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Ogier to Drive Toyota GR010 Hybrid at Rookie Test

Rally superstar Sebastien Ogier to drive Toyota’s Hypercar-class machine in Bahrain test day…

Photo: Toyota

Seven-time World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier will drive the Toyota GR010 Hybrid for the first time in next month’s FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test.

The French star recently visited Toyota’s WEC headquarters in Cologne for a seat fitting and simulator session to get a first taste of the LMH vehicle around Bahrain International Circuit where the test is taking place.

Ogier will hit the track on Nov. 7, one day after the season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain.

He previously drove the LMP1-class Toyota TS050 Hybrid in a simulator session and has expressed interest in competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future.

Ogier, who currently leads the WRC points, is already confirmed to continue at the top level of rallying with Toyota next year.

“I’m happy to be driving the GR010 Hybrid Hypercar on track for the first time in the official WEC rookie test in Bahrain,” he said.

“The simulator session went well; it was nice to work with the team and discover the GR010 Hybrid for the first time.

“I could already feel that the Hypercar is very different to the TS050 Hybrid which I drove on the simulator last year.

“As everyone knows, it’s a dream of mine to compete in endurance racing in the future and the test in Bahrain is important to learn more about the car and about my own level.

“It’s a big challenge for me and I’m working hard to be ready for Bahrain, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Ogier joins Charles Milesi in Toyota’s lineup for the Bahrain rookie test. Milesi was selected for the test by the WEC for his recent performances with Team WRT in LMP2.

“Sebastien Ogier is a well-known name in the world of motorsport and it will be an honor to host him in Bahrain as he makes his endurance debut,” said WEC CEO Frederic Lequien.

“Our rookie tests are the perfect opportunity for drivers from a wide variety of disciplines to test our WEC machinery and it will be interesting to see how he adapts his rally skills to that of the Toyota Hypercar.”

Daniel Lloyd is a UK-based reporter for Sportscar365, covering the FIA World Endurance Championship, Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, among other series.

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