Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia had a perfect start to their 2016 FIA World Rally Championship as they took victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo in their Volkswagen Polo R WRC.
Throughout the first half of the rally, Ogier battled hard with the Citroen of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle as they swapped stage times and the overall lead of the rally, this was until Meeke was forced out of the running when a rock ripped out the sump of his car and damaged the gearbox.
After this point Ogier remained unchallenged as he took a Power Stage win on the way to his fourth Rallye Monte-Carlo victory.
“This is an iconic rally and one that all drivers dream of adding to their list of victories,” said Ogier. “Doing it for the third time in the WRC and the fourth time in our career makes us very proud, what makes the Monte-Carlo so special is the unpredictability of the road conditions.
“Dry sections alternate continuously with icy ones, so choosing the tyres is a fine art. Our weather crew were a big help in this respect and they’re an important part of our success, as indeed are the whole of the Volkswagen Motorsport team – flawless as usual.”
“I’d also like to thank all the fans who came here to support us. It was great to see such an atmosphere alongside the roads and in the park. This victory is particularly sweet and it’s a very special feeling to start the year this way.
“The championship looks like it’ll be an exciting one, our opponents have shown us that we’ll have to fight to keep the momentum going. Before thinking about the rest of the season though, we’re going to savour this wonderful feeling.”
