The 73rd Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo takes place this coming weekend - the first round out of sixteen in the 2005
FIA World Rally Championship.
The Principality will also play host to the first round in the 2005 FIA Junior WRC.
Following a ceremonial start in Monaco on Thursday night, the rally gets underway on Friday morning at 0700hrs when crews travel 73km to the start of SS1. Including fifteen stages and a competitive distance of 314.46km, the event will conclude at 1430hrs on Sunday 23 January.
All three legs will start and finish in Monte Carlo and the service park will be based on the harbourside.
Special notes:
The Rallye Monte Carlo is the oldest and most prestigious event in the championship.
Contested on twisty mountain roads, the event can be as much of a lottery as the roulette played every evening in the principality's famous casino. Essentially an asphalt rally, unpredictable weather conditions make it one of the most challenging of the season.
Stages can start in thick snow and end in bright sunshine, while it's not uncommon for a driver to encounter wet asphalt, ice patches and full snow conditions in just a few kilometres.
The fast-changing climate makes predicting the levels of grip on the narrow roads extremely difficult. In such variable conditions, tyre choice is nearly always a compromise with drivers forced to base their decisions on a pattern that's suited to the majority of the stage.
The key to success is an ability to be fast when conditions and tyres are well matched, yet to maintain a competitive pace when the choice is less than ideal.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
Sebastien Loeb and
Citroen won the drivers' and constructors' championship last year, and they will be the team to beat this coming weekend, not least because they have also won the event for the last two successive years.
News from the Manufacturers' teams:
