P1racenews AI automatic summary:
One year on from losing victory on the final stage of Rally Italia Sardegna to Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja, this year, the tables were turned when Ogier claimed his record fifth victory on the Italian island by 7.9 seconds. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver went into the final Wolf Power Stage with a comfortable […]
One year after losing victory on the final stage of Rally Italia Sardegna to Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja, Sebastien Ogier claimed his record fifth victory on the Italian island by 7.9 seconds.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver had a comfortable 17.2 second lead going into the final Wolf Power Stage, but a mishap in the final stage saw Ogier run wide and have to reverse after getting stuck in a rut at a sharp hairpin.
Despite the setback, Ogier’s performance was enough to secure the win, marking his back-to-back victories following Rally de Portugal and his third win of the season from just four starts, putting him firmly in the title fight.
The battle behind him raged on, with Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen finishing the final stage faster than Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe, securing fourth and fifth places respectively.
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who had a tough start on Friday sweeping the road clean, finished fourth overall, seeing their championship lead trimmed while Ogier climbed into second place, one point ahead of Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari rounded out the top five in the closely fought Rally Italia Sardegna.
