Sebastien Ogier hospitalised at Rally Finland as Elfyn Evans holds third
Sebastien Ogier has been taken to hospital after crashing out of the lead at Rally Finland, while Elfyn Evans holds third place despite rolling his Toyota during a dramatic Saturday.
Nine-time world champion Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia careered into trees on stage 17 after running wide on a fast right-hand corner.
Toyota confirmed that both men exited their stricken vehicle unassisted before being transported for precautionary medical checks.
The Japanese manufacturer stated the French pairing remained conscious and were generally unharmed following the high-speed impact.
Pajari takes charge as Evans survives major scare
Sami Pajari, fresh off a maiden victory in Estonia, inherited the overall lead and heads into Sunday’s final two stages on home soil.
The young Finn currently commands a 46.4-second advantage over Toyota stablemate Oliver Solberg.
Meanwhile, championship contender Evans produced a miraculous recovery drive to secure third place ahead of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux.
The Welshman and co-driver Scott Martin were incredibly fortunate to escape stage 14 after their GR Yaris rolled three times into a ditch.
Spectators physically assisted the duo back onto the track, restricting their time loss to just two minutes before mechanics executed extensive service park repairs.
I just have to say a huge thanks to the guys for lunchtime, it was a huge effort after my mistake this morning.
And, even more importantly, we’re obviously hoping for the best for Seb and Julien. Obviously they had a big one, so our thoughts are with them and hope that they are recovering well.
Mixed fortunes for Irish contingent
Motorsport Ireland representative Josh McErlean sits comfortably in seventh place, trailing current championship leader Thierry Neuville.
McErlean’s M-Sport team-mate Martins Sesks became another casualty of the treacherous Finnish gravel when he crashed out on stage 14.
Northern Irish driver Jon Armstrong remains in action following his own Friday accident, though he currently runs well outside the points-paying positions.
Rally Finland standings (Top Seven)
- 1. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen (Toyota) 2:00.38.0
- 2. Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmundson (Toyota) +46.6s
- 3. Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Toyota) +1:36.3s
- 4. Adrien Fourmaux / Alex Coria (Hyundai) +1:40.1s
- 5. Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston (Toyota) +2:54.5s
- 6. Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai) +3:52.9s
- 7. Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy (M-Sport Ford) +3:54.4s