Inventive Ogier takes victory on Safari

Sébastien Ogier resorted to bin liners and balclavas to plug the void left by his missing tailgate, as the Frenchman took another sensational victory on the Safari Rally in his latest part-campaign appearance in the World Rally Championship.

The eight-time WRC king clinched his third victory in five rallies and his second Safari crown as he defeated Toyota Gazoo team-mate Kalle Rovanperä by just 6.7 seconds – the Kenyan classic’s closest finish.

Ogier lost the tailgate of his GR Yaris Rally1 on the second stage of the final day, when he ran wide on the event’s infamous fesh fesh sand and clipped a tree. Remarkably, he and co-driver Vincent Landais still won the stage and came up with their Heath Robinson solution to limit the amount of dust billowing into their cockpit. A power cut for all four Toyotas as a result of the dust, and a stone cracking Ogier’s windscreen on the final Power Stage, added to a dramatic final day, before the 39-year-old danced a jig in victory to lead a second consecutive Safari 1-2-3-4 for Toyota. “Unbelievable! Look at that, even on the Power Stage I got a stone on the windscreen!” said Ogier. “We had a lot of issues to face but it could have been a more comfortable rally for us in terms of pace. A lot of misfortune but we brought it home.”

Ogier has three wins to Rovanperä’s one in 2023, but his refusal to bid for a record-equalling ninth title has left the reigning champion, 22, comfortable at the top of the standings. Rovanperä is 41 points ahead of Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans after seven of the WRC’s 13 rounds. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, winner in Sardinia, had been his closest challenger, but the Belgian was disqualified from eighth for a recce rules breach.

As for Ogier, he’s still third in the points despite missing two rallies. If only he’d commit to a full attack from here.

News in Brief

Hitech trains its focus on F1 bid

British junior single-seater mainstay Hitech has pitched its hat into the ring for a place in Formula 1 from 2026, as the delayed deadline for new entries approaches.

The Silverstone-based squad boasts new investment from Kazakh businessman Vladimir Kim, who has taken a 25% stake. Hitech says it “has all the right people, experience and resources to compete alongside the best teams in the world.”

Hitech joins a host of other bids which include Michael Andretti’s Cadillac proposition and Formula Equal, fronted by ex-BAR team chief Craig Pollock.

Electric series to race in Tokyo

Tokyo will host a round of Formula E in 2024. The race on March 30 will mark the first FIA-sanctioned world championship motor sport event to be held in the Japanese capital.

“The Tokyo metropolitan government is accelerating actions in all realms to realise Zero Emission Tokyo, [for] an environmentally advanced city that does not emit carbon dioxide,” said city governor Yuriko Koike. “Formula E is held in major cities around the world as a road race for electric vehicles which do not emit exhaust gas or engine noise.”

The street circuit will be laid out around the Tokyo Big Sight convention centre in the bay waterfront area.

Italian style heads for the Cotswolds

A Coffee and Classics event will draw Italian automotive exotica next month at Classic Motor Hub’s base at RAF Bilbury.

The Cotswolds event, on August 6, will focus on the best classic, vintage and exotic vehicles from the home of the supercar. Expect to see Countachs and F40s, but also rarities and intriguing examples of masterful Italian design, while enjoying a slice of cake or a scoop of gelato – all to an Italian Job soundtrack…

Tickets are priced at £10 per vehicle and can be purchased from The Classic Motor Hub website.