Ogier not giving up on top 10 in Australia

Sebastien Ogier says he is not giving up claiming a top 10 finish on Rally Australia after he returned to the world championship qualifier under SupeRally regulations this morning.

Ogier was leading the New South Wales round by 9.1s after five stages but dropped out when he damaged the front of his Citroen DS3 WRC spinning into a tree on stage six. He could have drawn level with team-mate Sebastien Loeb in the title fight had he remained in front after Loeb crashed out on stage four.

Following Saturday’s opening loop of four tests, Ogier is 15th overall, less than 10 minutes behind Oleksandr Saliuk, who occupies the final point-scoring position in his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer.

“Maybe it is possible to come back to the top 10,” said Ogier, who won the last WRC round in Germany in mid-August. “To do this I have to drive at a good rhythm but I am not pushing at 100 per cent. There is no reason to do that.”

Ogier thanked his Citroen mechanics for the extensive repairs they carried out on his damaged car during the night. “The car is working very well and I have to thank a lot all the team for that. They did a very good job yesterday, spending three hours on my car and another three hours on the car of my team-mate. It’s important now to get points for the team and also to learn the stages if we come back here in the future.”

Loeb’s recovery under SupeRally has brought him back to 19th overall, albeit almost 30 minutes behind leader Jari-Matti Latvala.

“The motivation is not the same but we continue,” said Loeb. “The steering wheel is a bit on the wrong side but it’s nothing compared to [the damage] yesterday.”

Citroen is currently in line to score eight manufacturers’ championship points. Rival Ford is on course for 43 points with drivers Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen occupying first and second positions in their Fiesta RS WRCs.