Day 2 of this very lively 8th edition of E-Rallye Monte-Carlo ended on a high note, and RS6, between Ubraye and Entrevaux (23.4 km), did not disappoint the 62 competitors. It ended with a Tesla one-two, and even a French one-two, as Christian Grimaldi (who’s not from Monaco…) and Jean-Baptiste Loty (Tesla Model S) did slightly better than Didier Malga and Anne-Valérie Bonnel (Tesla Model 3) on this difficult but dry road.

As in the previous regularity stage, Olivier Campana and Nicolas Milanesio, in their BMW i4 flying the colours of Yacht Club de Monaco, shone: they finished tied 2^nd with the Malga-Bonnel tandem (winners in 2017) and they consolidated their 2^nd place overall behind the very regular Eneko Conde and Lukas Sergnese (Kia EV6 GT). The Spanish winners of the 2023 edition, who finished 6^th in this RS6, continue to race at the front, without making any major mistakes. On Thursday evening, however, they only had a lead of 30 points over Campana and Milanesio, with 8 RSs remaining on the menu until Saturday evening.

One Kia vs 5 VWs?

We’re not even halfway through this 2024 edition, and one scenario seems to be taking shape: the Spanish title holders’ Kia EV6 GT is more than ever a candidate to repeat success in the Principality, but the battalion of Belgian Volkswagens has not yet said its last word – far from it. There are five in the Top 10, after 6 out of 14 RSs.

As for the last two crews in contention for the world title, that of the overall winner of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup, they are currently a little behind: Michal Zdarsky and Jakub Nabelek (Hyundai Kona) in 5^th place, Guido Guerrini and Artur Prusak (Kia E-Niro) in 8^th. So nothing’s decided yet…

Classification RS6

Happiness never comes alone. After the Italian-Monegasque Pastor-Gazzola team in RS3, it was a 100% Monegasque duo, consisting of Olivier Campana and Nicolas Milanesio, in a BMW i4 in the colors of the Yacht Club de Monaco, who best managed RS5 in the early afternoon, on the famous Colle Saint-Michel between Thorame Haute and Le Fugeret: only 40 penalty points, over a distance of 18.4 km, with a very narrow climb and a beautiful descent to Annot.

They weren’t the only ones to almost perfectly respect the average imposed by the organizers, as they finished 1st ex-aequo with Bulgarians Kalin Dedikov and Nikolay Kitanov (Kia EV6) and Frenchmen Christian Grimaldi and Jean-Baptiste Loty (Tesla S). Ahead of the other Tesla of Didier Malga and Anne-Valérie Bonnel (4th), in much better form than in the morning, and the Belgians Bernard Heine and Valérie Piette (5th), who had just won the SR4 in their VW ID7 Tourer.

Once again, Eneko Conde and Lukas Sergnese (Kia EV6 GT), the 2023 winners, were up to the task, taking a cautious 7th place to salvage their overall lead in this 8th edition, ahead of RS5 winners Campana and Milanesio. For the moment, the provisional podium is occupied by Belgian Bruno Thiry, European Rally Champion in 2003. He is starting to appreciate this form of modern and silent rallying, even if he finds it a bit slow, compared to the best part of his career.

Classification RS5

The Belgian armada in the 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo was in full attack mode on Thursday morning, putting in a fine performance between Saint Martin d’Entraunes and Col des Champs (RS4, 16,1 km), at an altitude of over 2,000 meters. Hot on the heels of a 2^nd place in RS3, Bernard Heine and Valérie Piette were the most efficient in RS4, in their VW ID7 Tourer. They were closely followed, at ten penalty points only, by their compatriots Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo, in an ID3 also entered by the Belgian VW Club.

A third Belgian VW Club crew made it into the Top 5 of this stage, in the ID4 driven by Bruno Thiry, the 2003 European rally champion, and perfectly navigated by Laurent Secrétin. Just behind it was the BMW EX2 of Monegasques Olivier Campana and Nicolas Milanesio, flying the colours of Yacht Club de Monaco. And two other crews completed the Belgian demonstration: Antoine Dechamps and Bernard Verstraete (VW ID4), tied 7^th with Eric Cunin and Virginie Palizeul (VW ID3). The score was impressive: five Belgian duos in the Top 8 of this RS4.

