Duel of titans between Neuville and Ogier at Monte-Carlo! Rossel in the fight in WRC2

Ranking Rally Monte-Carlo 2024 Stage 2:

• The legend of the Monte-Carlo Rally continues to be written in a very beautiful way in this 92nd edition of the winter event. At the end of the second stage, it is still impossible to determine the identity of the future winner.
• This Saturday day initially went very badly for Elfyn Evans (Toyota). Leader since Thursday evening, the Welshman first had a hybrid system breakdown, then was outclassed by the pace of his two pursuers, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and Sébastien Ogier (Toyota). The 2021 vice-champion of WRC completely weakened in the afternoon, losing around forty seconds in the space of three stages!
• Evans out for the final victory, Neuville and Ogier took over. The Frenchman recorded a 700th scratch time in WRC (4th best performer tied with Finn Juha Kankkunen) and led the Monte-Carlo Rally after SS13. But an extreme attack from Thierry Neuville cost him first place at nightfall, in SS14!
• Thierry Neuville is therefore leading a rally that he has already won in 2020, but his margin is the lowest (3″3) over the Frenchman.
• Elfyn Evans controls her third place ahead of a distant Ott Tänak (Hyundai).
• The Rally1 hybrid peloton lost one unit, that of Grégoire Munster (M-Sport Ford). The Belgian rookie (under Luxembourg license) hit a wooden guardrail in SS12. He and his co-driver Louka were unhurt but the Ford Puma hybrid was too damaged to restart today.

Munster caught out on a corner if SS12 😞 pic.twitter.com/iVysk1b0kU

- M-Sport (@MSportLtd) January 27, 2024

• Adrien fourmaux is therefore the only representative of the M-Sport Ford clan in the running. The Frenchman is comfortably in 5th place. As he is not put under pressure by the pursuers, he can ride without pressure. Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai), back in the premier category after a victorious period in WRC2, is still struggling to re-adapt to these Rally1s.
• The battle in WRC2 continues to be uncertain. Nikolay Gryazin (Citroën) and Pepe Lopez (Skoda) exchanged leadership on several occasions. This Saturday evening, it's the Russian who holds the rope, barely (2 tenths!). Author of three fastest times, Yohan Rossel (Citroën) is still 3rd but can entertain hopes of victory. He is only 7 seconds behind his teammate Gryazin.
• This Saturday evening, points were awarded for the Drivers' championship. The first 10 in the ranking will be rewarded... if they finish the rally Sunday where two new allocations will be made, first at the end of the stage, then at the end of the Power Stage. Over a weekend, it will be possible to score a maximum of 30 points. Concretely, the ten best ranked crews on Saturday evening will be candidates for the first units (1)… but to do so they will have to complete the event. So far, it was: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 at the end of the race on Sunday. From now on, during this last day of Sunday, the 7 drivers who are the fastest will be rewarded (2). Finally, the principle of the Power Stage is retained (3) and its scale unchanged. The winner of the rally remains the one who has been the most efficient against the clock, but you will have to take out the calculator to find out who will have carried out the best accounting operation at the end of the weekend.
• On Sunday, three final stages will be on the program, including the legendary passage of the Col de Turini. This will act as a Power Stage.

ALSO READ > Route, timetables, entrants… The complete guide to the 2024 Monte-Carlo Rally