WRC 2
Rapid Rossel rules WRC2 at Rallye Monte-Carlo
Léo Rossel claimed the biggest victory of his career at Rallye Monte-Carlo, keeping his cool while chaos unfolded around him to secure a commanding maiden WRC2 win on home soil.
The Citroën C3 Rally2 driver reached the finish with a dominant 2min 09.5sec advantage, a margin that ultimately belied the intense pressure he faced for much of the weekend from the debuting Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale of Nikolay Gryazin.
“It is incredible,” Rossel said. “I’m just happy. Thanks a lot to my team – it’s my first rally with them and to win here is special. This result is really important for my future.”
While the final classification appeared comfortable, Rossel’s success was forged through a titanic battle that was cut short on Saturday afternoon. Gryazin had rebounded impressively from rear suspension damage on Thursday to close to within 10.8sec of the lead by Saturday lunchtime, putting himself firmly in contention for a fairytale debut victory for Lancia.
That challenge unravelled on SS12 (La Bréole / Bellaffaire), where treacherous conditions saw snow turn rapidly to slush. Gryazin slid off the road and into a field, ending his hopes of victory, though he later restarted and reached the finish a distant sixth.
With Gryazin out of the picture, the fight for the remaining podium spots intensified. Roberto Daprà claimed second in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, while Arthur Pelamourgues turned heads with a stunning drive to third on his WRC2 debut – overtaking Eric Camilli, who nursed rear suspension damage through the closing stages.
Britain’s Chris Ingram rounded out the top five in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
