Sébastien Ogier has moved into the lead of the Monte Carlo Rally at the end of day two after long-time leader Juho Hanninen hit trouble.
Although Hanninen and the Skoda team maintained their comfortable pace at the head of the field throughout most of the second day, it is the reigning Junior World Rally Champion Ogier who returns to parc ferme in Valence in the lead of the 77th Monte Carlo Rally.
Hanninen enjoyed a hard-earned advantage of a minute and a half until the final stage, when he picked up a front left puncture after about five kilometres. The crew took the decision to continue for the remaining 15 or so kilometres with the flat tyre, but more than two minutes were lost over the course of the stage.
As a result, Peugeot 207 S2000 driver Sebastien Ogier, who was selected for the BFGoodrich Drivers' Team seat, leads the Monte Carlo Rally by 32.4 seconds with one day and five more stages remaining. The reigning Junior World Rally Champion, making his Super 2000 debut, had no major problems throughout the day but he is locked in a close battle with Peugeot Belgium driver Freddy Loix, who currently occupies second place. Hanninen is now third after his unfortunate puncture, just five seconds behind Loix. Like most people, Ogier found it hard to judge just how much grip was available on the icy stages and it proved impossible for everyone to predict how the weather conditions would evolve.
However, Hanninen was not the only person to encounter problems. Irishman Kris Meeke dropped some time as the result of an off-road excursion in the morning but is still firmly in contention for a podium place. The situation was considerably worse for reigning IRC champion Nicolas Vouilloz. The Frenchman's title defence has got off to an unfortunate start after he hit a rock on SS7 and damaged the steering of his Peugeot Belgium 207 S2000 - forcing him into instant retirement.
One of the first upsets of the day was an off for Le Mans star Stephane Sarrazin, who put his factory Peugeot off the road on the opening stage of the day and lost five minutes. Once more, tyre choice was the main issue of the day, with the route containing a wide mixture of conditions including ice, grease, damp and snow. The factory Abarth team of Giandomenico Basso and Anton Alen both felt that they had not always made the correct tyre choices throughout the day, with Alen's rally being further complicated by a fire that broke out in the footwell of his Grande Punto during the final stage. He also lost time after being stuck behind another competitor who encountered problems.
For those who made the correct choices or took some lucky gambles, there were several important gains to be had. Toni Gardemeister (Abarth) and Jan Kopecky (Skoda) both set impressive times throughout the day after choosing the right tyres for the conditions. The eighth stage, the epic St Bonnet le Froid test, was particularly momentous for Skoda, as the Czech team set first and second fastest times thanks to Hanninen and Kopecky.
It was another good day for the young Franz Wittman Junior in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 run by Stohl Racing. The Austrian ends the second day of his first Monte Carlo Rally in 10th overall, having found the right compromise between speed and safety in the treacherous conditions.
The IRC 2WD Cup continues to be led comfortably by Italian driver Manuel Villa, in a Fiat Punto S1600. Local man Guy Mottard, in a Peugeot 206 RC , is second while Englishman Nick West is third in a Volkswagen Polo.
IRC RESULTS AFTER SS9, RALLYE AUTOMOBILE MONTE CARLO (MONACO)
1Ogier/Ingrassia Peugeot 207 S2000 2h35m09.8s
2 Loix/Smets Peugeot 207 S2000 +32.4s
3 Hanninen/Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +54.8s
4 Meeke/Nagle Peugeot 207 S2000 +59.2s
5 Gardemeister/Tuominen Abarth Grande Punto S2000 +1m40.7s
6 Sarrazin/Renucci Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m42.6s
7 Kopecky/Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +4m10.6s
8 Basso/Dotta Abarth Grande Punto S2000 +4m17.8s
9 Alen/Alanne Abarth Grande Punto S2000 +8m12.8s
10 Wittmann/Ettel Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +10m01.8s
International
