MOTORSPORT: Ford wins Monte Carlo Rally

Winless the past four years in the World Rally Championship, Ford has been victorious in the first event of the new era of the sport – the ‘crown jewel’ Monte Carlo Rally – with the more aggressive 1.6-litre turbocharged four-wheel-drive cars.

Toyota was second in the heaviest snow and ice on the Monte in recent years in its return to world rallying for the first time this century.

The Ford victory, with a Fiesta prepared by M-Sport, came in the WRC debut with the Blue Oval of French superstar Sebastien Ogier and his countryman and co-driver Julien Ingrassia, world champions the past four years with Volkswagen before its sudden withdrawal from rallying.

It was Ogier’s fourth Monte victory in a row, the fifth of his career on the event in the French Alps near his home, and came despite dropping 40sec early when he got stuck in a ditch. Ogier’s M-Sport teammate, Estonian Ott Tanak, took third place despite engine woes.

Second place was seized by the Tommi Makinen-built Toyota driven by Finn Jari-Matta Latvala, another driver freed by VW’s withdrawal and who finished over 2min behind Ogier and almost 43sec in front of Tanak.

Tanak’s new co-driver, his countryman Martin Jarveoja, joined an elite group to have secured a podium on their world rally car debut.

M-Sport’s victory was its first on the Monte since its success with Finnish great Marcus Gronholm in 2006 and Ford was the only manufacturer to secure a one-two on the stages – which it did three times.

Ogier took the lead late on Saturday’s penultimate leg when Belgian Thierry Neuville, who had led from Thursday night’s start and been more than a minute clear at one point, broke his Hyundai i20 Coupe’s suspension after running wide on stage 13 and hitting “something like concrete”.

“It always feels good to win the Monte, but this year we had one of the most difficult challenges we have ever had,” Ogier said.

“We had to contend with some really demanding conditions and also had a new car and a new team – it’s really incredible. To be here now, on the top-step of the podium, I’m very happy.”

M-Sport team principal Malcolm Wilson said he “can’t put into words the feeling in the team right now”.

“It’s been five years since we have stood on the top step of the podium [at the 2012 Rally Great Britain in Wales] and I can tell you that it’s a feeling we want to continue,” Wilson said.

“Once again, we have won on our debut with a new car and I think that just goes to prove the high level of expertise we have in this company. You just have to look at the performance of all three drivers – Sebastien, Ott and Elfyn [Welsh driver Elfyn Evans] all securing stage wins.

“We have got a great base car in the Ford Fiesta WRC. We know that we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we’ve certainly got something good to work with.”

Citroen had an unfortunate return to full-time WRC competition with its new C3. Its top driver, Northern Irishman Kris Meeke, was a little too fast over a crest on Friday, skidded into a patch of ice and smashed against a bank, damaging his suspension. He retired from that leg and then on Saturday joined the list of definitive retirements when somebody drove into him on a road section.

Irishman Craig Breen was the best finisher for Citroen – fifth in an old DS3, 12sec behind Sordo.

Hyundai and Neuville were devastated to have squandered the opportunity to start the season with a win but took some consolation from the i20’s “exceptional pace”.

While Neuville claimed the maximum five points under the new scoring system for the final Power Stage, Spaniard Dani Sordo wound up the best-placed finisher of the Hyundai drivers in fourth place – 38sec behind Tanak.

New Zealander Hayden Paddon was out of the rally on the first stage, having run wide, struck and killed a Spanish spectator.

Later Paddon said: “I will take this chance to ask spectators at rallies to please be considerate where you stand and to respect the instructions of the marshals. We all want to enjoy a good show and go home to the family afterwards.”

Toyota was delighted not only at Latvala’s podium first up in what it has called a development year for the Yaris but that he and teammate Juho Hannien set top-three stage times, although the latter’s rally came to an end when he hit a tree.

Conditions could be equally as difficult on the second round of the WRC in Sweden on February 9-12.