Hyundai's Ott Tänak sets the pace in the shakedown stage of the 2025 World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo, driving the new non-hybrid Rally1 car.
Hyundai's Ott Tänak claimed the top spot in the shakedown stage of the 2025 World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo. The event marked the competitive debut of the new non-hybrid Rally1 cars and tire supplier Hankook . The 3.28km Route de la Garde stage provided the first opportunity for drivers to test their skills against each other in the less powerful but 87-kilo lighter and more agile Rally1 vehicles.
It also served as an early indicator of driver adaptation to the non-hybrid cars and the all-new Hankook tires, which are making their WRC debut. The shakedown took place in challenging damp conditions, with some drivers experiencing them for the first time with the new rubber. Mud dragged onto the road after each pass further increased the difficulty. Tänak set the pace after the initial runs, clocking a time of 2m08.9s, which was 0.7s faster than his closest rival, Toyota's returning two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä. Tänak was unable to improve on his second run, finishing 1.6s slower, but his initial time secured him the top position at the end of the shakedown, ahead of Rovanperä. Nine-time and record Monte Carlo Rally winner Sébastien Ogier finished the shakedown in third place, setting his best time of 2m10.6s on his second run. The eight-time world champion was 0.1s slower than Rovanperä. Other top performers included Toyota team-mates Elfyn Evans (fourth) and defending world champion Thierry Neuville (fifth). Hyundai's new signing Adrien Fourmaux climbed to sixth, ahead of Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta. Rally1 debutant Josh McErlean made the most of his final run, shaving 8.8s from his first time to finish eighth fastest. His more experienced M-Sport team-mate Gregoire Munster was ninth, while the fifth Toyota GR Yaris driven by Rally1 rookie Sami Pajari rounded out the top 10.The rally officially begins on Thursday night with an extended three-stage (54.16km) schedule, held on Monte Carlo's famous twisting asphalt mountain roads in darkness
WWRC Rally1 Ott T\\U00e4nak Monte Carlo Rally Hankook Kalle Rovanper\\U00e4 Non-Hybrid Cars
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