A few hours ago Sébastien Ogier announced his main 2022 program in motorsport. He will race with the Richard Mille Racing team in the LMP2 category of the WEC alongside Charles Milesi and Lilou Wadoux at the wheel of the number 1 Oreca-Gibson.
This means that the 8-time world champion will take part in all the events of the WEC 2022 starting with the prologue of Sebring scheduled for 12-13 March, and then closing with the 8 Hours of Bahrain to be held in Sakhir on 11 November. .
For Ogier it will be the first season in the WEC and the intention is to gain experience – but also results – and then aim to become an official Toyota driver in the Hypercar class in the 2023 season.
Meanwhile, returning to 2022, this afternoon’s announcement becomes very important because it opens a new scenario on Ogier’s program, which, as we know, will intersect between World Endurance with Richard Mille and WRC with Toyota Racing.
The good news, for Ogier, is that the WEC and WRC calendar will only cross over on 2 rounds. We are talking about the last two of the World Endurance Championship, the Fuji and Sakhir races, in Bahrain, with the Acropolis rallies and the Rally of Japan, the home race of Toyota which, probably, would have liked to have Séb at the wheel of a GR Yaris Rally1 in front of its people. For this Ogier will be forced to skip the two rallies mentioned.
Date | WEC events | WRC concurrences |
---|---|---|
12/13 March | Prologue – Sebring | / |
March 18 | 1000 Miles of Sebring | / |
07 May | 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps | / |
June 8-12 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | / |
10th of July | 6 Hours of Monza | / |
Sept. 11 | 6 Hours of Fuji | Acropolis Rally |
11 November | 8 Hours of Bahrain | Rally of Japan |
But Ogier will miss many more rallies than he is forced to do by the crossings of the two calendars. After the Rallye Monte-Carlo, in which he regularly raced as a Toyota starter driver, Ogier stated that he wanted to do the Rally of Portugal at all costs, a race special for him, which he has always loved, in which he often provided outstanding performances. high level. The two calendars will allow him to be there.
But there is more, because Ogier also expressed the desire to race again in Kenya, at the Rally Safari, an event that in 2021 he won on the very last day, taking advantage of the sudden retirement (broken shock absorber) of Thierry Neuville and reassembling his teammate. of Takamoto Katsuta team in extremis.
These two releases seem almost certain in Ogier’s 2022 program. But, remember, Ogier left the WRC to try to be less busy and have more time to devote to his family. With the 7 WEC appointments and the two aforementioned WRC events, his season would reach 9 events. In addition there is the already disputed Rallye Monte-Carlo, which brings the sum to 10. In fact, almost an entire WRC season …
Sébastien Ogier, Benjamin Veillas, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
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