Pajari and Katsuta crash out on Monte final day opener

Icy conditions caught out two Toyota drivers on Monte's first stage of the final day

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Two Toyotas failed to complete the opening stage of the Monte Carlo Rally’s final day, with both Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta going off the road.

Pajari overshot the entry to a bridge and clattered into it, destroying the fencing on the left side and rolling into the ditch underneath. Both driver and co-driver were OK but their rally ended on the spot – and sixth place disappeared with it.

Only a few minutes earlier, seventh-placed Katsuta had been first to crack: he slid wide early in the test on a right-hander, clipping a wall and coming to rest just to the side of the road.

Overnight rain had subsequently frozen in places, putting traction at a premium: this didn’t help Katsuta’s case as he tried to extract the stricken GR Yaris Rally1, which simply would not budge. Spectators drew co-driver Aaron Johnston’s attention to the front-left wheel, which was lodged firm in a hedgerow.

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Katsuta remains without a top five finish on the Monte after seven attempts

Sébastien Ogier extended his lead to 24.3s with a stage victory, though put his fastest time down to tire choice: “The tyre choices are different, we will need this gap for the next one,” he explained, after setting the scratch time with studded snow tires fitted on every corner.

Four crews went for a cross-pattern of studded snow tires with slick supersofts: Pajari and Katsuta were two of them, as were Adrien Fourmaux and Kalle Rovanperä.

That choice proved detrimental for Fourmaux, who conceded third place to Hyundai team-mate Ott Tänak by 4.5s.

Following Pajari and Katsuta’s incidents, Thierry Neuville has moved up to sixth place, while Josh McErlean shifts up to seventh place in the lead M-Sport entry.

Katsuta was not registered for manufacturer points on this event; Pajari was, though with Toyota’s secondary manufacturer entrant, WRT2.

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