WRC / Monte-Carlo Rally, PS 1-2: Ogier folds Loeb over Turini | FormulaPassion.it

The 90th edition of the Monte Carlo Rally officially opened in the name of the exciting direct challenge between Sebastien Ogier and compatriot Sebastien Loeb, with the two French who have thus started the hunt for their eighth personal success in the Principality. The transalpine of the Toyota, able to prevail in both heats keeping at a distance the Ford Puma of his greatest rival Loeb, who finished 2nd in both races.

In fact, once the opening ceremony of theit was hybrid of the WRC, in the first absolute stage of 15.2 km – the one between Luceram and Lantosque – Ogier first concluded with the best time in 10:34, trailing the Alsatian at the wheel of his Yaris by 5.4 seconds. However, Loeb has in turn outdone the other Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, in an inaugural stage characterized by the general disappointment of Hyundai. Not for nothing, the Korean house is not included in the top 6 in the standings, with the latter not going beyond the 7th time of the Belgian Neuville, delayed by almost 16 seconds from the top occupied by the reigning champion.

A result that the drivers of the Hyundai line-up were not able to redeem even on the occasion of the PS2, starting with the Estonian Ott Tänak. The latter, in the stage that marked the great return of the Col de Turini, in fact, he paid a delay slightly less than 19 seconds, which can even be translated into 41.1 seconds in the general classification. As happened in PS1, Loeb finished in second place still ahead of Evans, with the first three places exactly in photocopy. The big difference, however, lies in the gap between the first two, of just 1.3 seconds. In this way, the Ford driver will concentrate on the tests scheduled for Friday with just under 7 seconds from Ogier, who started off on the right foot for the conquest of the Monegasque Rally, as well as the first winner of the ‘hybrid’ stage in the history of the WRC.

Monte Carlo Rally | Ranking after PS2 – Top-10