Sebastien Ogier has secured victory at the Monte Carlo Rally, the first round of the 2014 World Rally Championship, tonight; the Frenchman had a tough start to the event, ending up fourth overall on day 1. However, stage wins on the second and third days, combined with a small mistake by early leader Bryan Bouffier were enough for Ogier to snatch first position and claim victory in the end.
Bryan Bouffier put on a star performance to score his first ever WRC podium by finishing second overall, almost a minute ahead of eventual third-place man Citroen’s Kris Meeke who also impressed.
Hyundai’s return to the World Rally Championship was not ideal; its lead driver Thierry Neuville crashed out on the very first stage, while teammate Dani Sordo hit mechanical trouble on SS5 while running third.
Mads Ostberg’s first outing with Citroen was promising; the Norwegian finished fourth overall, followed by Volkswagen’s Jari-Matti Latvala who got extra points by winning the power stage.
Robert Kubica’s debut with M-Sport looked extremely well until the Pole crashed his Fiesta RS WRC from fourth place on SS9.