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SS10 : Ogier closes the gap, Solberg holds firm

The first special stage on Saturday, between La Bréole and Bellaffaire, saw Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) clock his third fastest time in a row in this 94th Rallye Monte-Carlo and continue to close the gap on his teammates Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans.

The longest stage of the rally (29.93km) was covered in snow from start to finish at dawn when Ogier and his rivals set off. In these conditions of very limited grip, the Frenchman managed better than Evans, who was three seconds behind, and Solberg, who was twenty seconds behind.

SS11 : Solberg responds, Evans faster than Ogier

The leader of the rally Oliver Solberg (Toyota) reacted well in the 11th special stage between Vaumeilh and Claret (15.06 km), making the most of his position on the road to set the fastest time and extend his lead over his two closest rivals, his teammates Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier, to over a minute.

"In the previous stage, I had absolutely no grip and could have gone off at any moment. In this one, I felt better and was still careful. I managed my tyres well and I'm happy to have regained a bit of a lead," said the Swede at the stop point.

SS12 : Solberg gets a scare, Ogier eases off

Oliver Solberg made a mistake in SS12 on Saturday afternoon, but his drive through a snow-covered field did not prevent him from setting the fastest time in this stage. “I'm doing well, I was lucky. I hit a snow-covered section and couldn't avoid going off the road,” said the Swede after his mishap,

“I eased off the throttle, there was no point in taking risks in these conditions,” Ogier admitted at the stop point. The three Hyundai crews made mistakes but were able to continue, unlike Sami Pajari's Toyota.

Next event: Super Special Stage!