The second day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi took the lead after the most chaotic day ever.
SS2, #42 Brattby 1
Kalle Rovanperä kicked off the second day with a stage win. Posting a time 3.2 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak who tied for second fastest. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi and Tänak. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time, 2.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.1 seconds slower than Evans.
SS3, Norrby 1
Esapekka Lappi claimed his first stage win of the season on the third stage of Rally Sweden. With the Finnish driver setting a time 1.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.8 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS4, Floda 1
Takamoto Katsuta took home his first stage win on SS4. Posting a time 0.7 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to claim the stage win. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 7.3 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 9.9 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS5, #42 Brattby 2
WRC2 driver Georg Linnamäe took home his first career stage win on the fifth stage of Rally Sweden. No, you didn’t read that wrong, a WRC2 driver legitimately won the stage, but hold on it gets crazier. Linnamäe set a time 2.4 seconds faster than fellow WRC2 driver Oliver Solberg to claim the stage victory. WRC2 driver Mikko Heikklä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Solberg. WRC2 driver Lauri Joona posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Heikklä. If you guessed a WRC2 driver rounded out the top five on the stage, you’d be correct. As Fabrizio Zaldivar rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Joona. The top Rally1 driver finished sixth fastest on the stage. That driver being Esapekka Lappi who finished 1.2 seconds slower than Zaldivar.
SS6, Norrby 2
Esapekka Lappi topped the sixth stage of the weekend. Posting a time 2.6 seconds faster than WRC2 driver Georg Linnamäe. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Linnamäe. WRC2 driver Fabrizio Zaldivar set the fourth fastest time, 2.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. WRC2 driver Roope Korhonen rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Zaldivar.
SS7, Floda 2
Esapekka Lappi claimed his third stage win on the day with a win on the penultimate stage of Rally Sweden day two. As Lappi set a time 2.1 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the stage. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Katsuta. Mikko Heikklä posted the fourth fastest time, 6.1 seconds slower than Solberg. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.5 seconds slower than Heikklä.
SS8, Umeá Sprint 2
Esapekka Lappi capped the day off with a stage win. Posting a time 1.4 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta on the days final stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
Overall After Rally Sweden Day Two
Esapekka Lappi leads Rally Sweden after the first full day of stages. Lappi holds a 3.2-second lead over Takamoto Katsuta heading into the penultimate day. Oliver Solberg sits third overall, a minute and 17.5 seconds behind Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux ends the day fourth overall, 5.6 seconds behind Solberg. While Elfyn Evans rounds out the top five overall, sitting 23.7 seconds behind Fourmaux.
Tough Conditions
If you’re wondering how on earth five WRC2 cars finished a stage faster than Rally1 cars, well the answer is simple. On the afternoon loop conditions were less than desirable for the Rally1 drivers. With Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville having to sweep a reported 10 cm of snow. This put the Rally1 drivers at a huge disadvantage. WRC2 drivers got optimal road conditions which paired with their lower overall speed gave them an advantage. This advantage was big enough for them to finish with top five times on all but one of the afternoon stages.
Tänak And Rovanperä Retire
Ott Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä were the first Rally1 drivers to retire from Rally Sweden. Tänak crashed into a snowbank. He tried to continue on but had to stop due to the engine overheating. Kalle Rovanperä also went off the road, which forced him to retire from the day. Both drivers will be back for day three. Nevertheless, this is still a massive blow for the two. As both were considered favorites to win the event.
The first day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads after the days lone stage.
Rally Sweden Shakedown
Esapekka Lappi was right back into form. As the Finnish drivers topped the Rally Sweden shakedown. Lappi posted a time 0.6 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux. Ott Tänak finished third fastest, 0.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time, 0.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Championship leader Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the shakedown, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SSS1, Umeá Sprint 1
Kalle Rovanperä was right back to his winning ways on the Rally Sweden opener. As Rovanperä set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the SuperSpecial stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest, 0.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux tied for fourth fastest on the stage. With both drivers posting a time 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux, despite some difficulties for Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Tänak and Fourmaux.
What To Expect From Rally Sweden Day Two
The second day of Rally Sweden will see drivers contest 107.9 km across 7 special stages. Drivers will look to make the most of the less-than-favorable conditions. As the snow and ice aren’t as good as usual for the event. This will have an effect on how the drivers attack the stages. It will also slightly favor the later-running cars, including Kalle Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville will have the worst conditions on the first pass as he’s on sweeping duty. Elfyn Evans is second on the road while 2023 Rally Sweden winner Ott Tänak is third. Kalle Rovanperä starts seventh on the road.
Rally Sweden is one of the most magical events on the World Rally Championship calendar, but why? Find out below.
