Defending world champion Sebastien Ogier claimed the Monte Carlo rally lead following a tense battle with overnight leader Kris Meeke throughout the second day of the race on Friday.
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With three stages of the opening round of the World Rally Championship completed so far today, Citroen driver Meeke is just 1.5 seconds behind Ogier in his VW.
The Dungannon man said: “It’s early days yet, but the feeling with the auto is good”.
Ogier, who hit the front on the last morning stage, initially pulled away from the Citroen driver behind, establishing a five-second gap on the Corps – La Salle en Beaumont stage.
Last year’s Rally Argentina victor was quick to play down his shakedown scratch time, pointing out the rapid deterioration in the stage surface. The slide off the road is comically slow, you can nearly imagine him in the vehicle thinking about how ridiculous it is that he slides around corners at 100 miles per hour inches from buildings yet he’s going to crash into a tree thanks to a little bit of ice. “I made a small mistake”.
Sordo headed Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville, with Ogier’s Volkswagen team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Jari-Matti Latvala fifth and sixth.
But he overturned the deficit over the second stage, 20.38km between Barles and Seyne, to end the opening day with a 6.9sec lead over Ogier who is chasing a fourth win on the 84th edition of the storied rally.
“There must be something in this stage that Seb knows”, Meeke said.
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Robert Kubica was seventh and top Ford Fiesta RS WRC, two seconds up on Mads Ostberg on the Norwegian’s return to M-Sport.
