Rossel made a successful start to his second season in the WRC2 category, driving a Citroën Rally2 car. Last year, he finished third in WRC2 in Monte Carlo, but this time he went better by scoring a stunning class victory.
Many had predicted that Rally Monte Carlo would be a showcase for Leo Rossel’s older brother Yohan Rossel. Competing in a Lancia this season, Yohan Rossel arrived with three consecutive WRC2 wins from previous years, but this time his rally ended early after he damaged his car on the very first special stage.
The younger of the Rossel brothers, Leo, mastered the demanding winter conditions better than anyone else. He moved into the lead early on the second day and never relinquished it thereafter.
Leo Rossel secured his first-ever WRC2 victory with a winning margin of two minutes over Italy’s Roberto Daprà. In the overall classification, he also claimed an impressive sixth place behind Rally1 stars Oliver Solberg, Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier, Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville.
Rossel’s performance can rightly be described as sensational.
“Crazy! This was the perfect way to start a new season and to take a win with a new team. A big thank you to the team for all the hard work,” Rossel said in an interview with RallyJournal.com.
“The car was perfect all week, even if at times the pace felt like my grandmother’s,” the 28-year-old French driver laughed.
Time gaps grew large as snowy, icy and slushy conditions made life extremely difficult for the crews. Rossel stuck firmly to his plan, which ultimately paid off with a breakthrough success.
“This year there was a lot of snow, so the plan was to avoid mistakes, complete all the stages and reach the finish. I think that turned out to be the perfect plan to win this rally,” Rossel reflected.
This season, Rossel is competing in a Citroën C3 Rally2 run by the French 2C Competition team. After Monte Carlo, he will take a short break from the WRC before returning in the spring.
“At the moment, the plan includes the rounds in Croatia, the Canary Islands and Portugal. I don’t have information about any other events at this stage,” Rossel said.
