's brutal but we'll keep fighting." To his credit, the Kilrea man had his best stage result on SS5 (seventh) but his passage through the day's penultimate stage wasn't without problems. "We lost the read out (gear selection display) on the dashboard, I didn't know what gear I was in." Neuville punctured again (on SS5) and had to stop and change the wheel before he ended the day with a stage win to slot into eighth - over two and half minutes off top spot. A consistent Tanak moved in front on SS6 but team mate Fourmaux, who found a great rhythm on the closing stages, narrowed the deficit to just 3s and reckoned, were it not for the dust on the morning's first stage, he should be leading. On his prospects, third placed Ogier declared: "I have nothing to lose." Championship leader Elfyn Evans, who was sweeping the roads, was fourth overnight. Heading to the day's final stage the Irish crew of Eamonn Kelly/Conor Mohan (Ford Fiesta rally3) were third overall in the Junior category. There are six stages today (Saturday) and four on Sunday. EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (Round 7, World Rally Championship) Lamia: 1. O. Tanak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1m. 25m. 07.4s 2. A. Fourmaux/A. Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally)+3.0s 3. S. Ogier/V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+16/9s 4. E. Evans/M. Scott (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 21.5s 5. G. Munster/L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)+1m. 43.0s 6. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+2m. 34.3s 7. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+2m. 38.1s 8. T. Neuville/M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+2m. 38.3s 9. O. Solberg/E. Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+2m. 48.4s 10. K. Kajetanowicz/M. Szczepaniak (Toyota GR Yaris Rally)+3m. 41.8s 11. G. Greensmith/J. Andersson (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+3m. 44.8s 12. J. McErlean/E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1)+4m. 14.5s.
Arab Times
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Arab Times
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing ascends the podium once again at Rally de Portugal
LISBON, June 9: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) is celebrating its sixth successive Rally de Portugal victory since 2019 and an unbroken streak of five wins in the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season. Sébastien Ogier, alongside co-driver Vincent Landais, conquered 24 punishing gravel stages across northern and central Portugal in the No. 17 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 to take first place. This victory also marks Ogier's record-breaking seventh win in the country. Teammates Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen added to the team's dominance with a strong third-place finish in the No. 69 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1. TGR-WRT now holds the top three positions in the drivers' championship, while Toyota has extended its lead in the manufacturers' standings to 55 points. Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, commented: 'Congratulations to Seb and Vincent for winning Rally Portugal for the second year in a row! It was a rally where we were all impressed once again by Seb's adaptability. This was Seb's first gravel rally in a long while, and his first event with the Hankook gravel tyres. Moreover, he had only one day of testing in the rain before the rally.' Toyoda added: 'I'm also very grateful to all the engineers and mechanics who immediately responded to Seb's feedback. His feedback gave new insights to everyone, and the whole team became even stronger. Six more gravel rounds are coming, including Rally Finland, which is an important home event for us. We hope to make use of what we learned here in Portugal and drive our new silver-coloured GR YARIS Rally1 through the summer gravel rallies that await us from here on!' Rally de Portugal was the first of three consecutive hot and rugged gravel events in southern Europe that put vehicles, tires, and drivers to the test. The first full day of the rally was one of the longest of the season so far, featuring 10 stages interrupted only by two brief remote service halts. Ogier and co-driver Landais ended the day in second place, just seven seconds off the lead. Ogier engaged in a close battle the following day with the leader and took control after his rival was slowed by an issue during the rough afternoon stages. Ogier then carefully managed his advantage through a relatively long final day to ultimately seal victory by 8.7 seconds. Rovanperä and Halttunen completed a double podium for the team with a third-place finish. They also claimed second place in the Super Sunday classification and third in the Power Stage, earning valuable additional points toward the championship. Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota's participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota's belief that 'the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,' TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota's commitment to making 'ever-better' cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone. Round 6 of the 2025 FIA WRC calendar takes the championship to Rally Italia Sardegna (June 5-8). Known for its fast yet narrow gravel stages lined with exposed rocks and roadside trees, the rally presents constant challenges for drivers. High temperatures and the event's abrasive surfaces place significant stress on both vehicles and tyres.