Conde-Sergnese stay in the lead

In the overall standings, Eneko Conde and Lukas Sergnese (Kia EV6 GT), the 2023 winners, did the job again: by adding a 4^th place in RS4 to their 5^th place in RS3, they consolidated their position as leaders of this 8^th edition, with 400 penalty points, now chased by three Belgian VWs (Dechamps, Decremer, Thiry) determined to spoil their day, and if possible the rally.

In the Ladies Cup, another Belgian driver, Nadia Delvaux, partnered by Jean-Marc Piret in a Peugeot e-208, is currently leading the way, in 17^th place overall. In front of Doris Mattei (Hyundai Kona), 24^th, and Beitske Visser (Polestar), 27^th, who occupy with her the forefront of the women’s contingent. In the Colmars les Alpes regrouping park, a small snack was offered by the medieval town and all 62 crews then left silently for the two remaining stages of this 2^nd Leg.

Classification RS4

Monegasque driver Jacques Pastor took his Kia EV6 to the top of the SR3 standings on Thursday morning, well-aided by his Italian co-driver Fulvio Gazzola, the mayor of Dolceacqua. The crew entered by Mairie de Monaco took just 70 penalty points over 13.1 km between the Valberg ski resort, Péone and Guillaumes, and thus did better than the VW ID7 Tourer station wagon of Belgians Bernard Heine and Valérie Piette.

The 3^rd place in this RS3 was taken by Bulgaria’s Kalin Dedikov and Nikolay Kitanov, in another Kia EV6, ahead of the Tesla Model 3 of Piotr Moson and Etienne Sorlet, followed by another Kia EV6, the GT of Eneko Conde and Lukas Sergnese, winners of last year’s 7th edition. Their 5th place enabled the Spanish title-holders to regain control of the overall standings, taking advantage of the poor performance of Michel Decremer, leader on Thursday morning when he left the Parc Fermé in Monaco, but only 38th in this SR3, with a carload of penalty points.

The surprise of the day was the excellent performance of 19-year-old Ilona Laffite, the youngest member of the field, who has teamed up with Virginie Decorte in the Mini Countryman N.16 entered by Nice Matin and Radio Vinci Autoroutes: 7th in this RS3, a fine result for her very first E-Rallye. The next special stage, RS4, was to take the 62 crews (since the withdrawal of Tesla S number 52) to the summit of Col des Champs, at an altitude of over 2,000m. An unprecedented altitude for E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, before regrouping in Colmars les Alpes, a medieval town fortified by Vauban.

Classification RS3

The 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo really started on a high, on Wednesday, just a stone’s throw from the Principality. And another former winner, Frédéric Lansiaux (VW ID3), winner in 2021, was at his most effective in RS2, the 27.8 km long ascent of Col de Turini. Well assisted by his co-driver Nicolas Buhot, the Frenchman took just 90 penalty points and finished tied 1st with another VW, the ID4 of Belgium’s Antoine Deschamps and Bernard Verstraete, and the Kia EV6 GT of Portugal’s Eduardo Carpinteiro and José Carlos Figueiredo (n°27).

Places of honour were taken by Belgians Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo (n°7), 4th in this RS2, so that the winners of the last Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique are on top the overall standings on Wednesday evening, in their Belgian VW Club ID3, ahead of last year’s winners, Spanish duo Eneko Conde-Lukas Sergnese (Kia EV6 GT). As for 5th place, it went to another Belgian driver, Bruno Thiry (n°17), the 2003 European rally champion, partnered by Laurent Secrétin in an ID4.

One thing is already certain, after two regularity stages (out of 14): this 8th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo is going to be intense, fierce and undecided from start to finish. It would be hard to predict the name of the winning team on Saturday evening. And from Thursday onwards, with four regularity stages per day, there will still be plenty of opportunities for many crews to shine.

Classification RS2

The battle of the chiefs got off to a flying start in the 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo. On Wednesday afternoon in RS1 (Col de Braus-Peira-Cava, 15,7 km), Spain’s Eneko Conde (Kia EV6 GT), last year’s winner, and France’s Didier Malga (Tesla Model 3), victorious in 2017, tied for 1^st. They took just 80 penalty points each, thanks to the talent of their highly experienced co-drivers, Lukas Sergnese in the Kia and Anne-Valérie Bonnel in the Tesla. A very successful start in totally unexpected weather conditions – rain and fog – for the 63 crews who had set off from Monte-Carlo’s Casino Square, at siesta time, in bright sunshine.

