Nine times World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb didn’t quite start the week’s event the way everyone expected. Word on social media was that he actually slid off the road and wrecked his recce car. No matter though, because by late afternoon he showed who was boss of the Monte by laying down the fastest shakedown time of the bunch on his very first run. Granted this is far from determining who will win the entire rally, especially with tire choices being the primary element deciding the victor. Be that as it may, “Le Maestro” showed that he hasn’t lost his talent yet! My favorite was this tweet from Becs Williams of WRC Live Radio:
Here are the official shakedown times. Loeb was followed closely by teammate Kris Meeke which shows the Citroen DS3 WRC is definitely on pace. Hot on their heels are two of the mighty Volkswagen Polo R WRCs driven by 2 time Champion Sebastien Ogier and his teammate Andreas Mikkelsen. Robert Kubica showed an impressive 5th fastest time, while surprisingly Sebastien Chardonnet got our attention with 8th fastest. Could yet another French Sebastien be in the hunt for the mighty Monte win? Don’t forget Special Stage 1 is LIVE tomorrow morning at 11AM Pacific (2PM Eastern) on WRC+ and MAVTV! Let the battle of the Sebs begin!
