Sebastien Ogier has flied back home after road incident ahead of Rally Poland, as Toby Sowery handed IndyCar debut by DCR.
WRC –
Toyota: We are pleased to confirm that Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen will step in for their team-mates Seb and Vincent and participate in Rally Poland: rising to the challenge and showing the great spirit in our team.
Sebastien Ogier: As you may know, Vincent and I had a road traffic collision yesterday during recce at Rally Poland. I had to spend the night in hospital, but I’m already feeling much better. I’m glad that medical checks showed no serious injuries as well for Vincent and the occupants of the other car. We’re not able to take part in this rally, which is a shame, but the most important is that everyone involved is safe. Thank you everyone for all the messages I have received. I’m now on my way back home to take some rest and make sure to be back in full strength soon. Good luck to Kalle Rovanpera, Jonne Halttunen and the whole Toyota team, I’ll be cheering for you.
IndyCar –
INDY NXT by Firestone veteran Toby Sowery will take over driving duties of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR entry for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid on July 5-7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Sowery will make his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at the Ohio track after getting his first taste of the series during a test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing last year at Sebring International Raceway.
British driver Sowery is racing in the LMP2 class of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, where he finished second at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and also raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring in his debut LMP2 season. In addition to competing in the Fanatec GT World Series, he has also raced and won in LMP2 in the Asian Le Mans Series this year.
“Racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is an exciting challenge for anyone, and I’m extremely fortunate to be given this opportunity by Dale (Coyne),” Sowery said. “This race adds to an already incredible season for me filled with two amazing programs in IMSA and Fanatec GT World Challenge.
“Dale Coyne has been fundamental to INDYCAR in giving drivers opportunities to prove themselves, and I am eager for this challenge. It’ll be a difficult step to make having only one day in the car over a year ago, as well as adapting to the hybrid system, but I’m up for it.”
Sowery competed in INDY NXT by Firestone in 2019 and finished third in the championship after seven podium finishes, including a win at Portland International Raceway. He returned to the series for a partial season in 2021, finishing on the podium three times. After being crowned champion of the inaugural Radical World Finals in 2022, Sowery returned to INDY NXT in 2023 to compete in two rounds, scoring a podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park.
“I’ve been following Toby’s career for quite some time now,” Team Owner Dale Coyne said. “He’s shown that he can quickly adapt to whatever car he is driving and has a successful track record to prove it. We realize coming into the weekend at Mid-Ohio with no prior testing of the car in its hybrid form might be a steep learning curve, but we’re confident he will get up to speed quickly, and we look forward to seeing what he can do.”
Earlier in his racing career, Sowery won the MSV Formula 3 cup Championship (2014) and the MRF Series Championship (2014/15). He is a two-time BRDC McLaren Autosport Finalist (2015, 2016). Sowery competed in the BRDC British Formula 3 series in 2016, where he finished third in the championship, and returned to the series in 2017 to finish fourth in points. He was also runner-up in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series in 2017. Sowery has four starts at Mid-Ohio in INDY NXT by Firestone, with four top-10 finishes, including a best finish of second.
Here’s info on incident involving Sebastien Ogier
[Note: The story is as per press release]