Behind these two previous winners, a Belgian duo shone, consisting of Bernard Heine and Valérie Piette in a VW ID7 Tourer, and the current Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup leaders, Czechs Michal Zdarsky and Jakub Nabelek, took 4^th place in their Hyundai Kona. They edged out two other Belgians, Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo: the winners, last February, of Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, have traded their venerable Opel Ascona, with a 100% non-electric engine, for a Volkswagen ID3 entered by the Belgian VW Club !

This first Regularity Stage of the rally was preceded, for the first time in the history of E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, by an E-Shakedown between Sainte-Agnès and Peille, in full sunshine and with a breathtaking view over the Mediterranean. To end this first day, the 63 crews still had to climb the famous Col de Turini (RS2, 27.8 km), between Peira-Cava and Sospel. Before returning to the Principality to recharge, at one of 500 Monaco On charging stations in the Principality, the beautiful cars taking part in this 8^th edition of “the greatest event in the whole Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup”, according to Eneko Conde himself.

Classification RS1

Two major partners of E-Rallye Monte-Carlo since its inception, the Nice Matin group and Radio Vinci Autoroutes will tell the story of this 8^th edition from the inside, thanks to the crews of a BMW i4 and a Mini Countryman carrying the colours of their media. In the big German sedan (N.15), Denis Carreaux and Frédéric Mlynarczyk. In the tiny English car (N.16), Ilona Laffite and Virginie Decorte, a 100% female duo.

Denis Carreaux is the Editor of the region’s largest daily newspaper, and he will be giving his daily driver’s impressions in the columns of Monaco Matin. He is well aware of the importance of the E-Rallye Monte-Carlo in “encouraging electric mobility” and once again demonstrating “the very strong links between Nice Matin and Automobile Club de Monaco”, he stressed on Wednesday, live on the ACM networks, just before taking the start, for the 5th time. With two great memories in mind: a tied 1^st place in a Regularity Stage in the Var department, two or three years ago, and “a very turbulent night in Col de Turini, in the middle of a storm, when the gearshift lever on my Zoé got stuck in my hands”.

Virginie Decorte was Denis’s usual co-driver on previous participations, but she changed everything this year: she took the start in a Mini Countryman alongside Ilona Laffite, daughter of Bruno and great-niece of Jacques, the legendary Ligier Formula 1 driver. Ilona is only 19, a journalism student, and she’s delighted to be taking part in her first E-Rallye Monte-Carlo. As for her co-driver, Virginie, she has been on the airwaves of Radio Vinci Autoroutes since 2001, and hardly ever misses this E-Rallye Monte-Carlo which, from anecdotal in the beginning, has become “unmissable” today, according to her. The new navigation tools are very appealing to her, and she points out that crews no longer need to search desperately for recharging points, given the progress made over the last few years in terms of car autonomy and coverage of the country.

To conclude, the objectives of the two Media crews are totally clear: to break into the Top 20, distinguishing themselves in some of the 14 Regularity Stages on the week’s menu for the Carreaux-Mlynarczyk duet; to win the Ladies Cup, against six other 100% female crews and two other female drivers, one Dutch and one Belgian, for the Laffite-Decorte tandem. Let’s get started!

Technical and administrative scrutineering came to an end at midday on Wednesday, as planned, for 63 crews taking part in the 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo. The battle can start, on the roads of the Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Alpes de Haute-Provence and across the Italian border. From now until Saturday, spectators will be in for a treat, since the field is very strong, as always.

For this 11^th round (of 12) of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup 2024, Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) is particularly spoiled: 40 different models entered by 18 manufacturers. Here’s an overview of the forces at work, just a few minutes before the Grand Départ on Place du Casino, broadcast live on the ACM’s FaceBook and YouTube accounts.

Tesla is out in force

As every year, Tesla, the American pioneer of the electric car, is well represented: 15 cars entered, i.e. almost a quarter of the field, and all the models in the range invented by billionaire Elon Musk, from Didier Malga’s Model 3, winner in 2017, to the Model X and Model Y, not forgetting the Plaid variant.

