Ogier, already a two-time winner this season, clocked the fastest time on his second run. Toyota drivers were on form in general, with teammates Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta sharing second place on the timesheets.
Pajari and Katsuta were just 0.7 seconds adrift of Ogier’s benchmark. The shakedown stage near the city of Olbia didn’t fully reflect the conditions or characteristics of the rally’s main stages, but Pajari’s performance was nevertheless impressive.
The gaps were minimal on the short gravel stage, with the top six drivers separated by only 0.9 seconds. Following Pajari and Katsuta, Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, and M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean shared fourth place.
M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster, Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, and Toyota’s WRC points leader Elfyn Evans all finished over two seconds behind the top time.
Among the Rally2 competitors, the fastest was Oliver Solberg, though he is not scoring points in the WRC2 category at this Mediterranean gravel rally. Italian driver Roberto Daprà, French ace Yohan Rossel, and Finland’s Lauri Joona followed Solberg in the shakedown standings.
Rally Sardinia gets fully underway on Friday with six special stages on the schedule.
Rally Sardinia shakedown results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 1:43.1 |
| 2. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +0.7 |
| 2. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +0.7 |
| 4. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +0.9 |
| 4. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +0.9 |
| 4. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +0.9 |
| 7. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +2.0 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2.0 |
| 9. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2.1 |
| 10. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2.6 |
| 11. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +3.4 |
Rally Sardinia itinerary: (CET):
Thursday, 5 June
14:01 – Shakedown: Olbia Cabu Abbas (2.19 km)
Friday, 6 June
09:01 – SS1: Arzachena 1 (13.97 km)
10:16 – SS2: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 1 (18.43 km)
11:31 – SS3: Sa Conchedda 1 (27.95 km)
14:05 – Service break (40 min)
15:31 – SS4: Arzachena 2 (13.97 km)
16:46 – SS5: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 2 (18.43 km)
18:01 – SS6: Sa Conchedda 2 (27.95 km)
Saturday, 7 June
09:05 – SS7: Coiluna - Loelle 1 (21.18 km)
10:16 – SS8: Lerno - Su Filigosu 1 (24.34 km)
11:31 – SS9: Tula - Erula 1 (15.28 km)
13:20 – Service break (40 min)
15:05 – SS10: Coiluna - Loelle 2 (21.18 km)
16:16 – SS11: Lerno - Su Filigosu 2 (24.34 km)
17:31 – SS12: Tula - Erula 2 (15.28 km)
Sunday, 8 June
07:25 – SS13: San Giacomo - Plebi 1 (25.19 km)
08:35 – SS14: Porto San Paolo 1 (13.70 km)
10:50 – SS15: San Giacomo - Plebi 2 (25.19 km)
12:30 – Service break (15 min)
13:15 – SS16: Porto San Paolo 2 (13.70 km) Power Stage
