FIA World Rally: Monte Carlo preview, First race of the 2000 season
21 January 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
The Monte Carlo Rally is the oldest of all events in the World Rally Championship and was first held in 1911. The Principality of Monaco is an independent sovereign state located between the foot of the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean and it borders with several French villages. Thousands of spectators come to watch the Monte Carlo no matter what the conditions.
As a rally, it is perhaps one of the least predictable. Varying altitudes and weather conditions have an impact on road conditions - roads may be dry at the bottom of a mountain, snowy on the top and wet on the other side! This makes tyre choice difficult for drivers and critical for rally winners.
Tommi Makinen, reigning champion: "Of course Monte Carlo is always a very difficult rally and you never know what can happen, but we have done a lot of testing, in France and in Lapland, and I think we have some good solutions. The car is very nice to drive and I am looking forward to it," Richard Burns: "This rally is won by the person who makes the least mistakes. Getting tyres right really is crucial, but we've done some good testing with Pirelli and things are looking good. As far as the Championship goes, I've certainly got high expectations, but I'm just concentrating on getting the points at the moment."
Juha Kankkunen: "I think I'm better prepared for this year's event than I was last year, I've had more time with the team for testing and I know the car much better now. But this rally is not easy for sure, the conditions are always changing because of the weather - one minute it will be icy then half an hour later it's melted so we'll just have to see."
Colin McRae: "Everything is very unpredictable. The special stages themselves are not difficult but the constantly changing conditions, where the roads can be snowy and icy on one side of a mountain and bone dry on the other make it very hard,"
Carlos Sainz (Ford): "My target for the rally is to get more experience with the car and the ideal situation would be to finish and score points. A podium would be fantastic. It will be important to develop a good feeling straight away. If I'm confident with the car from the very beginning it will be much easier."
Francois Delecour: "It's going to be fast and furious straight into the opening stage, but the second day, which includes a 48km stage,promises to be the toughest. There will be a certain amount of pressure on me because I know a lot of people are counting on me. A French driver in a French car on the Monte Carlo is big news."
Gilles Panizzi: "The Monte Carlo is a magical if demanding event which enjoys a hugh media following. Winning it is every driver's dream. Its special feature is of course the fact that weather conditions can be so changeable. The profile of the stages can change completely between recce and the start, so experience is particularly important. But with only three previous starts to my name in the last ten years, including one as an amateur, I don't know the event that well. Even so, I showed last year that I can be competitive. I feel very confident."
Didier Auriol (Seat): "This year's Monte Carlo will be very different for me, as it will be with a new car, a new team and new tyres. Pre-season testing has gone well, and I believe we have achieved the best we can for the moment.The Cordoba WRC E2 is quite an easy car to drive, and for Monte Carlo we have worked a lot on the suspension, differentials and geometry to make it handle better on asphalt.
Winners from the 1999 Monte Carlo
1 Makinen Mitsubishi 5:16:50,6
2 Kankkunen Subaru 5:18:35,3
3 Auriol Toyota 5:20:43,4
4 Delecour Ford 5:20:51,8
5 Thiry Subaru 5:20:53,1
6 Liatti Seat 5:23:48,7
7 Rovanpera Seat 5:23:52,9
8 Burns Subaru 5:26:15,2
9 Lungaard Toyota 5:30:56,8
10 Duez Mitsubishi 5:43:31,2
Formula 2:
1 Gardemeister Seat 5:53:50,3 2 Maselli Renault
5:58:30,9
3 Rouit Citroen 6:14:43,1
Group N:
1 Duez Mit Carisma 5:43:31,2
2 Trelles Mit Evo V 5:51:07,7
3 Spiliotis Impreza WRX 5:54:59,7
Recent Winners.
1987 Miki Biasion/Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF 4WD (74.61 kph)
1988 Bruno Saby/Jean-Francois Fauchille Lancia Delta HF 4WD (85.27
kph)
1989 Miki Biasion/Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale (84.89
kph)
1990 Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale (93.53
kph)
1991 Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Toyota Celica GT-Four (89.98 kph)
1992 Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale (87.77
kph)
1993 Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (95.33
kph)
1994 Fracois Delecour/D.Grataloup Ford Escort RS Cosworth (94.83
kph)
1995 Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Subaru Impreza 555 (83.58 kph)
1996 Patrick Bernardini/B.Occelli Ford Escort RS Cosworth (85.50
kph)
1997 Piero Liatti/Fabrizia Pons Subaru Impreza WRCar (89.50 kph)
1998 Carlos Sainz/ Luis Moya Toyota Corolla WRC (80.42 kph)
1999 Tommi Makinen/Risto Mannisenmaki Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
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