In the opening stages of the Monte Carlo Rally, last year’s championship runner-up, Elfyn Evans, showcased his skills and took the lead with an impressive performance. The Welshman, driving for Toyota, dominated the two night stages held in dry conditions, opening up a significant 15.1-second lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. However, it was not an easy evening for Hyundai as all three of their entries experienced issues, hindering their chances in the rally.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak, the reigning champion, battled a throttle problem throughout the loop and finished the night in fourth place, trailing behind nine-time Monte Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier in third. Adrien Fourmaux, making his full-time Rally1 return with M-Sport, impressed by securing fifth place. Takamoto Katsuta from Toyota, Gregoire Munster from M-Sport, and Hyundai’s new recruit Andreas Mikkelsen completed the top eight. It was a disappointing start for Hyundai, as their hopes of a strong performance were compromised by the technical issues they encountered.
Elfyn Evans made a remarkable start to his season by lighting up the timing screens in the first stage of the rally. Despite uncertainty about the grip on the dry asphalt, the British driver set a benchmark time on the Thoard-St Geniez stage, outperforming his competitors. Ott Tanak came the closest to challenging Evans but fell 5.2 seconds short. Tanak revealed that he was battling a throttle issue during the stage, which affected his performance.
Thierry Neuville, driving for Hyundai, displayed his pace by finishing just 3.1 seconds slower than his new teammate Evans. Despite facing an increasingly dirty road surface due to gravel being dragged onto the asphalt, Neuville managed to maintain a competitive position. Sebastien Ogier, also from Toyota, struggled with the road conditions and finished 1.5 seconds behind Neuville.
Adrien Fourmaux put up a strong fight in the opening stages, securing the fifth fastest time overall. The M-Sport driver showcased his skills by posting a time 16.2 seconds adrift from Evans. Takamoto Katsuta, from Toyota, and Gregoire Munster, driving for M-Sport, followed closely behind, occupying the sixth and seventh positions, respectively.
Reigning WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen made his return to the top-flight WRC for the first time since 2019. However, the Norwegian driver struggled with the engine mapping on his Hyundai i20 N. Mikkelsen finished the night 32.9 seconds behind Evans, not achieving the desired performance in his comeback rally.
Elfyn Evans carried the momentum from the opening stage and continued his dominance by winning the second stage of the rally. The Bayons-Breziers test, held in front of a large crowd, featured some damp patches, adding to the challenging conditions. Evans outpaced Neuville by 6.8 seconds in this stage, further extending his lead. Tanak, on the other hand, faced a worsening throttle issue, dropping him to fourth place overall.
In the WRC2 category, Skoda’s Pepe Lopez took the lead. Sami Pajari, driving the new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, impressed by securing fourth place in the class, trailing behind the Citroen duo of Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel.
The rally will continue on Friday with six stages scheduled, covering a total distance of 105.72 kilometers. With the early lead and a strong performance in the opening stages, Elfyn Evans seems to be the one to watch as the Monte Carlo Rally progresses. However, Hyundai and the other competitors will be eager to bounce back from their challenging start and put up a fight for the top spot. As unpredictable as the Monte Carlo Rally can be, anything can still happen in the remaining stages of the event.
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