Monte-Carlo Rally – The difficult work of the ushers

At the arrival of the SS9 between Esparron and Oze, the times posted were very surprising. Over the 18,79 km of this section, Sébastien Ogier conceded 18”8 to Thierry Neuville. 1” per kilometer! Removing his helmet, the Frenchman did not indicate that he had made a mistake, he did not report any problems with his bike or mention his choice of tires. He just pointed out different information with that encountered.

The information he talks about is that noted by his opening crew composed of Simon Jean-Joseph and Julie Amblard. With a production car barely prepared, the Martinican entered the special early this morning, taking into account the state of the road at that time. He then communicated his information to Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais. The latter added or corrected them compared to those they had taken during the reconnaissance. The eternal problem that arises during Monte-Carlo is that the ushers work several hours before the competitors and that the road and conditions change after their passage.

The Monte-Carlo Rally lottery

This happens every year. When the terrain is tricky, when the hours are early or late, there are always surprises. This is part of the charm of Monte-Carlo. This is one of the reasons why Sébastien Ogier loves this event and why some drivers hate it. There is still a lottery side.

Today the first to lose was Andreas Mikkelsen. From the first braking, a patch of ice, which he did not have in his notes at all, sent him into the decor. The Norwegian was lucky not to hit anything and to be able to restart, but what little self-confidence he had at that moment was gone. How can we be sure that the next turn will not have the same trap? How many times does the pilot Hyundai he asked himself before arriving in Oze if he was not going to remain prisoner in a ravine after receiving a note that no longer corresponded to reality?

An identical scenario was visibly repeated for Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais. At the stop point, the Frenchman just indicated that he had too “safe” information. The conditions since the passage of Simon and Julie had probably evolved towards something "simpler", if it is possible to say that about a Monte-Carlo and the pair of Toyota perhaps did not dare to go beyond what Vincent Landais told him. The opposite happened in the passenger compartment of the Hyundai of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe. Relying on Alexandre Bengué and Julien Vial, the Belgian crew appeared very calm and that made the difference. At the finish, the bill is heavy and this adds to the long history of Monte-Carlo which is full of moments where the ushers played a capital role, whether with positive or negative effects.

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