Victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo for Sebastien Ogier was, a record eighth success in one of motorsport’s great classics and a 50th FIA World Rally Championship event win for the French maestro.

Ogier delayed his WRC retirement for an extra year in the hope of occasions such as this and the man born little more than a stone’s throw from the host town of Gap in the French Alps, struggled to keep his emotions in check at the Monaco finish.
 

“This is the rally that gave me the dream to be a driver one day. The rally I watched as a kid and back then, I was dreaming just one day to have the chance to do it,” he explained.
 

 “It has a lot of meaning for me, and this is also the reason I was quite emotional on the podium. Collecting eight trophies from this rally is something I would have never thought of and I am very proud of it.”
 

Driving for the Toyota Gazoo Racing team with co-driver Julien Ingrassia on the notes,  Ogier’s victory moved him ahead of Sebastien Loeb in the Rallye Monte-Carlo winners list. It was also his 50^th World Rally Championship win of his career.