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The Organising Committee of the 92nd Rally Monte-Carlo WRC has published the Supplementary Regulations for the event on Wednesday 22 November, at the same time as it officially opened the entry form.
First Round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship Season, the event will take place from Monday 22nd to Sunday 28th, over a mostly new route. The French departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Drôme and Isère will host the Rallye Monte-Carlo, as well as the Principality of Monaco for the start and prize-giving ceremony from the Place du Casino.
You can already find the Supplementary Regulations for the event in the Rallye Monte-Carlo 2024, Competitors’ Area > Official Documents, where all the entry and participation conditions are detailed.
Entries are open until Friday 22 December 2023. You can find the entry procedure in the following link “Entries 2024“.
With four months to go before the 92nd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, the Organizing Committee unveiled the Official Event Poster on Friday. Competitors can also look out for the Rally Guide!
Following the tradition of the event, the focus is on the title-holding car, the Toyota Yaris GR Rally 1 of Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais, in a mountainous setting with the colors of the Principality, symbols of this 2024 chapter.
With 14 mountain passes to cross over the 17 special stages spread across 5 French departments, the route of this inaugural round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has moved up in latitude – and therefore in altitude – in the hope of an even snowier course than in previous editions.
This is also the occasion for the Organizing Committee to publish the Rally Guide 1, which can be downloaded from Competitors’ Area > Official Documents. This document will provide future competitors with the best possible preparation for their participation in this 92nd edition.
The schedule of upcoming publications is given below:
· Wednesday November 22, 2023: Publication of the Supplementary Regulations – Opening of entries
· Friday, December 22, 2023: Publication of Rally Guide 2, Road Book and maps – Closing date for entries
· Monday, December 18, 2023: Deadline for tire and fuel orders
· Monday, January 8, 2024: Publication of entry list & Deadline for opening car registration
Join us from January 22 to 28, 2024 for the 92nd Rally Automobile Monte-Carlo.
With 14 passes on the way, in 17 special stages spread over 5 French departments, the route for this inaugural event of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has moved up in latitude as well as altitude, following a strong wish of the Organizing Committee at Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), hoping for more snow on the roads than in previous editions.
After two and a half strenuous days of recce, from Monday January 22 to Wednesday January 24, all crews allowed to start will operate in real racing conditions from 4:01 pm that Wednesday, during the Shakedown (3.35km). On the same road portion that was introduced in 2017, Route de la Garde in Gap, a partner city which already played host to the rally from 2014 to 2021.
The official start of this 92nd edition of Monte-Carlo Rally will be given the next day, Thursday January 25 at 4:52pm on Casino Square in Monaco. On the menu of the 1st Leg, two timed stages in total darkness for a total of 46.01km, in the departments of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes. These two legendary stages, « Thoard / Saint-Geniez » (SS1 – 20.82km – 8:35 pm) and « Bayons / Bréziers » (SS2 – 25.19km – 9:58 pm) will serve as reality checks for the expected major players in the championship.
On Friday January 26, crews will be heading for the East of Gap, where the 2nd Leg will be spread over two departments (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes) for a total of 106.10 timed kilometers. With a loop of three special stages to cover twice, made of « Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve » (SS3/6 – 16.87km – 9:06 am/2:53 pm), followed by « Champcella / Saint-Clément-sur-Durance » (SS4/7 – 17.87km – 10:34 am/4:21 pm) and « La Bréole / Selonnet » (SS5/8 – 18.31km – 12:02 pm/5:49 pm), setting up a very intense race day!
The West of Gap will be on the cards for Saturday January 27 when the 3rd Leg covers three departments (Hautes-Alpes, Drôme, Isère) for a total of 134.86 timed kilometers. Again, with a loop of three stages not so close to each other, to complete twice, for what will probably be the toughest race day of the week. On the menu, « Sigottier / Valdrôme » (SS9/12 – 20.89km – 8:35 am/2:05 pm), followed by « Les Nonières / Chichilianne » (SS10/13 – 20.08km – 9:53 am/3:23 pm) and « Pellafol / Agnières-en-Dévoluy » (SS11/14 – 26.46km – 11:06 am/4:36 pm). There will certainly be several ups and downs during this strenuous 3rd Leg.
