Latest news with #ToyotaGRYarisRally1
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Ogier and Landais claim Rally Italia Sardegna as McErlean adn Treacy finish 34th
No stranger to achieving and breaking records, French driver Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) clinched another with his fifth Rally Italia Sardegna victory but not before he survived an overshoot on the final stage to finish 7.9s ahead of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 of Estonian Ott Tanak, whose team mate Kalle Rovanpera took the final spot on the podium. Following their second stage drama on Friday, the Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) returned to the event under "Super Rally" where it was all about gaining more seat time and making preparation for the forthcoming and next round Acropolis Rally. Finishing 34th, McErlean said, "A lot of good learning, and hopefully someday we can use this (running first on the road) for the first day. A big thanks to the whole team, because even before this last service, it was a big job inside seven minutes to fit a front left damper. Hopefully some good learning for Greece and it definitely means you have to have a good Friday at WRC. It's been a busy one for the team." Sebastien Ogier (left) and Vincent Landais (Toyota Gazoo Racing) celebrate their victory in Rally Italia Sardegna Olbia, Italy. It was a record breaking fifth win ifor Ogier.. Picture: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool. Ogier began Saturday's six stages with a 2.1s lead over Fourmaux and duly extended that margin to 7.4s on the morning's first stage where Fourmaux was unhappy with his performance. A stage later, there was more disappointment when his Fourmaux's Hyundai punctured some 5km into the stage before he had to stop and change the wheel at the 16km mark losing around four minutes and dropping to seventh. More drama followed on SS9 when he lost two more places following an off road excursion. His team mate Ott Tanak fared better and with the fastest time on SS8 closed the gap to leader Ogier to 4.5s - the latter had his stage time revised after he was slowed by the dust from Fourmaux. A stage later Tanak lost time with a slow puncture to drop 15s behind Ogier. The rally leader remained calm and consistent through the repeat loop but Tanak with two stage wins cut the deficit to 11.1s. With Fourmaux and Sami Pajari (puncture) faltering, their Toyota GR Yaris team mate Kalle Rovanpera gained a few places to move into third. Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) was another driver forced to stop and change a punctured wheel (on SS11) and ended the penultimate leg in fifth. With their M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 re-fettled, McErlean/Treacy had the task of sweeping the loose gravel from the stages. After the morning's second stage, McErlean said, "I have new appreciation for world champions, who win championships by doing that (being first on the road). On Sunday's the final leg (six stage) and having extended his lead to 17.1s on the penultimate stage, Ogier seemed to have everything under control. However, he had an overshoot on the closing few kilometres of the Wolf Power Stage when his Toyota didn't turn into a tight rutted right hander and ended up in the bushes. Twelve months ago a final stage puncture robbed him of victory, but this time and reversing his way out of trouble, he took the spoils and a record fifth win. With his team mate and championship leader Elfyn Evans finishing fourth, Ogier is now into second - 19 points behind and one ahead of Kalle Rovanpera, who won the Power Stage and also took an additional five points for the faster driver on Sunday, Rovanpera is only twenty points off Evans in a Toyota lock-out of the top three championship positions in the Drivers' championship. Meanwhile, Killarney's Colin O'Donoghue (Ford Escort) won the Laois Heartland's Rally as he finished the day's six (2x3) stages 4.6s ahead of the Toyota Starlet of Monaghan's David Moffett with similar car of Richard Moffett, 13.6s further behind in third. Monaghan's Johnno Doogan (Ford Escort) led Richard Moffett by 6.7s after the first pair of stages but retired on the road section to SS3 with a broken half-shaft. O'Donoghue, who experienced transmission woes on SS2 moved into the lead on SS3 only for Richard Moffett to move 0.8s ahead after SS4. O'Donoghue was best on the final loop to secure victory. Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 6, World Rally Championship) Olbia:1. S. Ogier/V.( Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h. 34m. 24.5s; 2. O. Tanak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+7.9s; 3. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+50.5s. 4. E. Evans/S. Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+5m. 05.7s; 5. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+7m. 29.6s; 6. O. Solberg/E. Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+8m. 32.9s; 7. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+10m. 29.0s; 8. N. Gryazin/K. Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+10m. 58.7s; 9. R. Dapra/L. Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+12m. 15.3s; 10. K. Kajetanowicz/M. Szczepaniak (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+12m. 21.1s. World Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings (After Round 6): 1. E. Evans 133pts; 2. S. Ogier 114pts; 3. K. Rovanpera 113pts; 4. O. Tanak 108pts; 5. T. Neuville 83pts; T. Katsuta 63pts; 7. A. Fourmaux 44pts; 8. S. Pajari 31pts; 9. G. Munster 18pts; 10. J. McErlean 12pts. World Rally Manufacturers' Championship Standings (After Round 6):1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 312pts; 2, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 243pts; 3. M-Sport Ford WRT 87pts; 4. 4Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 48pts. Laois Heartland's Rally, Stradbally: C. O'Donoghue/K. O'Donoghue (Ford Escort) 40m. 31.7s; 2. D. Moffett/M. Connolly (Toyota Starlet)+4.6s; 3. R. Moffett/D. Kelly (Toyota Starlet)+18.2s; 4. M. Carbin/D. O'Sullivan (Ford Escort)+59.8s; 5. F. Kelly/L. Kelly (Ford Escort)+1m. 18.3s; 6. E. O'Callaghan/J. Dalton (Ford Escort)+1m. 23.3s.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sebastien Ogier stays aloof from WRC title fight despite flurry of wins
Sebastien Ogier has reiterated that he has no plans to contest a full World Rally Championship season, after climbing to second in the standings following an 'almost perfect' run to victory in Sardinia. The eight-time world champion's 7.9s win over Hyundai's Ott Tanak added further gloss to a blistering start to a part-time campaign for Toyota, which stands at three wins and a second-place finish from four starts. Despite sitting out Sweden and Kenya, the 41-year-old is now only 19 points behind championship leader and team-mate Elfyn Evans. Advertisement Read Also: Sebastien Ogier takes record-breaking WRC Sardinia victory Last season Ogier started the year with the plan to contest a half-season but that turned into 10 events after Toyota asked the Frenchman to assist with its championship bid. Ogier ended 2024 finishing fourth in the championship, having scored three wins. Following Ogier's latest success, Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala suggested that he may receive a request from Ogier to do more rallies given his elevated championship position. 'From a team perspective we don't need to push him, but I expect there might be some questions raised by him to do more events," Latvala told Advertisement While Ogier is already entered to participate in the next round of the championship in Greece later this month, he confirmed that he had no plans to add more events to his schedule and would take a break after Greece. 'Last year he [Latvala] was the one asking me for more rallies,' Ogier told 'At the moment I just want to enjoy this one and celebrate and be there in Greece, but for sure after Greece there is a break. 'No full season is planned.' Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Toyota Racing Reflecting on a Sardinia success that moved Ogier one clear of Sebastien Loeb as the rally's most successful driver with five wins, the Toyota driver admitted he was proud of the victory in incredibly tough conditions. Advertisement The win was made even more impressive by starting third on the road and the fact Toyota had opted not to test prior to the event, unlike their rivals. The only blemish arrived on the final Power Stage when Ogier suffered a half-spin that required him to reverse, costing him almost 10 seconds. 'It has been a very strong weekend and we can be very proud of that,' added Ogier. 'Coming out as the winner in battle with Ott [Tanak] is always enjoyable because he is the guy that pushes the maximum all of the time, so when you manage to be faster it is always a great performance. 'Especially after Portugal it is nice that we have been able to make some changes [to the car] which gave us some more speed again. What can I say, I'm very happy. Advertisement 'I may have given Jari-Matti and my whole team a fright [on the Power Stage]. That is the way it is sometimes. 'I got caught by oversteering in a very tight corner and I had the feeling it was going to be difficult to make the next [corner], so we had this little stop against the small bushes and reverse. 'It cost us some points for the team, so I'm sorry for that, but apart from that it was as close to a perfect weekend for us." To read more articles visit our website.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
McErlean and Treacy hoping to return to event Saturday after dramatic stage two at Rally Italia Sardegna