Unique Event Conditions
Rally Sweden is the most unique event on the World Rally Championship schedule. Sure every event is unique in its own way. However, Rally Sweden is the only event to take place on full snow and ice-covered roads. This provides the drivers with a unique challenge. Snow and ice is already a difficult and different challenge. The roads themselves make it even more of a challenge. As the roads are often fast and flowing like Rally Finland. However, these roads don’t feature nearly as many jumps.
Different Challenges
Every World Rally Championship has different challenges. Monte has jagged rock faces, Finland has fast-flowing jumps, and Rally Sweden is no different. Sweden’s unique challenge comes mainly in the form of snowbanks. Snowbanks are extremely unforgiving. As it’s pretty easy to get the car beached on them. Just ask Andreas Mikkelsen, he lost an event after getting his car beached on a snowbank on the final stage some years ago. Drivers use tire studs to help with traction on the slick roads. However, at times the roads are still extremely slick. This can cause a driver to go straight into the previously mentioned snowbanks. The more experienced drivers can use the banks to their advantage. As some have used the banks to help braking when needed. However, that’s only on rare occasions as it is a massive risk.
Night Stages
Rally Sweden is also one of the only events on the calendar to feature night stages outside of the SuperSpecial. This provides drivers with yet another unique challenge. This pushes almost every driver to their limit. Some more experienced drivers find this easier, while others don’t. For some, this will be the only nighttime rallying they do in their career. While some grew up doing nighttime rallying.
Earlier this week the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team unveiled a new livery for the 2024 season.
Another One
Hyundai are changing their livery after just one event, but why? The team wants the livery used for Rallye Monte-Carlo to maintain its 100% win rate. With Hyundai team principal Cyril Abitaboul stating “Starting the 2024 season with a win at one of the most iconic events in WRC history was an incredible moment, ten years after our first-ever Rallye Monte-Carlo, and it is fitting that Thierry and Martijn’s Monte-Carlo colours are memorialised in the history books.” This isn’t the only reason Hyundai changed their livery, however, as the team was going to regardless if Neuville won Rallye Monte-Carlo.
The Other Reason Hyundai Changed Liveries
The 2024 season marks 10 years since the team re-entered the WRC. With Abitaboul stating the main reasons for the livery change were as follows “As some of our colleagues celebrate the Lunar New Year, we are also marking a fresh beginning with an all-new livery for the remainder of the FIA WRC season,” said Hyundai Motorsport president and team principal Cyril Abiteboul. “The design was created to pay tribute to our close working relationship with Hyundai N and Hyundai Motor Company and complements their celebrations of ten years in the pinnacle of rallying.”
Livery For The Rest Of The Season
Hyundai has confirmed they will use this new livery for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. Hyundai will look to add more wins this season. As the team chases not only the manufacturers’ championship but also the drivers’ championship. With Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak both being favorites alongside Elfyn Evans to win the championship this season. Andreas Mikkelsen, Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo will look to help achieve these goals in a part-time manner. However, achieving these goals won’t be easy for the Korean team.
The second round of the 2024 World Rally Championship takes place this weekend with Rally Sweden. Find out more below.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville tops the championship after winning Rallye Monte-Carlo last month. Neuville holds a six-point lead over Sebastien Ogier. However, Ogier won’t be competing at Rally Sweden. 2023 vice-champion Elfyn Evans is third in the championship, three points behind Ogier and nine behind Neuville. 2023 Rally Sweden winner Ott Tänak heads into the snowy event fourth in the championship, six points behind Evans and 15 behind Neuville. Adrien Forumaux rounds out the top five in the championship, sitting four points behind Tänak and 19 behind Neuville.
Return Of The Champ
Kalle Rovanperä will suit up for his first WRC action since Rally Japan. Rovanperä has elected to contest a part-time schedule this year. As the now two-time champion wants a bit of a break to explore other motorsport disciplines. As well as just some time off as he’s been competing in rallies since he was eight. Rovanperä contested the Arctic Rally Lapland in Finland last week. He finished second behind Elfyn Evans.
Honoring Craig Breen
The organizers of Rally Sweden have elected to honor Craig Breen in at least one way this weekend. As they have added Breen’s number 42 to the stage Breen loved, Brattby. Breen won the stage both times it ran last season on his way to finishing second behind Ott Tänak. At what would ultimately be his final event, as he passed during testing for the Croatia Rally. Whether or not anything else will be done to honor the fallen Irish star is unknown.
Rally Sweden Event Rundown
Over the course of the four-day event drivers will contest 300.1 km across 18 stages. Day one will see drivers contest the events shakedown and a SuperSpecial stage to kick off the event. The second day of Rally Sweden will have drivers contest 107.9 km across seven stages. The third and longest day of the event will see drivers contest 125.96 km across seven stages. The fourth and final day of Rally Sweden sees drivers contest 61.08 km across three stages.
