(Reuters) – Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier boosted his hopes of a record 10th Monte Carlo Rally win by taking over at the top on Friday after previous leaders Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans hit trouble on the icy asphalt stages.
Hyundai’s reigning world champion Neuville, who had led the season-opener overnight, dropped to ninth after breaking his car’s rear suspension during the sixth stage from La Breole-Selonnet in the French Alps around the town of Gap.
The Belgian, who lost almost two minutes limping through the stage with the left rear wheel hanging off, then suffered a tyre deflation on the afternoon run through the same hairpin.
“I think we paid the price for not having enough experience with the tyre in the dry,” said Neuville. “It felt stable, but I suddenly lost the brakes, saw the ditch, and the rear was gone.”
Ogier, who started the day third, led team mate Evans by 12.6 seconds at the close with Hyundai’s French driver Adrien Fourmaux third and 1.6 seconds further back in his first WRC outing with the team.
Evans took the lead from Neuville in the opening fourth stage but a half-spin in the afternoon handed the advantage to Frenchman Ogier, an eight times world champion racing on familiar roads near where he grew up.
“It’s a good end to the day, I had to fight for that,” said Ogier after winning the last two stages.
“Earlier today I didn’t have a mega feeling, I was really on the back foot and I couldn’t find the perfect rhythm, but the last two stages were good for me.”
Toyota’s double world champion Kalle Rovanpera, back in full-time action after a part-time 2024 season, was in fourth place with Hyundai’s Ott Tanak fifth after clipping a telegraph pole on stage six.
The planned fifth stage was cancelled due to a medical event involving a spectator.
Saturday is the longest day of the 93rd edition of the rally, which finishes on Sunday, with six stages and 120km of timed action.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ken Ferris)
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