TimesLIVE
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Ogier edges Tanak to win in Sardinia, Evans stays top
Sebastien Ogier clinched a record fifth Rally Italy victory on Sunday, fending off Hyundai's Ott Tanak by 7.9 seconds after a tense final stage in Sardinia, while Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans stayed top of the championship standings. Ogier, with co-driver Vincent Landais, completed the sixth round of the season in three hours 34 minutes and 24.5 seconds to secure the Frenchman's third win in four starts in a part-time campaign. The eight-times world champion was beaten by Tanak on the island last year by 0.2 seconds after a final-stage puncture, but this time Ogier stayed composed and took the win despite a late wobble. Ogier had built a 17.1-second cushion heading into the Wolf Power Stage, but the 41-year-old overshot a tight, rutted corner in the final kilometres. This forced him to stop and reverse after his car refused to turn, cutting his advantage by more than half in a tense finale. "In the ruts I couldn't turn the car," Ogier explained. "There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it. I preferred to stop and reverse. But yeah, not ideal. It was enough to win." The victory follows hot on the heels of his Rally Portugal triumph and sent Ogier ro second in the championship with 114 points to Evans' 133. Toyota, who have won every rally so far this year, also tightened their grip on the manufacturers' race with 312 points to Hyundai's 243. "There are many places I've won several times," said Ogier. "It's a type of rally I like, where precise driving is needed, but also smoothness for tyre management. Thanks to the team, great turnaround after Portugal in terms of speed and set-up, so good job." Tanak pushed hard in the final stage but fell short, while Kalle Rovanpera, clawing his way up from fifth during Saturday's stages, completed a double podium for Toyota in third, 50.5 seconds behind Ogier. The Finn dropped to third overall, one point behind Ogier, with Tanak fourth on 108. Evans and Takamoto Katsuta rounded out a strong showing for Toyota, taking fourth and fifth respectively. Hyundai's reigning champion Thierry Neuville, fifth in the championship on 83 points, took four points from the Power Stage and one from the "Super Sunday" format after returning after Friday's retirement. The next round is in Greece from June 26 to 29.
Observer
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
France's Ogier claims Rally of Sardinia
OLBIAa, Italy: Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier picked up his third win of the season with victory in the Rally of Sardinia on Sunday. The Toyota driver, who is not competing in the full 14 rounds of the WRC, began the day 17 seconds ahead of Ott Tanak (Hyundai), enabling him to control the rally from the front until a late error almost cost him the win. On the final stage, Ogier failed to turn into a tight corner carved with deep ruts and was forced to stop and reverse before restarting. "In the ruts, I just couldn't turn the car," said Ogier. "There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it. I preferred to stop and reverse. Not ideal. Still, it was enough to win." Ogier's fifth win in Sardinia and his 64th career victory lifts him to second in the title race, 19 points behind leader Elfyn Evans, who could only finish fourth in his Toyota. France's Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver France's Vincent Landais steer their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid. — AFP "We have to be satisfied with this weekend," said a positive Evans who lost time with a wheel change on Saturday. "We didn't have any major problems and we're in the championship battle with these guys (who finished ahead of him). They were very fast." The Estonian Tanak closed the gap to Ogier to 8sec but had to settle for second ahead of another Toyota driver, Finland's Kalle Rovanpera who came in 50sec off the lead and drops to third in the title race, a point behind Ogier. It was Toyota's sixth victory in six rallies this season and meant the same podium for the second rally running following Portugal in mid-May. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) rounded out the top five while reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) went off the road on Friday's fifth stage and finished outside the points in 19th position. The next round of the WRC is the Acropolis Rally which takes place in Greece at the end of June. — AFP
