Solberg soaks up the pressure, extends WRC Monte Carlo Rally lead

Oliver Solberg (above) continued his dream start with Toyota’s factory Rally1 team on day two of the Monte Carlo Rally. The Swede delivered another composed and authoritative performance to extend his lead beyond one minute on the FIA World Rally Championship season-opener.

Competing on his first WRC event as the full-season replacement for exiting two-time champ Kalle Rovanpera, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver not only withstood pressure from some of the sport’s most experienced crews behind him, but repeatedly responded when conditions turned against him. He ended the day with a 1m08.4s advantage in his GR Yaris Rally1 after Friday’s six stages in the French Alps.

Those stages, totaling 80.1 miles of switchback mountain roads, demanded a very different approach to Thursday night’s opening loop. Snow and slush early in the morning gave way to mud and standing water in the afternoon, forcing crews to adapt constantly.

Solberg set the tone immediately by winning the morning’s opener, before suffering a front-left puncture on the first pass of the 17.83-mile Saint-Nazaire-le-Desert/La Motte-Chalancon stage. Rather than opt for damage limitation, he struck back decisively by going fastest again on the following two stages to reassert his control.

Behind him, Friday became a steadily intensifying battle for second-place overall between two of Solberg’s teammates. Elfyn Evans had ended Thursday 24.4s clear of nine-time and reigning WRC champ Sebastien Ogier, but that margin was steadily eroded as the day wore on. Evans briefly trimmed Solberg’s lead by winning both runs through Saint-Nazaire-le-Desert/La Motte-Chalancon, yet Ogier closed relentlessly.

Two stage wins for Toyota’s Elfyn Evans (above) couldn’t trim the gap to teammate and rally leader Oliver Solberg.

With a blistering run through the growing darkness of the day’s closing test, 11.1-mile La-Bâtie-des-Fontes/Aspremont 2, Ogier cut Evans’ advantage to just 6.5s. Evans, meanwhile, admitted to a day of fluctuating confidence as ruts, mud and poor visibility made it difficult to judge commitment in his GR Yaris.

Almost four minutes behind Ogier in fourth overnight was Adrien Fourmaux in the best of the factory Hyundais. That position belied a troubled afternoon, the Frenchman battling ongoing electronics issues that affected the fuel pump and handbrake on his i20 N Rally1. Neverthless, he still headed to the overnight halt more than one minute clear of teammate Thierry Neuville.

Adrien Fourmaux is best of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 trio, but almost four minutes outside of a Toyota-filled top three.

Neuville’s day unraveled on the closing stage when he was dragged into a ditch by a muddy cut a little over a mile into the stage. Pushed free by spectators, he lost more than three minutes and slipped to fifth overall, describing the leg as “a struggle” after making it back to service.

After tire issues earlier in the day, Jon Armstrong adopted a survival-first approach in the afternoon’s repeat loop of stages – a decision that paid off as he brought his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 home in sixth overall.

Rally1 debutant Jon Armstrong continued to impress as a caution approach left him sixth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.

Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon ended seventh after a cautious but constructive day for the WRC returnee. The New Zealander suffered a stall on the final stage – a glitch that failed to erode his steadily-building confidence in the i20 N Rally1.

Of the other Rally1 contenders, Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta endured one of the toughest days in the field, slipping to 12th overall after a day blighted by tire issues and power steering failure, while Josh McErlean failed to finish the leg after sliding off on the closing test in his M-Sport Puma.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Leo Rossel moved to the head of the field, ended the day 39.6sec clear after capitalizing on a difficult morning for overnight leader Eric Camilli, who was caught out by the changing conditions on Friday’s opening stage.

Skoda Fabia RS driver Camilli had led Rossel’s Citroen C3 by 15.3s after Thursday’s opening three stages, but he admitted to being too cautious in the morning’s opener, losing almost 50s and surrendering the advantage. His troubles deepened on the following test when he slid into a bank and stalled, dropping him to fourth overall.

That opened the door for Rossel to take control, while Nikolay Gryazin remained firmly in the fight during his debut outing in the new Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2. Gryazin effectively carried Lancia’s WRC2 challenge after early favorite Yohan Rossel was sidelined on Thursday night when steering damage forced his factory Ypsilon out of contention.  

Lancia’s Nikolay Gryazin lies 13th overall and fourth in WRC2 after a steady debut so far for the returning marque’s Ypsilon HFs.

The rally journeys south from its base in Gap to Monaco on Saturday, where crews face four stages totaling 48.2 competitive miles. The day culminates in a 1.67-mile super special stage on the streets of the Mediterranean Principality.

WRC Monte Carlo Rally, positions after Friday/Leg One, SS9
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h11m13.1s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m08.4s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m14.9s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +5m05.2s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +6m05.3s
6 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +7m18.8s
7 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +7m42.1s
8 Leo Rossel/Guillaume Mercoiret (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +8m27.5s
9 Eric Camilli/Thibault de la Haye (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +9m07.1s
10 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon RF – WRC2) +9m08.8s

• Watch the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage action from the Monte Carlo Rally LIVE on RACER Network and the RACER+ App on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 7am ET, with re-airs on RACER Network at 8:30pm ET and 11:30pm ET.Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, check out the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network. Catch the latest episode on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET.

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