WRC, Sportrik Media - Sebastien Ogier lost two minutes and three positions during Saturday’s opening stage of the Safari Rally Kenya 2026 after suffering a puncture early in the day.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver had started SS11 just one second behind teammate Oliver Solberg in the overall classification. However, a rear-left puncture forced him to stop on stage to change the tire, costing roughly two minutes and leaving him 2 minutes 08 seconds behind Solberg.
Ogier explained that the puncture occurred after hitting rocks on a fast section of the stage that he could not avoid.
“There were rocks in the line on the fast section and I couldn’t avoid it. Instant puncture,” Ogier said.
As a result of the delay, Ogier dropped to fifth overall. He now sits 5.7 seconds behind Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai Motorsport, who climbed two positions after also passing teammate Thierry Neuville.
At the front, Solberg extended his rally lead after claiming the stage victory on Soysambu. The Toyota driver set the fastest time, 3.1 seconds quicker than championship leader Elfyn Evans.
Despite spinning at high speed while in top gear during the stage, Solberg still managed to increase his advantage to 23.6 seconds over Evans in the overall standings.
“With that attack!? My God…” Solberg reacted after learning the stage gap.
Further changes occurred behind the leaders, as Sami Pajari moved up to third overall following Ogier’s puncture setback.
Baca Juga
Sebastien Ogier kehilangan dua menit akibat puncture pada Safari Rally Kenya 2026, membuat Oliver Solberg memperlebar keunggulan reli.
Oliver Solberg kehilangan keunggulan besar di Safari Rally Kenya 2026 setelah puncture di SS8, membuat duel dengan Sébastien Ogier dan Elfyn Evans semakin ketat.
Jon Armstrong tampil impresif di Safari Rally Kenya 2026 bersama M-Sport Ford meski mengalami kerusakan suspensi yang membuatnya kehilangan lebih dari 20 menit.
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