Sébastien Ogier sends Sébastien Loeb back to his rear view mirror. Last year, a puncture prevented Ogier from fighting for victory on the Rallye Monte-Carlo. Loeb took the opportunity to equalize with eight wins everywhere in the Monegasque race. But this Sunday, the eight-time world champion, one title less than Loeb, regained power by winning a ninth success on the Rock. The 39-year-old Frenchman beat reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä, also driving a Toyota, and Thierry Neville’s Hyundai.
“It’s huge (…), we need to take advantage of these moments and that’s why we are always present, to achieve victories like this. Winning a victory as famous as that of the Monte is priceless,” savored Ogier.
“I’m so happy for Vincent (…), for him it’s a dream to win his first victory” in the WRC, he added, about his new co-driver.
Engaged in a partial program at Toyota for this season of the WRC world championship, Ogier dominated from start to finish the first round of the year. The native of Gap took the lead from the first special on Thursday evening. He quickly widened the gap before managing his lead. Rovanperä is 16 seconds behind the leader before the last four stages scheduled for Sunday.
Nevertheless, Ogier put the lid on the first outing this Sunday. He thus offers himself the lead in the general classification. The Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet had a series of galleys, between a damaged suspension following a slight front shock, handbrake and water pump problems. He did not finish his first rally of his full program with the Ford M-Sport team.