Ogier went off the road in the Central Europe Rally, the third-to-last event of the season, just over two weeks ago. However, on Sunday, Ogier collected maximum points and managed to stay in the title fight.
As a result of the retirement, the French star slipped 13 points behind his teammate Elfyn Evans, who leads the standings. This week, Toyota’s home event in Japan lies ahead, where Ogier must begin to close the gap to Evans.
“Rally Japan is always a special date in the calendar for us, and this year it should be even more interesting for everyone to follow given how close the drivers’ championship is with just two rounds to go,” Ogier says.
“The last rally didn’t go our way personally, but we know that we have the speed and we still have the possibility to fight,”
Ogier believes that Japan will see an intense battle for the top positions. The title fight also includes a third Toyota driver, Kalle Rovanperä, who is level on points with Ogier.
“We will be doing our best to achieve a top result in Japan for that and for all of the fans who are giving us such great support there.”
Rally Japan has always delivered plenty of surprises. The autumn weather and dirt on the roads make the event very challenging.
“The stages on this rally are very demanding as they are really narrow and technical without much room for error, and we’ve seen that the weather at this time of year can make things even more complicated,” Ogier sums up.
A total of 20 special stages will be driven in the Rally Japan, covering a distance of around 305 kilometres.
