WRC – Breaking News – Loeb snatches dramatic Monte win from Ogier

2022 Rallye Monte-Carlo – Breaking News

Sébastien Loeb became the oldest winner of an FIA World Rally Championship round after grabbing a remarkable Rallye Monte-Carlo victory from the under the nose of old foe Sébastien Ogier on Sunday.

Ogier started the penultimate speed test of the four-day event with a lead of almost half a minute in his Toyota GR Yaris. But he limped to the finish with a front left puncture, allowing 47-year-old Loeb to reclaim a lead he had conceded to his fellow Frenchman on Saturday.

Loeb, driving a Ford Puma, stayed calm through the final test to win the opening round of the WRC’s new hybrid-powered era by 20.5 sec and seal his eighth Monte-Carlo success. Ireland’s Craig Breen finished third in another Puma, a further 1min 19.3sec behind.

Kalle Rovanperä won the Wolf Power Stage to claim five bonus points in a GR Yaris. Elfyn Evans scored four points in second in a similar car, with Thierry Neuville taking three in third in a Hyundai i20 N. Loeb secured two points in fourth with Ogier netting the final point in fifth.

In WRC2, defending champion Andreas Mikkelsen claimed victory while Sami Pajari & Enni Mälkönen are the WRC3 winners. 

More news to follow.