The 1999 Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of the more notable additions in recent history. Let’s travel back in time to the event.
The Event
The 1999 running of Rallye Monte-Carlo saw drivers contest 424.69 km of snowy tarmac roads across 14 stages in the French Alps. The shortest stage was the fifth stage of the event, St Clement – St Saveur. Spanning just 20.35 km in length. The longest test was the first stage of the event, Plan De Vitrolles – Faye. Which spanned a total of 48.28 km.
Day One, A Shocking Start
Privateer Gillies Panizzi topped the timesheet after the first day’s five stages. Despite only winning a single stage. Panizzi sat first overall, with a 5.9-second gap over Tommi Makinen. Juha Kankkunen was third to end the day, a minute and 13.7 seconds behind Makinen. Colin McRae won two stages on the day. Despite this, he sat sixth overall after the day, 1 minute and 59.9 seconds behind Panizzi. The first day also caught out a couple of favourites to win the event. As both Carlos Sainz, Freddy Loix and Armin Schwarz retired on just the first stage. Sainz and Loix both crashed out, while Schwarz had a clutch issue.
Day Two, Makinen Takes Lead
Reigning World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen topped the event after the second day. Winning two of the day’s five stages to take a minute and 14.4-second lead over standout Giles Panizzi. Juha Kankkunen ended the day in third, 20.2 seconds behind Panizzi. There were no notable moments on the day. Panizzi continued to be a standout on the day behind the wheel of his Subaru 22B. Colin McRae pushed up to fourth, while François Delecour ended the day in fifth.
Day Three, Makinen Wins
The third and final day of the 1999 Rallye Monte Carlo saw Tommi Makinen hold on to his lead to win the event for the first time in his career. Makinen ended the event with a minute and 44.7-second lead over Juha Kankkunen. Didier Auriol finished the event third overall behind the wheel of his Toyota. Auriol finished a whopping two minutes and 8.1 seconds behind Kankkunen. Unfortunately, the final day did see a couple of notable drivers retire. On the first stage of the day, Giles Panizzi retired due to an accident. While Colin McRae was excluded from the event due to a water pump.
First Of Four Consecutive Wins
Tommi Makinen took his first Rallye Monte-Carlo win in 1999. However, the Finnish star would go on to win the next three editions of the event. Makinen to this day is tied for the third most wins at the event. Being tied with Walter Röhrl, Sandro Munari and Jean Trévoux. Makinen would be the only non-French winner of the event until fellow Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen won the event in 2010. Makinen seemed to like to do things in four. As 1999 would be the last year Makinen won the World Rally Championship. Having won it the three seasons prior.
The fourth and final day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Thierry Neuville held on to take the win.
SS15, La Bréole – Selonnet 3
Thierry Neuville kicked off the final day the same way he kicked off the last two, with a stage win. As the Belgian set a time 4.7 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 9.5 seconds slower than Evans.
SS16, Digne-les-Bains – Chaudon-Norante
Thierry Neuville also took the stage win on the penultimate stage of Rally Monte-Carlo. Posting a time 0.2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Evans. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 9 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS17, La Bollène-Vésubie – Col De Turini
Thierry Neuville topped the final stage of the event to go three for three on the final day. Neuville set a time 2.5 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, posting a time 0.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Evans.
Final Rallye Monte-Carlo Overall
Thierry Neuville ended the event with a 16.1-second lead over Sebastien Ogier. Elfyn Evans finished third overall, 29.1 seconds behind Ogier and 45.2 seconds behind Neuville. Ott Tänak ended the event fourth overall, a minute and 14.6 seconds behind Evans. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five at this home event, finishing one minute and 37.1 seconds behind Tänak.
The third day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Thierry Neuville took the rally lead on the day.
SS9, Esparron – Oze 1
Thierry Neuville kicked off the penultimate day of Rallye Monte-Carlo with a stage win. As the 2020 event winner posted a time 9.6 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Grégoire Munster finished third fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Evans for the first top three time of his career. Takamoto Katsuta set a time 3.9 seconds slower than Munster on the stage. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS10, Les Nonières – Chichilianne 1
Sebastien Ogier topped the second stage of the day. As the 9-time event winner set a time 2.1 seconds faster than now rally leader Thierry Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS11, Pellafol – Agnières-en-Dévoluy 1
Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak tied for the fastest time on the final stage of the morning loop. As both drivers posted a time 1.2 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta. Sebastien Ogier finished with the third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Ogier. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five times on the final stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo day three’s morning loop. Finishing with a time 5.6 seconds slower than Evans.
