#RMC #2023 🇲🇨🌏🧡⭐️💯🔝🧡- SS 14: ROVANPERÄ IS BACK IN THE GAME! 🇲🇨 🌏🧡⭐️💯🔝🧡

S14: ROVANPERÄ IS BACK IN THE GAME!
Winner of 3 of the 6 stages today, the 2022 World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä had a successful day on Saturday, allowing him to be 16 seconds behind his team-mate Sébastien Ogier. Before the final day, which promises to be decisive, the suspense is complete. Here is a look back at the day’s highlights.
Rovanperä in the 100 Club!
It is only a step in the career of Kalle Rovanperä, 22, but it is significant: his 100th stage win in WRC, this morning between Le Fugeret and Thorame-Haute (SS9, 16.8km), to start off on a positive note Day 3 of the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo. This remains far from the 935 stage wins collected by the grand master of world rallies, Sébastien Loeb, but it is also the 1950th stage win for the Japanese brand in WRC.
Ogier pleases his fans
It is one of the classic stages of Rally Monte-Carlo, between Malijai and Puimichel, very close to Digne-les-Bains, and it is also “the closest stage to Gap and the area where I live, so there were lots of fans, thanks for the support”, said Sébastien Ogier after setting the best time in SS10 (17.31km), “a very nice old-school stage, with a lot of bumps”, added the eight-time World Champion.
Rovanperä heats up the rubber
To end this Saturday morning in style, SS11, on a very narrow and winding road between Ubraye and Entrevaux (21.78km), was the second longest of this 91st Rally Monte-Carlo (after SS2 on Thursday evening). And as you might expect, it did not escape a Toyota driver either. This time Kalle Rovanperä, as in SS9 earlier this morning, with a big gap (4.6 seconds) over his teammates, Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, tied for second place in this SS11.
The break of the day was again organised at midday in Puget-Theniers, in the presence of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Neuville and Hyundai open their counter!
Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport) won his first stage of the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo, and of the 2023 WRC season, during the second pass between Le Fugeret and Thorame-Haute (SS12, 16.8 km). The first stage win not scored by a Toyota Gazoo Racing driver since the start on Thursday evening.
SS13: Neuville doubles up!
Not only did Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport) recorded his first stage win of the year in SS12, he immediately did it again by being the fastest in SS13, the second pass between Malijai and Puimichel (17.31km), in front of many fans of Sébastien Ogier massed along this pretty country road dotted with bumps.
“I hurt my back a bit on one of the jumps, but it’s ok,” said the Belgian driver on the finish line. He had once again been faster than the three leading Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers, in the following order: Kalle Rovanperä at 0.2 second, Elfyn Evans at 3 seconds, Sébastien Ogier at 3.9 seconds.
“The stage was a bit dirty at the end, now there is only one left today, by night, it’s always nice in these conditions”, added the eight-time World Champion, focused more than ever on claiming an historical 9th win in the Principality on Sunday.
After SS13, Neuville is still 3rd overall, less than 10 seconds behind Rovanperä (2nd) who therefore has no room for error if he wants to preserve the hope, for Toyota, of a 1-2 on Sunday. Evans (4th) is now 22 seconds behind Neuville and the Japanese hat-trick no longer seems to be on the agenda, especially if no major incident happens on Sunday.
Rovanperä 16 seconds from Ogier
Sébastien Ogier will start the last day of the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo with a 16-second advantage over his young team-mate and successor Kalle Rovanperä, who closed Day 3 in style with a superb stage win in SS14, his 3rd of the day and 4th of the rally.
It was the stage with the greatest risks of a puncture, so I was very careful, same as for the first run this morning. I am happy that this stage is behind me”, a relieved Ogier said at the end of this long stage (21.78km) contested with full headlights glowing between Ubraye and Entrevaux.
After his passage to Puget-Théniers, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem came to the Principality this evening to visit the Service Park.
AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE MONACO 🇲🇨 🌏 🧡 ⭐️ 💯 🔝 🧡
23, Boulevard Albert 1er, MONACO 🇲🇨  🌏 🧡 ⭐️ 💯 🔝 🧡
Photos: #ACM_Media 🇲🇨🌏🧡⭐️💯🔝🧡
21th January #2023

Author pablo machi

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