Masterful Loeb bags record eighth Monte Carlo crown

Last weekend’s Monte-Carlo Rally, the first round of the 2022 WRC calendar, was significant in many ways, it was the 90^th Monte-Carlo rally, the 50^th season of WRC and the beginning of a new era, as the all new hybrid-powered cars moved the sport into an exciting and more sustainable future.

With an all new safety cell and a hybrid power train, including energy regeneration and fossil free fuel, the Rally 1 cars are powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine combined with a 100 kW electric motor producing over 373 kW, the cars were quick and created many initial problems for the teams over the weekend.

The 75 strong field included rally legend Sebastién Loeb, fresh from his second position on the Dakar Rally, teamed with co-driver Isabelle Galmiche in the new M-Sport Ford Puma.

They faced stiff competition from the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Yaris of fellow Frenchman and long time rival Sebastién Ogier with new co-driver Benjamin Veillas and Thursday mornings shakedown saw the gauntlet thrown down as Ogier recorded the fastest time just 0.5 second ahead of Loeb, the scene was set.

Following the ceremonial start in Monaco on Thursday evening the cars covered two stages including the iconic Col de Turini and it was Ogier who headed the field on the return to Monaco for the overnight halt with a 6.7 second lead over Loeb.

The second Yaris of Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin held third place while teammate Kalle Rovanpera was struggling to find the perfect setup and ended up 13^th over a minute behind the leader.

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It was looking very good for the new Ford Puma’s as Adrien Fourmaux, Gus Greensmith and Craig Breen occupied 4^th, 5^th and 7^th spots, well placed for Friday’s six special stages.

The Hyundai Shell Mobis i20 of Thierry Neuville was 6^th with team mate Ott Tanak 8^th and new signing Oliver Solberg 10^th.

It had not been a good day for the Hyundai crews who all experienced some difficulties and Solberg experienced the added problem of a non-functioning intercom, the young Norwegian unable to hear any instructions from his co-driver Elliot Edmondson.

Friday morning and it was a very definite fight back from Loeb winning the first four stages of the day and taking the lead of the rally, Ogier took the final stage of the day but ended up second overall at the end of the day, trailing Loeb by 9.9 seconds.

It was an impressive day for Greensmith when he recorded his first WRC stage victory heading Ogier by 1.4 seconds to take stage 7. Breen kept his Puma in the top ten throughout the day finishing 6^th overall.

Life was not so kind to teammate Fourmaux who on the first stage of the morning clipped a bank and flipped his Puma over the armco into a deep ravine, fortunately without injury to either crew member but very definitely out of the rally.

Despite some overnight improvements it was once again another difficult day for Hyundai with Neuville describing the first stage of the day as a nightmare and he was reported as saying “I have never been so scared while driving”, a change to the suspension saw him move into 4^th spot.

Tanak managed to finish in fifth just ahead of Breen. Solberg had a terrible day, fighting the car and having to contend with smoke entering the cockpit.

Saturday, the penultimate day and it was Ogier making a comeback winning four of the five stages, Loeb taking the opening stage of the day. But it was the final stage of day 3 when Ogier saw Loeb’s tyre choice and at the last moment changed to the same combination.

This decision was a winner for Ogier as he increased his overnight lead to 21.1 Seconds, with just four stages on Sunday it appeared the Toyota driver was headed for a ninth victory on the Monte-Carlo Rally.

Day 3 proved to be a tough day for many. Neuville battled on with a broken front damper in his Hyundai i20 N, which at one point punched through the bonnet, he lost a considerable time and ended almost eight minutes off the lead in sixth.

Tänak retired his i20 N after nosing into a bank and damaging his car’s radiator, while teammate Solberg dropped 35 minutes after locking his brakes and sliding down a bank.

It was not much better for Elfyn Evans who held third until sliding off the road, leaving his Yaris perched on the edge of a steep drop until spectators pushed him back onto the road, but it cost the Welshman 20 minutes.

Teammate Katsuta’s fifth position disappeared when he found a ditch and dropped off the leader board. Rovanpera found the sweet spot with his Yaris and moved up winning two stages to take 4^th place.

The final day and Ogier looked set to take the win as he started the penultimate stage with a 24. 6 second lead over his main rival, but a front left puncture was to cost him dearly as he finished the stage 9.5 seconds behind Loeb, a 31.1 second loss.

This gave an easy run home for the 47-year old Loeb, who took his 80^th WRC victory and became the oldest driver to win a WRC event. Co-driver Isabelle Galmiche became the first female winner of a WRC fixture since 1997 when Italian Fabrizia Pons, co-driving for Piero Liatti in the Subaru Impreza WRC, won the same event.

A tremendous fight between the two French legends for the win and a great result for M-Sport Ford’s new Puma, with Loeb first, Breen 3rd and Greensmith fifth and leading the manufacturers championship.

With Loeb and Ogier competing on a limited basis the new era looks set to provide some seriously close rallying in 2022.

Final Positions

1.         S.Loeb/I.Galmiche                          M-Sport Ford WRT Puma

2.         S. Ogier/B. Veillas            Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Yaris

3.         C.Breen/P.Nagle                             M-Sport Ford WRT Puma

4.         K.Rovanperä/J. Halttunen             Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Yaris

5.         G. Greensmith/J. Andersson           M-Sport Ford WRT Puma

6.         T.Neuville/M.Wydaeghe                 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT i20

8.         T.Katsuta/A.Johnston                     Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT NG Yaris

21.       E. Evans/S. Martin                           Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Yaris

FIA World Rally Championship Drivers (after round 1 of 13)

1.         S.Ogier                       19                   

2.         E.Evans                       4       

3.         K.Rovanpera              17       

4.         T.Katsuta                     4

5.         T.Neuville                  11

6.         O.Tanak                      0

7.         O.Solberg                   0

8.         S.Loeb                       27       

9.         C.Breen                     15                   

10.       G.Greensmith           10                   

11.       A.Fourmaux                0

FIA World Rally Championship Manufacturers (after round 1 of 13)

1.         Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT           39

2.         Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT            13       

3.         M-Sport Ford WRT                        42    

4.         Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT NG      8       

The championship moves to Scandinavia next month for the Rally Sweden which takes place in Umeå on 24^th to the 27^th of February.