A dramatic and incident filled second stage of Rally Italia Sardegna, round six of the World Rally Championship, claimed the Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy along with their M-Sport Ford team mates Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka and Martins Sesks/Renars Francis leaving Jourdan Serderidis as the sole Ford competitor, but the Greek driver reported a broken suspension damper at the stage end. Meanwhile, French driver Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) leads overnight 2.1s ahead of compatriot Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 Rally1) with his Hyundai team mate Ott Tanak 5.2s further behind in third. It had begun well for Kilrea's McErlean and Killeagh's Treacy, who followed up their strong performance in the shakedown to post the sixth fastest time on SS1 - 5.4s behind rally leader Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1). "It was okay. I don't think I took much out of the road, it cleaned a lot, I saw Ogier's time before the stage and do that third on the road is incredible. Still a lot more to go." Unfortunately, the "more" only lasted about 8.5km into the Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda 18.43 km stage when McErlean's Puma clipped a tree. "Small mistakes have big consequences, after a positive start we ran wide and damaged the rear suspension and couldn't continue." Aware of his team mates, he added, "Not a great stage for M-Sport. We knew it would be tough, but this is brutal." The Irish duo are hoping to return to the event today (Saturday) under Super Rally where they will have the extra challenge of sweeping the road. Meanwhile, Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux topped the time sheets after the opening loop of three stages 2.9s ahead of his team mate and reigning WR champion Thierry Neuville with Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) seeking a record breaking fifth win on the event, 5.2s further behind in third. Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) was down in eighth place and 41.2s off the lead, principally due to the fact that he was running first on the road. On the repeat loop, Neuville regained the lead on SS4 only to retire on the next stage following an impact that damaged the suspension. Fourmaux was back in front once more followed by team mate Tanak - 1.2s behind with Ogier third before setting the best time on SS6 to lead overnight. There are six stages today and four on Sunday. Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 6, World Rally Championship) Olbia: 1. S. Ogier/V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h. 10m. 33.1s; 2. A. Fourmaux/A. Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+2.1s; 3. O. Tanak Ott/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+7.3s; 4. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+16.8s; 5. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+22.8s; 6. E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 09.8s; 7. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+2m. 27.9s.
Observer
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
French Veteran Ogier wins Rally of Portugal
MATOSINHOS, Portugal: Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier chalked up the 63rd victory of his WRC career in the Rally of Portugal on Sunday, the fifth of 14 rounds of the world championship. The 41-year-old French Toyota driver finished 8.7 seconds ahead of Hyundai's Ott Tanak (Hyundai) with Ogier's Finnish teammate Kalle Rovanpera completing the podium a further 3.50sec behind. "I think it's something I can be proud of, the way I have managed to stay competitive after all these years," said Ogier who claimed a record seventh victory in Portugal. "Thanks to the team — it was great to drive this weekend. "Ott was just flying (like) crazy, but maybe a bit too much. I don't know. On our side, race management is definitely a craft we have, so I'm happy. Seven times here in Portugal, not too bad. France's Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver Vincent Landais of France compete in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 during the SS21 stage of the World Rally Championship (WRC) Rally of Portugal in Fafe, on May 18, 2025. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP) Ogier's win means Toyota have a one hundred percent record in the first five rallies this season with Ogier, Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans all winning. Filling out the top five were reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and Japan's Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) while championship leader Evans could only finish sixth. Ogier spent a long time trailing in the rally behind Tanak before hitting the front late on Saturday when the Estonian suffered a mechanical problem. He went into Sunday's race with a 27-second advantage and was able to take control to claim his third podium in three races this season. He won the season-opener in Monte Carlo at the end of January and took second in the Canaries at the end of April. Evans still tops the standings with 118 but Rovenpera's third place means he is now just 20 points adrift of the Welshman, Ogier a further two points back in third. The next rally is in Sardinia in June. — AFP
