2024 FIA World Rally Championship / Stage 01 / Rallye Monte Carlo / January 24-28, 2024 // Worldwide
The first stage of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship, Rallye Monte Carlo, witnessed the unexpected withdrawal of Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais. The renowned eight-time world rally champion and his co-driver made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Rally Orlen 80 in Poland due to a traffic accident that occurred during the course preparation. After the incident, both Ogier and Landais were immediately taken to the hospital for necessary examinations. Toyota, the team they represent, released a statement addressing the situation. According to the statement, the collision occurred while Ogier and Landais were preparing their notes for the Goldap special stage, which serves as SS10 and SS14 of the rally scheduled for this Saturday. It is worth noting that the duo was using a road car, as is customary during rally reconnaissance. Additionally, the statement mentioned that the driver of the other involved vehicle, a member of the public, was also taken to the hospital for medical evaluations.