In order to conclude the event in style, on Sunday January 28, three stages totalling 51.65 kilometers will be scheduled between Gap and Monaco. This will be a brand new feature for a Final Leg and the last fights for honours will happen on « La Bréole / Selonnet » (SS15 – 18.31km – 7:04 am), followed by « Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante » (SS16 – 19.04km – 8:35 am) and, last but not least, « La Bollène-Vésubie / Col de Turini » (SS17 – 14.30km – 12:15 pm) which will serve as Power Stage. The Prize Ceremony will then take place, as usual, on Casino Square, from 4:15 pm…
Timings and stage lengths are indicative until official publication of the Rally Route.
(January 22-28, 2024*)
Due to major works, it was unable to secure all the space required to maintain the service park and the various infrastructures in the Principality. Therefore, the Organizing Committee of the Automobile Club de Monaco decided to return to the Hautes-Alpes department, more precisely to Gap, the host city from 2014 to 2021.
However, the official start, finish and prize-giving ceremony of the event will continue to be held in Monaco.
The detailed route of this 92nd edition, which will take place from 22 to 28 January 2024, will be announced next month…
Monaco, le 6th June 2023
© ACM - Olivier Caenen, Patrick Domeyne, Jo Lillini
He did it, without shaking, by managing perfectly, until the end, the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo: Sébastien Ogier, 39, won his 9th Rally Monte-Carlo since 2009, on Sunday in the Principality, taking half of the stage wins (9 out of 18) and leading from start to finish. This had only happened four times in the 21st century, so the Frenchman was entitled to call this a “perfect weekend”, without any arrogance.
On the list of faultless performances in Monaco, by leaders of a “Monte” from start to finish, Ogier (2018, 2023) equalizes with Loeb (2005, 2007). The only other member of this very select club is Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen (2010, with Ford). So this is an extremely rare performance, once more, that the driver from the Hautes-Alpes, now a luxury freelancer in the WRC, has just completed.
This is the 56th victory in WRC for the 8-time World Champion (vs 80 for the other Seb, Loeb) but it is the very first for his new co-driver Vincent Landais, in only their second joint outing in competition (4th in Japan at the end of 2022).
“It’s never easy here and Kalle (Rovanperä) was only 16 seconds behind me this morning, after taking big chances on Saturday,” Ogier also said. In this opening round of the 2023 season, Ogier faced the reigning World Champion, on equal terms, in the same type of car. There was a game but the Frenchman did not yield anything. He first created a gap on Friday, then he managed it on Saturday and Sunday, trying to avoid a puncture like the one that cost him victory in 2022, in the last stage, at the end of his memorable duel with Loeb. The method reminded us of his recent era of unchallenged domination of the WRC, crowned by eight world titles: from 2013 to 2016 at Volkswagen, in 2017 and 2018 at M-Sport Ford, in 2020 and 2021 at Toyota.
This record 9th win, in a completely dry Monte-Carlo, at the wheel of a dominating Yaris, launched the WRC season perfectly. And the final podium reflects the situation, with a 1-2 for Toyota Gazoo Racing and a deserved podium for Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport). This is also the first podium for Cyril Abiteboul (ex-Renault F1) as a team manager of the South Korean team, starting a year which will inevitably be marked by a new duel between Toyota Gazoo Racing and Hyundai Motorsport. Behind Elfyn Evans (4th), the last big fight of the weekend pitted another Toyota driver, Takamoto Katsuta, against an M-Sport Ford driver, Estonian Ott Tänak. The 2019 World Champion (at Toyota) won the day, by a minute, although there was only a tenth of a second between the two drivers at the start of SS18. A suspension issue wasted all the progress of the Japanese since the start and gave Tänak a reason to look forward to Rally Sweden in February. In the world championship standings, Ogier the freelancer is in the lead, just two points ahead of Rovanperä who took five Power Stage points for the 12th time in WRC. The young Finn will start Rally Sweden as favorite, since Ogier will be at home with his family. As for the 2024 edition of Rally Monte-Carlo, it may have a certain Seb Ogier on the entry list. “To make it a round figure”, Ogier smiled on Sunday, in Monaco.
The ultimate favorite of the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo, Sébastien Ogier, took his 9th record win on Sunday at Col de Turini. In front of the reigning world champion, Finnish youngster Kalle Rovanperä who ended this 2023 edition in style by winning the Power Stage and taking five bonus points to launch his defending campaign in the World Rally Championship (WRC).
