The final race weekend of the season in the World Rally Championship is already underway in Monza, Italy, but with two full days of racing still to come, the championship is still up for grabs. Given that this is the first time that Monza appears on the WRC schedule, all the drivers are at a bit of a disadvantage, as the course will be totally new to them. That little detail only adds to what is already an exciting weekend. It is Welshman Elfyn Evans who sits at the top of the driver standings at the moment, but he will need to hold off Sebastien Ogier, a man very familiar with winning, this weekend. Let’s take a closer look at what went down in the first stage on Thursday so you can go ahead and set down your bets against their WRC odds for the upcoming stage.
WRC 2020 Monza Rally Show Betting Analysis
The day opened with a speed test on a track that is referred to as the Temple of Speed. The track itself was slick after some snowfall on Thursday, with the just above zero temperatures making for a very slippery surface. It was Thierry Neuville who proved to be the fastest in the speed test, edging Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak by 2.1 seconds. Elfyn Evans had a rough go of things, which was something that was to follow him into the first main stage.
The technically difficult 4.33 KM Sottozero The Monza Legacy served as the opening stage of the three-day event, and it was the top 4 drivers in the standings who took the top 4 spots. It was Ogier, who is looking for his 7th WRC Championship who came out on top. It was a tight victory, though, as he finished just 0.5 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville and a further 1.5 seconds ahead of Ott Tanak. Current leader Elfy Evans finished 4th, 0.7 seconds behind Tanak.
The drivers will now get a little break before heading into the next round on Friday. There will be 5 stages in all on Friday, starting with a pair of passes through the 13.43 KM Junior test. That will be followed by two passes through the 16.22 KM Roggia circuit. The day will end at night, with the drivers heading out in the dark for the 10.31 KM Grand Prix test.
The champion will be decided on Saturday, but the eventual winner is going to be put through the wringer before they can climb up on the podium and take a bow. All told, the drivers will race close to 127 KM on Saturday, with the day ending with another night run of the Grand Prix test. Prior to that, they will go through Selvino, Gerosa, and Costa Valle Imagna, all of which will be on closed roads close to Lake Como. For now, Evans is still the favorite, as he has a 14-point lead at the top, but I would not count out Sebastien Ogier, as he seems to thrive under this type of pressure.
