(Reuters) – France’s Sebastien Ogier won the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally for a record ninth time on Sunday after leading all the way in the French Alps.
The eight times world champion, now competing part-time for Toyota, beat team mate and reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera by 18.8 seconds in a one-two finish.
Belgian Thierry Neuville finished third for Hyundai with Welsh driver Elfyn Evans making it three Toyotas in the top four.
It might have been a Toyota one-two-three had Evans not lost too much time with a puncture on Friday.
Ogier and Rovanpera each won two of Sunday’s final four stages, with the Finn taking the maximum five bonus points with victory in the final Power Stage. Ogier leads the championship with 26 points to Rovanpera’s 23 and Neuville on 17.
Ogier had previously shared the record of eight Monte Carlo wins with compatriot and nine times world champion Sebastien Loeb, who won last year but was absent this time.
The dominant 2023 drive made up for last year when Ogier suffered a puncture to his car’s front-left tyre on the penultimate stage while he was leading by nearly half a minute.
Ogier’s nine victories have come with five different manufacturers over three decades – starting in 2009 with Peugeot and continuing from 2014-2016 with Volkswagen before he won in 2017 and 2018 with Ford, 2019 with Citroen and 2021 with Toyota.
Sunday’s win was however a first at top level for co-driver Vincent Landais.
Ogier won the opening two stages on Thursday and never ceded the lead from then on, enjoying a 30-second advantage going into Saturday and then playing safe.
“It’s huge,” he told the official website.
“I love this rally. It’s the one which gave me the dream right at the beginning and I am so happy for Vincent. For me it’s nice, but for him it’s a dream to take his first win.
“We still need to enjoy these moments and that’s why we are still here, to catch some victories like this. To win a famous one like Monte has no price.”
The next round is in Sweden from Feb. 9-12.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ken Ferris)
