Thierry Neuville is the unofficial leader of the 2017 World Rally Championship-opening Monte Carlo Rally, after a first night that was disrupted by a crash for his Hyundai teammate Hayden Paddon. Neuville beat Sebastien Ogier – now driving for M-Sport – by 0.7s in SS1. But Paddon’s crash behind meant the stage was cancelled sending the classification for the rally into disarray. Not far from the end of the first stage of the WRC’s dramatic new rules package, Paddon crashed on a medium-speed left hander as he lost control on a patch of ice. A spectator was involved and taken to hospital but Paddon and co-driver John Kennard went unscathed. Neuville the increased his advantage...
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