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Ogier slogs through the mud to keep Monte Carlo lead / Photo: © AFP
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Ogier slogs through the mud to keep Monte Carlo lead
Sebastien Ogier ploughed through the Monte Carlo mud on Saturday to retain his lead in the opening race of the World Rally Championship season.
The Frenchman failed to win any of the five stages but finished in the top five in all of them and ended the day leading Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans by 20.3sec.
"Like always very muddy," Ogier, who is driving part-time this season, said at the finish.
"Difficult to enjoy this one. It's better to have the advantage but still some tricky stages to go," the 41-year-old added.
Welshman Evans moved up to a place as he finished second as darkness fell in the last stage.
"It's getting pretty dark," he said at the line adding he was not feeling the pressure of the battle for podium places.
"It's not stressful. It is easy to know what to do."
Evans heads a trio of drivers separated by less than seven seconds.
French Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux is 4.3sec behind Evans.
Ott Tanak, who won the day's final three stages, was another 2.5sec back.
"It didn't work for me in the beginning but this afternoon it began to click and we found rhythm," said the Estonian Hyundai driver.
World champion Thierry Neuville was eighth, almost five minutes off the lead, after a series of disasters in his Hyundai.
"The target is to take some points tomorrow and then put this weekend behind us because there will be easier weekends," the Belgian Hyundai driver said.
Kalle Rovanpera, who went part-time last season after winning two world titles, lay fifth in his Toyota.
"I found myself again quite slow," he said.
"I have no answers," the Finn added.
The rally ends with three stages on Sunday morning with separate points available for the five fastest drivers on the day and for the closing Power Stage.
K.Torres--SFF