On the European side, diversity is the order of the day, with German brands BMW and Volkswagen particularly well represented. The big Bavarian brand is fielding four cars, including an i4 for one of the Nice-Matin / Radio Vinci Autoroutes crews, an iX2 for Yacht Club de Monaco and an iX5 for Force Publique de Monaco. Another BMW will be entered by a Ukrainian crew.

Volkswagen as well

Its mass-market rival, historically based in Wolfsburg, can count on an armada of 12 cars (ID3, ID4, ID5, ID Buzz), thanks to two very involved clubs: the VW ID Drivers Club and the Belgian VW Club, which is entering an ID3 for Michel Decremer, winner of the last Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique in February, and an ID4 for Bruno Thiry, European rally champion in 2003.

To spice up the line-up, there’s nothing quite like Korean cars (12 in all), with a wide variety of models produced by Kia and Hyundai, Seoul’s two great rivals. On one side, Kia EV6s, notably for the 2023 winner, Spaniard Eneko Conde, and E-Niro cars, including that of Italy’s Guido Guerrini, currently 2^nd in the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup. On the other hand, Hyundai Konas, starting with that of Czech Michal Zdarsky, championship leader with two rounds to go, and a Ionic 5 entered by Be Safe, the association that escorts Monegasque partygoers home early in the morning.

First outing for the R5

Last but not least, a number of French brands will once again be taking part in the E-Rallye, with Richard Frau’s new Renault 5 “Evolution” starring in the first official outing on the roads of the latest model from the Losange brand. There will also be a Zoé, two Mégane E-Tech, a Peugeot e208, a Citroën C4, a DS3, and a host of other European cars (Audi, Cupra, Fiat, Mini, Volvo, etc.), to demonstrate the vitality of the old continent’s automotive industry.

Technical checks are complete. Now it’s time for the e-Shakedown and the first two regularity stages, SR1 and SR2, which were kept secret until one hour before the start. The 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo is underway!

Follow the E-Rally with a whole new experience!

Just a few hours before the start of the ^8th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, the 11th^and penultimate round of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup 2024, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) will be offering live coverage of the Grand Départ, for the first time in the already long history of this extraordinary event. Find out more about the different ways to follow the event.

Starting at 1:45pm on Wednesday, Internet users will be able to log on to the ACM’s FaceBook and YouTube accounts (see links below) to watch the Grand Départ of the first competitors live, from 2pm onwards, on the sumptuous Place du Casino de Monte-Carlo, during a broadcast hosted by Alexandre Khaldi.

Numerous guests will be present alongside Alexandre, content creator and a great fan of motor sport in all its forms. There will be celebrities in attendance, as well as drivers, experienced and amateur, and organisers of this 8^th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, whose entry list is plethoric: 18 car manufacturers, 40 different models, for a total of 63 crews entered, from 17 different nationalities!

During this live broadcast, a first in the long history of E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, the main features of the event will be explained, as well as all the details of the regulations. Web surfers will gain an even better understanding of what a regularity event is, and the subtleties that enable certain crews to perform better than others, often.

It will be a fun, educational and above all interactive show, during which web users will be able to put their questions, live in chat, to Alexandre Khaldi and his guests. It will also be further proof that the ACM, in addition to constantly thinking up new initiatives in the field of mobility, continues to innovate relentlessly, putting in place unprecedented technical resources to ensure that the electric adventure continues to enthrall the crowds. This has been the case since the very first Rallye Monte-Carlo des Véhicules Électriques, in 1995…

You want to follow the daily news and the backstage of this 8th edition?

Follow all the news on the official Automobile Club de Monaco accounts (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube / Linkedin / TikTok). Find articles, results, photos and videos on www.acm.mc.

Find out more about the E-Rallye Monte-Carlo in Nice-Matin and on Radio VINCI Autoroutes (107.7 FM), partners of the event. This year, 2 crews will form the media team and will be competing to bring you the inside story of the E-Rallye. The Nice-Matin car (BMW i4 – n°15) will be made up of Denis Carreaux (Group Editor-in-Chief) & Frédéric Mlynarczyk, while the Radio VINCI Autoroutes car (Mini Countryman – n°16) will have Ilona Laffite & Virginie Decorte (station presenter) on board.

Subscribe to the E-Rallye Monte-Carlo newsletter, and receive every evening the summary of the day in images.

Stay tuned!

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!