It is said that man is the only animal that stumbles upon a single rock. It doesn’t happen to Sébastien Ogier. The French driver, in the sections surrounding his native Gap, where the assistance of the Monte Carlo Rally is installed, showed in front of everyone the well-known reasons why he is an 8-time champion of the World Rally Championship , and above all, a 9-time winner of the Monte Carlo Rally.
The Frenchman moved like a fish out of water on the Alpine roads where 6 more stages were held this Friday on the second day of the event’s most famous test. After losing the lead in Thursday’s event with a mistake he rarely makes, late in the first three special stages of the rally, Sébastien removed that thorn in the first test and turned the tables with an exhibition.
Classification after day 2
After section 9 of 18
1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA/Toyota) 1h27’00″6
2. Elfyn Evans (GBR/Toyota) at 12″6
3. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA/Hyundai) at 14″2
4. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN/Toyota) at 38″5
5. Ott Tänak (EST/Hyundai) at 47″3
6. Grégoire Munster (PB/Ford) at 1’33″7
7. Takamoto Katsuta (JPN/Toyota) at 1’37″7
8. Sami Pajari (FIN/Toyota) at 3’32″9
9. Thierry Neuville (BEL/Hyundai) at 3’58″6
In a rally where changing asphalt conditions were key, with snow and ice in many places, and where the choice of tires and driving made more of a difference, Ogier overcame the 12.8 that separated him from the lead. He claimed to have suffered, without appropriate sensations, but he delivered the blow. After the first section of the day he was only 4” behind the then leader, Evans, he finished the morning loop in 2nd position, 1”5 off the lead and dominated the final two sections of the day to become the new leader with 12”6 margin in second, including Toyota driver Elfyn Evans, with Fourmaux at 14”2 and Rovanpera in 4th place at 38”5. Meanwhile, the reigning world champion, wearing the number 1 for the first time in this inaugural test of the course, had an accident in which he damaged a tire. He was able to continue, but ended the day about 4 minutes away
Source: La Verdad

I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.