Upon arriving at the service park, Ogier discovered that the front left tyre had burst, but since the warning sensor did not work, he failed to notice it in time. The car refused to turn as intended and crashed into a Bavarian deciduous tree.
Juha Kankkunen, who serves as Toyota’s WRC team boss in Central Europe, confirmed Ogier’s account.
“I saw right away from the video that something was broken, because it didn’t turn properly at all. Then he had to steer the wheel an awful lot. We examined the issue and found that the tyre was deflating, but the warning system didn’t work at all. We didn’t get any information, and neither did they in the car,” Kankkunen told RallyJournal.com.
“This has never happened before, but there’s always a first time. I can’t say what caused it. Ogier said he had a slick tyre on one side and a wet tyre on the other, so the car was already pulling from side to side. He didn’t have any idea the tyre was punctured. Then it was too late.”
According to Kankkunen, the multiple world champion had already reset his mindset by the time he reached the service area to meet the team. The car had not suffered such major damage that Sunday’s running would be in danger, even though the impact had been significant.
“He wasn’t particularly angry. He just said that this is what rallying is sometimes like. He said he should have realised it earlier and eased off. Tomorrow he’ll be able to drive — the car is fine. Fortunately, he hit in just the right spot so that the chassis wasn’t damaged,” Kankkunen summarised.
For Sunday, the rally legend from Laukaa predicted quite a battle for points, with ten still up for grabs. Nobody can afford to retire. Kalle Rovanperä holds a commanding lead ahead of Hyundai’s Ott Tänak and team-mate Elfyn Evans.
“Tomorrow, when Seb gets to drive on a clean road and is still a bit frustrated, we could see some very fast times. Tomorrow will definitely be a tough day. Seb will surely want to attack after losing points today. If he succeeds, all our boys will be within just a few points of each other,” Kankkunen laughed.
Kankkunen gave Rovanperä full marks. Once the situation was settled, Rovanperä knew how to adjust his pace appropriately.
“It’s not fun, but Kalle knows how to drive in front. There’s no need to push unnecessarily, but knowing Kalle, he’ll probably go all out tomorrow. He wants those ten points just like everyone else,” Kankkunen said.
The current result would already be enough to secure Toyota’s fifth consecutive manufacturers’ title with ease.
“It would be very close now. Of course, you can never say anything for certain until all the stages are run, but it’s looking good. Especially considering that Tänak isn’t driving for points,” Kankkunen concluded.
