Rallye Monte Carlo Day 2

Not much has changed in the top 4 after day two in Monte Carlo. Sebastien Loeb has extended his lead, and he now holds an advantage of over a minute and half. Ford’s David Duval and Markko Martin will fight it out for second place tomorrow, with Duval currently holding a slim lead. Marcus Gronholm is holding steady in fourth, though he’ll need a mistake by one of the front-runners to gain any ground. Petter Solberg is in fifth, with a comfortable cushion. This will actually be a good start to Solberg’s title defence, as he’s never scored points in Monte Carlo before. Freddy Loix should get his Peugeot campaign off to a good start if he can hold sixth place. Gilles Panizzi holds seventh place, and though his opinion of the new Lancer isn’t exactly glowing, the car has been reliable enough for a points finish. Antony Warmbold rounds out the points in eighth. The day’s only real drama was Carlos Sainz shunt and retirement due to a spin in snow. Both Sainz and Loeb complained that they thought spectators were pushing snow into the road, making the conditions more treacherous.

Not much should change in the standings tomorrow, barring accidents. Loeb should win his second consecutive Monte Carlo. It should be an interesting battle for second place, however — perhaps Ford manager Malcolm Wilson will give team orders to maintain the good manufacturer’s race points haul. It will also be interesting to see if Solberg will make a run at Gronholm. There aren’t many competitve kilometers left, but Solberg tends to drive at his best on day three.