Sébastien Ogier takes control in the Rallye Monte Carlo
Ogier has edged a step closer to victory in this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo after a nearly perfect second day performance.
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, Volkswagen Polo WRC, Volkswagen Motorsport
Volkswagen Motorsport
World Champion Sébastien Ogier, competing in what is essentially his backyard, ended the day with a 51s advantage over second place, and yesterday's leader Bryan Bouffier in a Ford.
“Today was much better than yesterday,” Ogier told WRC.com. “Tomorrow will be difficult with some snow expected on the Col de Turini. But for now I can be happy.”
Kris Meeke put together a solid day to keep his Citroen DS3 WRC in third place. Meanwhile, Meeke's closest rival, Robert Kubica went off the road 32km into SS9.
“There was a sudden change of grip,” the Pole explained. “We needed to be cautious because we had it marked by our ice crew, but unfortunately I misjudged how big that change would be. We went into the corner, the front went straight on and we hit a bridge.”
With the pressure off, Meeke took a 1m 10s advantage over teammate Mads Ostberg in third place.
Jari-Matti Latvala ended the day in his Polo-R WRC in fifth after passing impressive M-Sport driver Elfyn Evans on the day's final stage, while Mikko Hirvonen’s frustrating rally continued in seventh.
VW's Andreas Mikkelsen, driving his first Rallye Monte-Carlo, rounds off the top eight.
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