Rallying-Eight-times world champion Ogier injured in crash in Poland

WARSAW : Eight-times rally world champion Sebastien Ogier was involved in a road accident in Poland on Tuesday as he prepared for a race, his team said, in an accident that left four people injured.

The Frenchman was driving with his co-driver along a road that will be used in Rally Poland, which starts on Thursday, when they hit a car travelling in the opposite direction head on, local media reported.

"Seb and Vincent have been involved in a road accident during reconnaissance for Rally Poland and have been taken for medical checks," the Toyota Gazoo Racing team said in a post on social media platform X.

Tomasz Markowski, a police spokesman from the northern Polish city of Olsztyn, confirmed the accident had taken place.

"Around 9.30 a.m. on a gravel road ... where a rally is scheduled to start soon, there was a collision of two passenger cars," he said.

"In one of these cars there was a team of rally drivers, a driver and a co-driver, and in the other car there were two people not associated with the rally - a 69-year-old driver and a 67-year-old."

Markowski said the drivers of the two cars were transported to hospital by helicopter, while the two passengers were taken by ambulance. He did not know details of the victims' injuries but said they were conscious when paramedics arrived at the scene.

Police officers are working to determine the cause of the accident.