Gilbert mantains JWRC advantage
Quentin Gilbert fought off a strong challenge from Terry Folb to retain the lead in the FIA Junior WRC standings after Friday’s second leg of Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Gilbert, who led after last night’s opening two stages, saw his advantage reduced to just a tenth of a second by Folb after today’s second stage. However, the Frenchman remained in front and inherited a comfortable lead of 1min 26.8sec when Folb retired after the final stage.
“We had a safe day without taking any risks and avoiding punctures. I’m very happy and had a good feeling in the car,” said Gilbert.
Engine issues cost Folb second place in the final stage and he retired after the test.
Norway’s Ole Christian Veiby moved into second and claimed his first stage win in SS6. He is more than two minutes clear of Christian Riedemann, the German recovering from sensor issues yesterday.
Simone Tempestini lost time with a puncture but is fourth, ahead of Alessandro Re and Yohan Rossel. Rossel suffered several punctures but ousted Dan McKenna, who retired after the last stage with gearbox issues.
All drivers are at the wheel of Citroen’s DS 3 R3 MAX cars.