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
McErlean and Treacy finish eighth in Portugal
Motorsport With the best performance of their maiden WRC Rally1 season, Kilrea's Josh McErlean and Killeagh's Eoin Treacy brought their M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 home in eighth place in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the fifth round of the World Rally Championship. Gradually building their pace over the 23 stages and watched by some half a million spectators over three days, the Irish duo were the top-performing M-Sport Ford crew. The rally was won by French driver Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) for a record seventh time as the Toyota team notched a sixth successive victory in Portugal. Estonian Ott Tanak was controlling proceedings until his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 lost time on Saturday's penultimate stage that dropped him to third. He recovered to finish second, 8.7s behind Ogier and 3.5s ahead of Finland's Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1). Tanak struggled on Saturday's opening three stages, suffering a puncture on SS13 some six kilometres from the stage end. Nevertheless, he managed to retain the lead - 11.8s ahead of Ogier with Rovanpera a further 24s behind in third. Tanak remained in control and increased his lead over Ogier to 13.9s but it went awry on the day's penultimate test (Amarante2) when his Hyundai developed a power steering issue midway through the 22.1km test. He dropped some 45s and slipped to third. Eight-time world champion Ogier inherited top spot and ended the penultimate leg with a 27.6s lead over his Toyota Gazoo Racing team mate Kalle Rovanpera with the unfortunate Tanak 8.5s further behind in third. 'It's not the way you want to win any fight,' said Ogier. 'We were both pushing really hard - that's the game." Tanak said, 'It's part of the game, I guess. Very unfortunate, but we gave everything from our side.' Rovanpera eclipsed teammate Takamoto Katsuta on SS14, the latter then dropping behind Hyundai's Thierry Neuville, who slotted into fourth on the penultimate stage. Having lost time on Friday as he opened the roads, championship leader Elfyn Evans struggled to find any rhythm even though he had a better road position, he was seventh - 17.5s behind team mate Sami Pajari. McErlean/Treacy moved up to eighth, edging past M-Sport Ford team mate Gregoire Munster on the opening stage with the margin increasing to 28.5s at the end of the leg. "I think you have to do a mind shift to not care, but obviously you want to protect the car and try to get the experience, so it's kind of the balance between saving it and going at it." said McErlean. Tanak won all but the first of Sunday's six stages, in the process reeling in Rovanpera for second as he claimed ten extra championship points, five each from Super Sunday and the Power Stage. Sixth placed Evans still leads the series - 30 points from Rovanpera. At the finish McErlean added, "Crazy rally as always, so nice to come to the finish and have some good times as well. Big thanks to the whole team, because four cars (M-Sport) without any problems is some achievement." Oliver Solberg (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) won the WRC2 category, his seventh such victory in the category. Donegal's Eamonn Kelly and Monaghan's Conor Mohan (Ford Fiesta Rally3) were as high as second in the Junior WRC category until a double puncture cost them time, they eventually finished seventh. Meanwhile, the Irish pairing of Killarney's Alan Ring and Newcestown's Adrian Deasy took the Munster Joinery liveried BMW M3 to a sixth place finish in Rallye d'Antibes Historic Rally, a counting round of the European Historic Rally Championship. They made a fine start to the nine stage rally and occupied second overall after the opening stage 10.23km stage. Weather conditions posed a tough challenge as they varied considerably from the service park to the stages that were some 50km away. They finished Friday's leg in eighth spot and made up two places on Saturday's stages. The legendary Jari-Matti Latvala took a lead of a minute a minute and 6.5s into the final stage where his Toyota Celica ST185 suffered an electrical glitch that forced his retirement with French driver Tom Pieri (BMW M3 E30) best placed to take advantage.
