Sebastian Ogier quickly regained his form as he posted the fastest time in the shakedown stage of the Croatia Rally. The eight-time WRC champion made a triumphant return to action after a long break since the Rallye Monte-Carlo in January. Ogier wasted no time in getting up to speed on the dry roads near Zagreb, the capital city. He initially placed third in the 3.65km Okić test but improved significantly on his second run to claim the top spot on the leaderboard. His teammate Elfyn Evans followed closely behind, while Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak set identical times to secure third and fourth place respectively. Ogier’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team has a strong track record in the Croatia Rally, having won the event in 2021 and every edition since its inception.
“It feels great to be back,” Ogier expressed. “Being away for two and a half months is a significant period, but the pre-event test last week was beneficial, and I am enjoying my time here.” Adrien Fourmaux of M-Sport Ford had a strong start to the rally and is aiming for his third consecutive WRC podium. He finished just 2.5 seconds behind the leading pace in fifth place. Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen followed closely behind, with Takamoto Katsuta and Grégoire Munster securing the seventh and eighth positions respectively. The Citroën WRC2 teammates Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel had a close battle, with only three-tenths of a second separating them. They both finished in the top 10 with their identical C3 Rally2 cars.