WRC: Ogier given suspended penalty

Sebastien Ogier will have a suspended two-minute time penalty hanging over him for the next 13 World Rally Championship rounds after a speeding infringement on the Rally Sweden reconnaissance run.

The reigning WRC champion was caught speeding seven times during reconnaissance for this week's event and while the Frenchman has escaped a penalty for Sweden, it has been suspended for the rest of the season. That means that if Ogier is caught speeding on a recce again this year, the penalty will be applied on that rally.

It will only be triggered by an infringement on reconaissance rather than on road sections during rallies themselves.

Ogier was also hit with a 1232 euro [$1400] fine – 25 euros for every collective kilometer he was over the limit.

The stewards' decision stated: "The report showed that the driver Sebastien Ogier had exceeded the reconnaissance speed limit of 70km/h a total of five times, over and above those already dealt with by the clerk of the course decisions #12 and 13, totalling an additional excess of 49.3km/h."

Ogier had already been fined lesser amounts for the first two offenses.

The communication continued: "The stewards after due deliberation decide to apply a two-minute penalty, suspended for the period of one year, pending Sebastien Ogier being reported to the stewards for a further reconnaissance speeding infringement during that period."

Originally on Autosport.com