Sebastien Ogier hoping to bounce back in Rally Italia Sardegna this weekend
Alghero, 05 June 2018: Reigning champion Sebastien Ogier is looking to put the disappointment at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal behind him as he looks to claim a fourth victory at this weekend’s Rally Italia Sardegna.
The M-Sport Ford driver was forced to retire on the opening day in Portugal after a pace note error caused him to hit a tree stump and break the suspension on his Fiesta, sending him sliding into the trees on the following corner.
His first no-score of the season meant he forfeited his lead in the championship to rally winner Thierry Neuville. Ogier now trails the Hyundai i20 driver by 19 points in the drivers’ standings thanks to the Belgian also claiming four bonus points on the Live TV Power Stage.
“Portugal was a shame as we had the speed to challenge for the win,” Ogier explained. “It was a small mistake with big consequences, but we put it behind us and are now fully focused on giving it everything we’ve got in Sardinia.”
The one silver-lining for the Frenchman is that he won’t be tasked with opening the road on Friday, but he conceded starting second won’t be much of an advantage.
“We won’t be opening the road this year, but we’ll still have something of an uphill battle with many fast drivers benefitting from a cleaner road behind,” Ogier said. “Even so, I’m confident that we can challenge for a good result. If we can keep the lead in sight on Friday night, then we’ll be in with a good chance – and will push for the best possible result.”
The five-time World champion has good form on the Mediterranean island rally, with three previous wins – most recently with VW in 2015 – from seven World Rally Car starts.
Ogier added: “I’ve learned to really enjoy these demanding stages, it’s a beautiful island but not the easiest of rallies with some very rough and abrasive terrain. You need to keep a margin and stay focused from start to finish – which is exactly what we intend to do.”
Sardinia’s beautiful beaches and luscious landscapes attract visitors in their droves, but the island is also prime rally territory – its rugged mountains, ancient forests and unspoilt rural terrain providing some of the year’s most demanding stages.
Lined with car-breaking obstacles, these stages leave no room for error. Fast and narrow, they demand precision driving and note calling from the drivers and co-drivers who must maintain their focus in temperatures as high as 30C.
More than a third of this year’s route is new – countless sections within each of the demanding speed tests offering a different challenge to last year’s encounter.
But the service park remains a familiar affair, hosted by the coastal town of Alghero. The town hosts the ceremonial start as well as the podium ceremony, and its idyllic cafes and mouth-watering selection of Italian gelateria are a must for teams and spectators alike.
Rally Italia Sardegna offers 20 Special Stages totalling more than 313 Kms on rugged and sun-baked gravel roads. Not only the tough gravel roads, but as well the temperatures are a challenge for the crews. While it has 28 Centigrade outside, the temperatures inside the rally cars can easily raise up to 68 degrees.
After the Super Special Stage on Thursday at the rally cross circuit of Ittiri, Friday features four stages in the north of the island, each run twice. Saturday is again the longest day of the rally with seven special stages covering over 146 kilometres. Sunday will bring the final decision with four stages close to the coast north of the host town of Alghero. The event first took place in 1928 as the “Rally of Flowers” and has been a round of the WRC since 1973.
