Sébastien Ogier Achieves Surprising Victory in Croatia Rally

Sébastien Ogier secured a victory at the Croatia Rally on a day filled with emotions. On a crucial day, the French driver moved up from third to first place in the overall standings, surprising everyone as Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans faced setbacks.

After three days of intense competition on the asphalt roads around Zagreb, the capital, the battle for victory seemed to be between Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20, and Evans, with a Toyota GR Yaris. However, everything changed in the second stage on the last day.
An error in the pace note led Neuville into a tricky situation on a left turn, while Evans made a similar mistake on a right turn in the same stage. These setbacks gave Ogier, who had been in third place from the start, a 9.1-second advantage with two stages remaining.

Unlike his rivals, Ogier kept his composure and secured his top position, keeping his teammate Evans at bay. This victory marks his second in the Croatia Rally and his 100th podium in the WRC.

"It has been a tough weekend," admitted Ogier. "We knew our starting position would be a problem, but we never gave up and kept up the pressure all weekend. I think I've never had so many tense moments in a single rally, but it is rewarding to secure the victory for the team."

The Toyota 1-2 result extended the Japanese brand's lead in the manufacturers' championship to seven points over Hyundai. Although Neuville managed to bring his damaged car to the finish, he ended up in third place, 36.1 seconds behind Evans.

Ott Tänak had a tense moment in SS18 when his Hyundai mounted a grass bank, but the Estonian quickly recovered to secure fourth place. Takamoto Katsuta took the maximum seven points available for being the fastest driver on Super Sunday, climbing to fifth place with his Toyota after Fourmaux's issues.

The WRC will return to gravel roads next month for the Vodafone Rally Portugal. The fifth round of the season will be held in Matosinhos from May 9 to May 12.