SS12, Esparron – Oze 2
Sebastien Ogier opened the afternoon loop with a stage win. Setting a time 5.5 seconds faster than leader Thierry Neuville to close the gap between himself and Neuville to just 2.2 seconds. Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta tied for the third fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 8.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Andreas Mikkelsen posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak and Katsuta. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
SS13, Les Nonières – Chichilianne 2
Sebastien Ogier also took the stage win on the penultimate stage of the penultimate day of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Posting a time 3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage and take the rally lead. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest for the first time today, finishing 4.6 seconds faster than Neuville on the stage. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest on the stage, 5.2 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.2 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS14, Pellafol – Agnières-en-Dévoluy 2
Thierry Neuville topped the final stage of the day. Posting a time 4.1 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to take back the rally lead. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 6 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Katsuta.
Overall After Day Three Of Rallye Monte-Carlo
Thierry Neuville leads the rally and took home maximum points on Saturday under the new points system. Sebastien Ogier sits second overall, 3.3 seconds behind Neuville. Elfyn Evans lost a lot of time on the penultimate due to a hybrid issue. Now Evans sits 31.6 seconds behind Ogier and 34.9 seconds behind Neuville in third. Ott Tänak still sits far back from the front runners. As the Estonian is a minute and 12 seconds behind Evans and a minute and 46.9 seconds behind Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux sits another minute and 7.1 seconds behind Tänak and two minutes and 54 seconds behind Neuville.
The second day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Elfyn Evans retained his lead after the days stages.
SS3, St-Léger-Les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve 1
Thierry Neuville kicked off the second day with a stage win. As the Belgian posted a time 5.3 seconds faster than rally leader Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Evans. Adrien Forumaux set the fourth fastest time, 15.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five for the first time this weekend, as the Norwegian set a time 4.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS4, Champcella – Saint-Clément 1
Sebastien Ogier topped the stage for the first time this weekend on SS4. As the 9-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner set a time 1 second faster than Evans to win the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS5, La Bréole – Selonnet 1
Sebastien Ogier ended the morning loop with his second stage win of the weekend. Setting a time 11.2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to win the stage. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.9 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS6, St-Léger-Les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve 2
Thierry Neuville kicked off the afternoon loop of Rallye Monte-Carlo day two with a stage win. As Neuville posted a time 1.6 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to win his second stage of the day. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 1 second slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, 5.2 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS7, Champcella – Saint-Clément 2
Thierry Neuville also took the stage win on SS7. Setting a time 3.5 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, 8.2 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS8, La Bréole – Selonnet 2
Sebastien Ogier ended the second day of Rallye Monte-Carlo with a stage win. Posting a time 2.9 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 7.7 seconds slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.4 seconds slower than Tänak.
Overall After Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Two
Elfyn Evans retained his lead after the days six stages. Despite not taking a single-stage win on the day. Evans takes a 4.5-second lead over Sebastien Ogier heading into the third day of the event. Thierry Neuville sits just 11.6 seconds behind Ogier, and 16.1 seconds behind Evans after the day. Ott Tänak is far behind in fourth. As the Estonian sits 57.5 seconds behind Neuville at the end of the day. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five to end the second day of Rallye Monte-Carlo. With the Frenchman sitting 24.4 seconds behind Tänak.
What To Expect From Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Three
The penultimate day of Rallye Monte-Carlo is set to be a good one. As Evans, Ogier and Neuville will battle for the event lead, and maximum points to end Saturday. Tänak will look to fend off Fourmaux, who has been on a heater. Tänak will have to rely on Sunday’s new points system to regain points lost. Day three will see drivers contest 120.40 km across 6 stages. Leaving lots of room for time to be gained and lost for the drivers.
The first day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Elfyn Evans leads the event after the first day.
SS1, Thoard – Saint-Geniez
Elfyn Evans kicked off the first stage of the 2024 season with a stage win. As the 2023 WRC Vice-Champion posted a time 5.2 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to top the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Tänak. Reigning Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmuax rounded out the top five, finishing 6.4 seconds slower than Ogier on the stage.
SS2, Bayons – Bréziers
Elfyn Evans also took the stage win on the second and final stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo day one. With the Welshmen setting a time 6.8 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 5 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.8 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Tänak.
Overall After Rallye Monte-Carlo Day One
Elfyn Evans takes a 15.1-second lead over Thierry Neuville into the second day of competition. Sebastien Ogier sits third overall, 6.5 seconds back from Neuville. Ott Tänak ends the day in fourth, 1.2 seconds behind Ogier. Adrien Fourmuax rounds out the top five after the first day, 16.2 seconds behind Tänak.
What To Expect From Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Two
In about 11 hours the second day of Rallye Monte-Carlo will kick off. Drivers will contest 105.72 km across six stages. Drivers will face varying conditions throughout the day, including another night stage to cap off the day. Day two could end with a driver clear in the lead, or a driver leading by a handful of seconds. Anything can happen throughout the days stages.