Ogier, Citroën take Rally Turkey 2019; Tänak finishes 16th in his Toyota Yaris but retains series lead

French driver Sebastian Ogier overtook Citroën teammate Esapekka Lappi on Sunday to finish first by 34.7 seconds at Rally Turkey 2019, narrowing the margin behind series leader Ott Tänak of Toyota to 17 points.

Lappi led through most of Sunday’s event until late in Saturday’s action, when Ogier took the lead after Lappi stalled his engine at a corner.

“We were quite far behind Ott, and it’s nice to come back a bit closer,” Ogier said. “We’re still quite some points behind him, but we’re still alive. With GB [Great Britain] next, a rally I like that suits me pretty well, I hope I can carry on and continue to put pressure on him.”

With 90 points still up for grabs as this year’s series wraps up in Wales, Spain, and Australia, plenty of room for contention remains for the 2019 World Rally Championship (WRC) series title.

For Tänak, who finished 16th at Rally Turkey 2019, electrical problems with his Toyota Yaris were costly. He retired his Yaris late Saturday but returned on Sunday, scooping up maximum bonus points in the Wolf Power stage.

In the manufacturer standings, Hyundai currently holds the lead at 314 points. Toyota trails in second place with 295.

Toyota Team Principal Tommi Mäkinen waxed circumspect after the setback in Turkey.

“Yesterday was difficult for us, and maybe we didn’t quite get our preparation right for this rally, because the conditions are so challenging,” he said. “For the remaining rallies we know that we have good speed and we feel confident that we can be strong from now until the end of the season.”

According to Tänak, the success in gaining bonus points in the comeback effort on Sunday will be motivational for the rest of the series.

“We had nothing to lose today and we gave it everything, and we’re happy that we were able to get these points from the Power Stage,” Tänak said. “I’m sure it gives an extra boost and motivation going forward. Of course, it is still disappointing what happened yesterday. We always want to fight back and fight back hard. I’m sure everyone in the team will keep pushing. There are now three rounds left so there is nothing else we can do, other than push to the maximum and do our best.”