Sébastien Ogier has never been a rider capable of giving up very early and even today he is demonstrating his greatness. The 8-time world champion won the 18.79 kilometer SS12 Esparron / Oze 2, the first test of the Saturday afternoon lap at the Monte-Carlo Rally, becoming Thierry Neuville's first rival by right.
When everything suggested another scratch from the Belgian from Hyundai Motorsport, Ogier pulled the rabbit out of the hat this time and beat him by 5″5, taking himself just 2″2 from the top of the general ranking of the event.
Ogier, in an attempt to gain an advantage over Neuville, chose to take part in the afternoon lap with just one spare wheel. This means having less weight on the car and a significant performance advantage at least in the first of the 3 stages.
The Gap champion took advantage of the situation very well, climbing to second place in the general classification after overtaking teammate Elfyn Evans. It remains to be seen whether having one fresh tire less than Neuville will pay off for the whole afternoon or whether, instead, this gamble will take its toll in the subsequent tests.
After having problems with the hybrid during the morning, Elfyn Evans was able to regularly use the additional boost of the electric motor made and supplied by Compact Dynamics, but the performance did not arrive.
The Welshman closed the test with the sixth fastest time, even 16.9 seconds behind Ogier, winner of the test. It is clear that something is not working properly on the GR Yaris Rally1 number 33, which has now slipped to third place in the general classification after starting the day as a leader.
Of note is the first retirement for drivers behind the wheel of Rally1 cars, that of Gregoire Munster. The Dutchman, while he was in the mixed part of the special, in a stretch without spectators due to the cliff on the right side of the road, misjudged the grip offered by a left-handed curve. His Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid started to slide, ending up hitting the wooden railing.
Munster's Puma stopped, but was stuck. The crew had no choice but to withdraw due to the lack of help from the public, which would certainly have allowed the two Dutchmen to continue the race. Thanks to this retirement, Andreas Mikkelsen recovers a position in the general classification and rises to sixth place.
As for WRC2, yet another change at the top with Pepe Lopez who showed off a good performance, beating former leader Nikolay Gryazin by 10″8. The Spaniard now has just over 4 seconds ahead of the Russian of Citroen Racing , while Yohan Rossel continues to occupy third position in the class.
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