4 special stages of the Rallye Monte-Carlo 2022 can be considered … a test. Sébastien Loeb and Isabelle Galmiche are getting serious and have every intention of chasing the top spot in the overall standings of the first event that opened the 2022 WRC season.
The 9-time World Rally World Champion secured his second consecutive stage victory also prevailing in Special Stage 4, the Guillaumes / Péone / Valberg 1 of 13.49 kilometers, further reducing the already small gap from the race leader, Sébastien Ogier.
Now Loeb has a delay of just 2 “8 from his French rival Toyota when there are 4 special stages left at the end of the day, but remember that at the end of the PS5 there will be no mid-day Service. The drivers will only be able to change tires in view of the afternoon tour.
Loeb, in this special, had to deal with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1. This is the first ring of Korean cars after a very difficult start. Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville took the second and third test places respectively 8 and 9 tenths behind. A trifle. This result gives Hyundai Motorsport more hope, even though it was Neuville – third in testing with more difficult asphalt conditions than Tanak and Loeb – that the Estonian underlined difficulties with the set-up and with the use of the hybrid system.
In all this Neuville came very close to the two Ford Pumas that precede him in the overall standings, those of Gus Greensmith and former teammate Craig Breen. Now the Belgian is one step away from fourth position in the overall standings.
Sébastien Ogier, after opening the test, decided not to take too many risks after having risked crashing violently in today’s first test. The reigning world champion nevertheless signed the fifth time of special, which still keeps him in the lead, albeit with a narrow margin.
The two most anticipated talents this season are still in trouble, namely Kalle Rovanpera and Oliver Solberg. The Toyota driver continues not to be too comfortable with the set-up of his GR Yaris Rally1 and does not understand well how to use the hybrid propulsion, while the Hyundai Swede is annoyed by puffs of smoke that continue to enter the passenger compartment of his i20 N Rally1 during the special stages, but also slowed down by a gearbox problem.
WRC – Rallye Monte-Carlo 2022 – Ranking after PS4
Pos. | Pilot / navigator | Car | Time / posting |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ogier / Veillas | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 43’41 “3 |
2 | Loeb / Galmiche | Ford Puma Rally1 | +2 “8 |
3 | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +11 “1 |
4 | Greensmith / Andersson | Ford Puma Rally1 | +35 “0 |
5 | Breen / Nagle | Ford Puma Rally1 | +35 “7 |
6 | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +38 “3 |
7 | Tanak / Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +45 “5 |
8 | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | + 1’14 “2 |
9 | Solberg / Edmondson | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | + 1’25 “6 |
10 | Rovanpera / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | + 1’26 “2 |
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