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Monte debrief: Part two

The second part of our look back at the season opening Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Save of the rally: Sébastien Ogier
Actually, it's more more like 'saves' of the rally on this occasion. Seb's first save came on Thursday's opening Thoard - Sisteron stage, where he managed to just about keep control of his Ford Fiesta as it skated over sheet ice that caught out so many of his rivals.

After a half spin, Ogier was quickly underway again and even set the fastest time. But his greatest escape came on Friday, when he spun into a ditch on the penultimate stage.

It wasn't a big off, but his car was stuck fast and it could have been game over had it not been for the determined group of spectators who manhandled the car back on to the road.

You'll never believe it: Bryan Bouffier
Bouffier was brought in by the M-Sport Ford team to boost its Monte line-up, but his chances of success nosedived when co-driver Jerome Dégout was injured a collision during the recce.

What followed was a race against time to first complete the recce (with stand-in co-driver Jack Boyere) and then find a replacement for the rally. As luck would have it, Bouffier's long-time co-driver Xavier Panseri had just returned to Europe after completing the Dakar Rally.

He arrived in Gap from Poland 45 minutes before shakedown and got straight into WRC mode. Four days later, the pair crossed the finish ramp in eighth place. Bravo!

Stage of the rally SS9: Agnières-en-Dévoluy - Corps
After overnight snow, Saturday's opening test looked like a stage from Rally Sweden but quickly deteriorated into a slush-fest. Where was the grip? Few drivers could tell.

"It was crazy, one of the worst of my career," is how Ogier described it. But riding onboard through this particular stage was our highlight of the weekend's WRC All Live coverage - and showed why WRC drivers are considered the most versatile in the world.

Quote of the rally: Sébastien Ogier
Rallye Monte-Carlo is a unique challenge in the WRC, and an event that calls for a special approach to risk and speed.

This year's edition was especially tough, and not even the rally winner had a trouble-free run. So what is the secret to success? We reckon Seb summed it up perfectly.

"It was almost impossible to do the perfect weekend. Every driver made mistakes - and I did too. I just made a few less..." he said.

Zdroj: wrc.com