WRC Monte Carlo: Ogier extends lead over Tanak despite damage – WRC

Sebastien Ogier’s Monte Carlo Rally lead ballooned to more than a minute after the first two Saturday stages, despite damaging a wheel.

The reigning world champion started the day 14.9s clear but smashed his main rival Ott Tanak on a devilishly tricky 18-mile opening stage topped by Andreas Mikkelsen.

Ogier broke part of the left-rear wheel rim on his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC but still completed SS9 almost a minute faster than his 2017 World Rally Championship team-mate.

Tanak was quickest on the second, shorter morning stage but complained about a damper problem despite clawing back 15.5s against a conservative Ogier, whose lead stands at 1m03.4s.

Jari-Matti Latvala jumped two spots in one stage to end the morning third overall.

The Toyota driver was just 0.2s behind team-mate Esapekka Lappi after Friday’s running and was on course to overhaul his fellow Finn for fourth when it emerged that third-placed Dani Sordo had stopped on the stage.

Latvala took full advantage, beating Lappi by more than half a minute on the stage to vault into a clear third as Sordo’s podium challenge came to an end with his Hyundai in a ditch.

That means all three i20 WRCs have had their season openers ruined.

Sordo’s woe put Thierry Neuville up to eighth as he recovers from a torrid Friday, while Mikkelsen dropped out of contention on Friday with an alternator problem.

He returned as a Rally2 runner and benefitted from a favourable road position, running after the other WRC drivers, to top SS9 despite suffering “three spins in a straightline!” and then set the second-best time on SS10.

Kris Meeke is fifth but had his advantage over Bryan Bouffier trimmed to just over half a minute after a tricky couple of stages.

Comfortable WRC2 leader Jan Kopecky is now into the top 10 thanks to Sordo’s off.

Leading positions after SS10