Evans and Ogier neck and neck at Monza, Rossel leads WRC3

The physiognomy of Rally of Monza (Italy) 2021 seems to be divided into two sections. The first consists of the mountainous stages of Lombardy. This Friday, November 19 morning, Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) tenait la corde sur ce terrain au détriment d’Elfyn Evans (Toyota).

This afternoon, the caravan returned to the Autodromo Nazionale of Monza, and the trend was reversed. On three nervous special stages (right-angle turns, chicanes, winding passages) the Welshman caught up and then overtook his French opponent.

We are not talking about an abysmal gap, but a handful of seconds at most, proof that the two men are evolving at a stratospheric level. After seven special stages, Elfyn Evans, who is 17 points behind in the Drivers' championship, has a 1''4 margin over the Gapençais in search of an eighth title.

If Elfyn Evans continues his lead, he must hope for a drop in speed from his rival to steal the crown, such as a minimum finish in sixth place. This is not the path that the rally is taking given the gap that separates the Toyotas from the pursuers.

Sébastien Ogier also recognizes that the situation is under control. « The only danger is me. I just concentrate on my riding. It was a good day. This morning, in the mountains, I had a lot of fun. This afternoon, a little less, especially since I suffered a brake problem in SS5, which cost me a few seconds. I was a little more cautious because of all the chicanes and obstacles that one can easily hit.

I'm happy with my position tonight. I don't need to attack. I have to continue in the same way on Saturday. »

Elfyn Evans knows that his destiny is not in his hands if he wishes to add his name to the list of WRC. He has to give his all and he will see where Sébastien Ogier ends up. “It wasn't perfect but I negotiated the stages on the circuit well. I have put a lot of energy into making up for my shortcomings in this area since last year. SATURDAY, I will stay at the same pace, I can not do better. »

Sur ses terres, Andrea Adamo doit fulminer. Le fantasque patron italien du Hyundai Motorsport ne peut que constater les lacunes étonnantes de la i20 Coupe WRC, à la grande surprise de Thierry Neuville, third just ahead of his teammate Dani Sordo. And it's not Teemu Suninen, replacingOtt Tänak (package for family reasons) which will put the rudder back in place (8th at almost 1'30''!).

“Usually in these types of conditions (wet and cold road), we are better than the others, indicates the Belgian. This was the case in Catalonia. Here, that is no longer the case. I do not know why. We changed the settings during the last two stages this evening. We'll see if it pays off tomorrow in the mountains. »

Engaged by the French team 2C Compétition, Oliver Solberg (Hyundai) can smile. The Norwegian, although in training with his new co-driver Elliott Edmondson, finished all the specials with the enthusiasm that characterizes him. At only 20 years old, the son of Petter Solberg has signed some great performances which allow him to tickle the official Hyundais.

First day of Rally Monza is done, and we sit in 5th place overnight! 🤩 Really happy with our day – really enjoyed the stages and it's working well, and the speed hasn't been bad either! pic.twitter.com/NgvfJrsmZI

— Oliver Solberg 🍩 (@OliverSolberg01) November 19, 2021

At M-Sport, Adrien Fourmaux's morning accident (who will start again on Saturday in the super rally) allowed us to focus on Gus Greensmith, who started the rally without much relief (7th).

In WRC2, a puncture for Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) and an exit for Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda) left the way clear for Marco Bulacia (Skoda).

Finally, in WRC3, the fight for the title between Yohan rossel (Citroën) and Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Skoda) turns in favor of the French, supported by the Rookie Academy. The Saintéloc Racing resident leads the debates (for 2″9) and even appears as the first Rallye2 driver, 10th overall. In this category the situation is simple: the one who finishes in front of the other wins the championship.

General classification :