LOEB WINS BATTLE OF THE MONTE MOUNTAIN ‘GOATS’

The 90th edition of the storied Monte Carlo Rally will be remembered for generations. It welcomed a new, unpredictable Rally1 hybrid era, but it was a couple of semi-retired elder statesmen who stole the show, as World Rally Championship legends Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier starred in an enthralling battle for the ages.

Imagine Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher going head-to-head almost at their peak. Well, this was rallying’s equivalent. When it was announced that nine-time champion Loeb would be making a WRC comeback on the Monte with M-Sport Ford, it set tongues wagging, especially once newly crowned eight-time champion Ogier confirmed that the event would feature in his now scaled-down partial programme for Toyota.

Sadly, rally fans have witnessed only fleeting tussles between Loeb and Ogier, the most notable in 2011 when they were Citroen team-mates, and the young pretender Ogier attempted to upstage the man they call Le Maestro. There have been other occasions when they have crossed swords, but all of these previous skirmishes were eclipsed by what played out last weekend.

With Loeb and Ogier sharing 17 world titles and 15 Monte Carlo wins, the potential for fireworks was there if they were equipped with competitive new machines. But there were questions marks surrounding Loeb. Could he still be competitive at the age of 47? Would Monte Carlo be a bridge too far after 12 days tackling the Dakar Rally, where he finished runner-up? Loeb answered those questions