85ème Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
Day 1- SS2 (Bayons - Breziers 1)
The first pass of the Bayons - Breziers stage also takes place on Tarmac. The 25.49KM stage is a medium length stage. The stage also takes place in the lights, so it's important not to make small mistakes, as they could have severe impacts.
In only his second WRC stage in over ten years, Mattias Ekstrom put in a fine display to take the stage win, holding off Mads Ostberg, who is doing a great job for Subaru. Kris Meeke was third fastest, and now inherits the lead of the rally. Hirvonen and Ogier completed the top five, setting an identical time.
Toyota continue there good start. Sordo was on the pace in 6th, with Sirmacis in 11th and Loubet looking better, though still 23rd. Citroen had a much happier stage. While Maurin remained in 22nd, Lefebvre finished a much more respectable 10th. Ford still were struggling with Brynildsen and Bonato with a mechanical problem.
Renault didn't have so much of a good stage, but still both cars put in top 15 performances, with Paddon in 8th and Mikklesen 13th. Skoda will be very pleased with their 1-3, but Gilbert dropped off the pace in 14th, while Tidemand was 20th quickest. Mitsubishi had both cars in the top 10, with Latvala topping Solberg. Subaru saw Elfyn Evans continue to get to grips with the Impreza, with him in 18th.
Opel had an alright stafe, with Tanak in the top 15 but Neuville further behind. Seat had a mixed bag. Suninen looked good in 12th, but Fuchs clipped a rock near the end of the stage. Luckily he managed to crawl back to stage end, but lost a couple of minutes. Suzuki still had Botka looking good compared to his teammates, while Mini and Honda struggled more.
Fabre and Atkinson were the two fastest in the WRC Trophy, with them pulling the gap out over Grondal in his Suzuki. Ligato was 4th fastest ahead of a very impressive Bryan Bouffier, who was the fifth fastest in his B-Spec Hyundai, who even beat two factory entries.
Kikireshko had a spin, and lost two minutes recovering after getting the car stuck. Giordano and his B-Spec Volkswagen broke down, while Pellier crashed out. Both of them will return under Rally-2 rules tomorrow.
End of Day 1 Standings
Day 1 has been a very good start to a new WRC era, with Kris Meeke leading the rally with Skoda. Hirvonen currently lies 2nd, only two tenths behind. A win in stage two sees Ekstrom lie in 3rd, ahead of reigning world champion Ogier. Mads Ostberg rounds out the top five.
In the WRC Trophy, Michel Fabre leads by 7.1 seconds over Chris Atkinson, after impressing in the Privateer car. He lies 26th overall, ahead of seven manufacturer entries. Grondal is third, ahead of Ligato and Plangi