OGIER'S MONTE MASTERCLASS

A record ninth victory puts the young champion in his place

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A record ninth Monte Carlo Rally win, all of them scored over an expanse of three decades for five different car manufacturers. Yes, eight-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier sure does have a claim to rival Sébastien Loeb as the special stages greatest of all time. It's just a pity that he's not bothered about equalling Loeb's record of nine world titles, because the WRC would be all the better for it if he were.

For the second year in succession, Ogier has committed only to a partial WRC campaign with Toyota Gazoo Racing, which once again robs the series - and us - of what would be a potentially eradefining duel between the Frenchman and new world champion Kalle Rovanperä.

As the Monte highlighted, the battle would most likely swing from rally to rally, and it would be impossible to call which way it would fall. The old master versus the 22-year-old new prodigy, in the same GR Yaris Rallyl but separated by 17 years in age? It's just what the WRC needs to draw much-needed attention. Instead, we will just have to savour the rivalry as and when Ogier turns up to remind us that he's still a force at 39.

OGIER'S MONTE MAGIC

Ogier's victory on the event he has made his own was never really in doubt as the new WRC season kicked off. He built a lead over Rovanperä of more than 30 seconds on the opening leg, before the Finn reduced that to just 16sec with a Saturday charge. But Ogier is too long in the tooth to bend to such pressure and there was no late puncture this time to thwart the big number nine, as was the case last year. Ogier's winning margin at the end of play was a comfortable 18.8sec, as Toyota celebrated a dominant one-two.

While it was sweet for Ogier, it was even more so for his new co-driver, Vincent Landais, for whom this was a first WRC win.