It’s Electric Mobility Week once again in the Principality of Monaco, culminating in the Grand Départ, scheduled for Wednesday on the Place du Casino, of the 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, which will be broadcast live by Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) on its YouTube and FaceBook channels.

There are 63 crews entered this year, most of them amateurs, with only two still aiming for the title of Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup Champion at the start of this 11^th (and penultimate) round of the 2024 season: reigning FIA champions Michal Zdarsky and Jakub Nabelek (Hyundai Kona) from the Czech Republic lead the overall standings, with two rounds to go. But they are only 13 points ahead of the Italian-Polish duo of Guido Guerrini and Artur Prusak (Kia E-Niro). Prusak is no stranger, far from it. Before becoming co-driver, he was a driver in 2016 when he won the 1^st E-Rallye Monte-Carlo with Thierry Benchetrit at his side.

Several former winners at the start

Several other winners, both drivers and co-drivers, will take the start on Wednesday of this 2024 edition, including Didier Malga and Anne-Valérie Bonnel (2017), in a Tesla Model 3, Frédéric Lansiaux and Nicolas Buhot (2021), in a VW ID3, Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola (2022) as well as Spaniards Eneko Conde and Lukas Sergnese (2023), in Kia EV6s. Thierry Benchetrit, still a co-driver, he will be embarked in a Tesla Model 3 with Pierre Bonneau at the wheel. With another new feature on Wednesday afternoon: an e-Shakedown, between the start in Monaco and the RS1, to fine-tune the final settings of the 63 cars.

Le palmarès de ces dernières éditions du 𝐄-𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨 ️

On est impatient de voir qui remportera le Trophée de 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

—
2016 – Toyota Mirai – A.Prusak & T.Benchetrit
2017 – Tesla S – D.Malga & A.V.Bonnel
2018 – Toyota Mirai – A.Stricher & H.Lara… pic.twitter.com/CQ4PMYfPj8

— Automobile Club de Monaco (@ACM_Media) October 21, 2024

Great Champions

As of last year, the Belgian rally champion Bruno Thiry (the 2003 European Rally Champion) in another VW, an ID4, from the Belgian VW Club, and Italian ex-F1 driver Stefano Modena (70 Grands Prix to his name, 3^rd in Monaco in 1989) in an Audi e-tron, will also be among the genuine stars. And Michel Decremer, the Belgian winner of Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique earlier this year, has swapped his Opel Ascona for a VW ID3 entered by the Belgian VW Club. He and co-driver Jennifer Hugo know a thing or two about hourly averages, so we’ll have to add him to the list of contenders for overall victory on Saturday evening, after 250 km of timed sections spread over 14 Regularity Stages (RS). And a little nod to the WRC to finish, by christening the SR14 “Avis e-Power Stage”, with a specific trophy for the winning crew.

Two Media crews, seven 100% women’s crews

This year’s Media section will feature two crews carrying the colours of Nice Matin and Radio Vinci Autoroutes, instead of just one last year. They will be able to tell the story of this unique rally from the inside, in real time, to thousands of readers and listeners. Denis Carreaux (Nice Matin) will team up with Frédéric Mlynarczyk in a BMW I4, and Virginie Decorte (Radio Vinci Autoroutes), his former co-driver, will join Ilona Laffite, a journalism student and great-niece of Jacques, the famous F1 driver, in one of the seven 100% all-female crews of this 2024 edition.

The line-up is more diverse than ever: 18 carmakers, 40 different models, 17 nationalities represented, and a stronger female presence than ever. Since there are two other female drivers, Dutchwoman Beitske Visser (Polestar) and Belgian Nadia Delvaux (Peugeot e208), with a man in the right-hand bucket, and a dozen other female co-drivers.

Totally secret route

As of last year, the route will remain totally secret until one hour before the start of each competitor, every day. This applies to all four legs, scheduled from Wednesday to Saturday in three French départements: Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes de Haute-Provence and Var, with a short jaunt, as in 2023, on the heights of the Italian Riviera, just over the border.

All the crews taking part will have two main objectives: to respect the average hourly speed set by the organizers in each timed section, while managing the energy required to return to Monaco at the end of the loop. Given the increasing autonomy of electric cars, this should no longer be a major problem. For the first time, 2 legs of over 300 kilometers each will be offered to competitors in perfect autonomy, further proof of the technological progress of these cars. And there’s a further advantage: 500 Monaco Oncharging points are now dotted around the streets and parking lots of the Principality, allowing crews to recharge while they rest. No stress!