The rally can be won or lost on a good or bad choice. Each group of stages can contain tests which offer vastly different conditions that must be tackled on rubber chosen more than three hours before the action begins. There is no perfect tyre choice for such weather and frequently the secret for success is selecting compromise rubber which loses least time in the 'wrong' conditions. Reliable weather data from team personnel in the mountains and accurate condition checks from safety crews, allowed to drive the stages before competitors, are the key to the right tyres.
This year's opening leg will be held entirely in the dark, another challenge on a rally already regarded as one of the most difficult of the season and certainly the most unpredictable. It is the first time an entire leg has been held in darkness for more than 10 years.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
The big news prior to the event is that
Sebastien Loeb is still struggling following his mountain bike accident at the end of September. The Frenchman will not be at 100 per cent in Monte Carlo and it remains to be seen how this will affect things.
“I have yet to recover all my strength and I still have difficulty making certain movements,” he confirmed prior to the event. “I'm still a little stiff. But it's getting better all the time and I only feel pain when I make sudden movements. I was able to get in a lot of kilometres during testing and my injury didn't prevent me from being quick.
“Anyway, I intend to go into the rally as though nothing was wrong and see how it goes.”
In other news, the entry lists for Sweden and Norway have both been released, while the FIA has also confirmed the drivers’ that will take in the Junior and Production championships. In total 63 crews are set to start in Sweden, while 79 will make the trip to Norway, including Britain’s Guy Wilks, who will compete in a 2005 spec Ramsport-run Ford Focus WRC car.
