Partial programme has not dimmed Sebastien Ogier's desire to win
For the second consecutive season, the Frenchman is starting hand-picked rounds of the competition, with this week’s Croatia Rally next up for him and team-mate Vincent Landais.
On those events they do not start in the third points-scoring GR Yaris Rally1, Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston will deputise as part of their continued development with the Japanese manufacturer.
To date, Ogier leads the standings by three points from Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville courtesy of victories on his home event – Rallye Monte-Carlo – and last month’s Rally Mexico.
In his current form, the expectation is the 38-year-old will extend his winning steak at Croatia Rally – a meeting he last conquered in 2021 when Julien Ingrassia was his co-driver.
Running as the first car on the road should help his cause, especially if the weather becomes unsettled and the mountain roads around the host city of Zagreb turn dirty because of corner cutting.
“Even if the mindset is different without the [full] championship, I still have the same aim to perform at my best and score some wins and good points for the team,” explained Ogier.
“Croatia is a difficult one, but recently I have been pretty strong on Tarmac. It was kind of natural for the team and me to decide to go back to Croatia.”
Earlier this week, Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala spoke of his hopes of a third straight win for the marque; 12 months ago, Kalle Rovanpera finished top of the pile thanks to a near-perfect drive on his way to becoming the youngest ever World Champion.
This weekend’s Croatia Rally – the fourth round of the World Rally Championship – will be overshadowed by the sudden death of Irishman Craig Breen. The 33-year-old lost his life in a pre-event testing accident in the Baltic State last Thursday, with the exact cause still unclear.
As a mark of respect, both Hyundai cars will sport a one-off livery based around the Irish tricolour and quotes from Breen that quickly made him a household favourites with followers of the sport.
And like Hyundai – which has withdrawn Breen’s car from the closed-road event – both Toyota Gazoo Racing and M-Sport Ford are only nominating two cars to score points with these both sporting black stickers in his honour.
