2015 Monte Carlo Rally 83ème Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo |
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Round 1 of 13 of the 2015 World Rally Championship
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Host country | Monaco | |
Rally base | Gap, Hautes-Alpes | |
Dates run | 22 – 25 January 2015 | |
Stages | 15 (335.48 km; 208.46 mi) | |
Stage surface | Tarmac and snow | |
Results | ||
Overall winner |
Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Volkswagen Motorsport |
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Crews | 94 at start, 78 at finish |
The 2015 Monte Carlo Rally (formally known as the 83ème Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 22 and 25 January 2015. It marked the eighty-third running of the Monte Carlo Rally, and was the first round of the 2015 World Rally Championship, WRC-2, WRC-3, Junior World Rally Championship and FIA R-GT Cup seasons.
Defending World Champion Sébastien Ogier started the season with a win in Monte Carlo, his second consecutive in the principality and the 25th of his WRC career. Returning nine-time World Champion Sébastien Loeb was the early leader of the rally, losing first position to Ogier on the seventh stage after a spin while negotiating a hairpin bend. On the next stage, Loeb hit a rock and lost a total of six minutes, before retiring in the following liaison section. This gave Ogier a lead of almost two minutes over Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. Despite being unable to monitor his rivals' split times during the stages under new rules, Ogier blended a controlled pace with safe tyre choices through the final two days to seal the victory. Latvala finished second, also taking one power stage point, with Andreas Mikkelsen completing a one-two-three for Volkswagen Motorsport. Citroën's Mads Østberg finished the event in fourth position. Hyundai Motorsport duo Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo finished in fifth and sixth, split by 0.8 seconds. M-Sport's Elfyn Evans finished seventh, having dropped time after he damaged his car's rear suspension against a wall. Evans finished ahead of Loeb, who rejoined under rally-2 rules and won two power stage points. The top ten was completed by Martin Prokop and Kris Meeke, who won the power stage to take three additional points.