Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier was on the brink of a record-extending 10th career Monte Carlo Rally triumph after stretching his lead in the season-opener to 20.3 seconds after the longest leg on Saturday.
The eight-times world champion began the day 12.6 clear of team mate Elfyn Evans, who was in a tight battle for second with Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux over the mud and gravel-spattered asphalt stages around Gap in the French Alps.
Frenchman Fourmaux, who moved up to second place in the morning stages, ended the day third and 4.3 behind the Welsh driver.
“Like always, very muddy. Difficult to enjoy this one,” said Ogier, a Gap local, after the day’s closing 15th stage. “It’s always better to have an advantage but still some tricky stages to go.”
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak was fourth, finishing the day just 2.5 behind his new team mate Fourmaux after winning all three afternoon stages as well as the morning stage 11, with double world champion Kalle Rovanpera a distant fifth for Toyota.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta was in sixth place and Finland’s Sami Pajari seventh, also for the Japanese manufacturer.
Hyundai’s reigning champion Thierry Neuville was eighth after suffering a power problem on the opening stage that cost him some 50 seconds and then damaging a right rear wheel rim when he got too close to the rocks.
“The target is to take some points from tomorrow and then put this weekend behind us because there will be easier weekends for us,” said the Belgian.
Sunday features three more stages totalling 50.9 competitive kilometres – including the hairpins of the highlight Col de Turini pass – before the formal finish in Monte Carlo.