“It’s huge, it’s my rally, the one that made me dream. A victory here is priceless,” Ogier said as he climbed off the roof of his Toyota Yaris, at the end of SS18. “This is my 56th victory in the WRC, but it is the first for my co-driver Vincent Landais. He deserves it because he did a great job. It was a perfect weekend”, added the new record holder for wins in a Rally Monte-Carlo, welcomed by his parents at the finish of this last stage.
The final podium of this rally, with Ogier and Rovanperä (Toyota Gazoo Racing) followed by Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport), perfectly reflects the way this completely dry event took place, on asphalt roads where the only notable traps, in some stages, were rocks detached from the road banks by the passage of numerous competitors.
The first three avoided all the pitfalls and the others did what they could, confronted to punctures, power steering failures, hybrid system issues, bad tire choices. They all experienced ups and downs, in all classes of the standings, in the purest tradition of Rally Monte-Carlo.
In the final standings, behind the Ogier-Rovanperä-Neuville trio, the honors were taken by Elfyn Evans (4th) in another Toyota, Ott Tänak (5th) in the M-Sport team’s fastest hybrid Ford Fiesta, and Takamoto Katsuta (6th), also in a Toyota, who was delayed by an untimely puncture in SS18.
In WRC2, Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia), who races under the banner of his national Automobile Club, resisted Yohan Rossel (Citroën C3) until the end. In this high-level class, the podium was completed by Spaniard Pepe Lopez (Hyundai i20N).
Power Stage (ES/SS 18, Col de Turini) :
1. Rovanperä (Toyota) 5 pts
2. Tänak (M-Sport Ford) 4 pts
3. Evans (Toyota) 3 pts
4. Neuville (Hyundai) 2 pts
5. Ogier (Toyota) 1 pt
Mr. Pierre MARSEILLE, Deputy Mayor of Lucéram, is delighted that the Rallye Monte-Carlo is coming to his town. He reviews the impact and excitement of this event.
The impact of the Rallye Monte-Carlo for Luceram
“It is an event that attracts a lot of people. We have a lot of activities in the town during the few days when the Rally passes through our town. It also brings us a lot of tourists who come to discover our beautiful panoramas, our village and our beautiful resort of Peïra-Cava. Our shopkeepers are delighted because they have an increase in activity during these three days, both in sales on the spot and in take-away sales. And this image is also good for them, for their future activity throughout the year.
The Monte-Carlo, a well-organised event
“When you look at the Rally as a whole, it’s a huge organisation. Everything is well organised. Everything is done upstream, several months in advance, in collaboration with the Automobile Club de Monaco, the police force, so that everything is in place, notably in terms of road closures, the environment, and also environmental patrols. We are doing everything to ensure that the environmental impact is as gentle as possible for your city”.
There is only one stage left to contest in the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo, in prestigious Col de Turini, and Kalle Rovanperä has eventually dropped the case for good. In the final duel between Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers, Sébastien Ogier definitely regained control by setting the best time in SS17 (Lucéram-Lantosque, 18.82km) at the end of the morning, while the young Finn was mainly busy “managing tires” to prepare a good enough package for the Power Stage… and its bonus points.
With 15 km left to the last stage finish of this 2023 edition, the 8-time World Champion could take a step back: 23.5 seconds ahead of the reigning World Champion, and 45.1 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport), still solid in 3rd and definitely out of reach for Elfyn Evans (4th) in the third leading Yaris.
In WRC2, the game also seems to be set since Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia), who races under the banner of his national Automobile Club, still holds a 10-second lead over Yohan Rossel (Citroën C3). With bonus points to claim in the Power Stage, as well, in the perspective of the championship.
The second special stage of the final morning allowed Kalle Rovanperä to equalize at 1-1 in the final duel of the 91st Rally Monte-Carlo, against fellow Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Sébastien Ogier. Leaving the port of Monaco this morning, the Frenchman had sounded the alarm clock by setting the best time in SS15, extending his lead by 2.7 seconds over the young Finnish star. The reigning World Champion immediately replied in Col de Turini (SS16, 15.12km), on a completely dry road leading to the small ski resort: 1.5 second better than the Frenchman, in order to close the gap again, 17.2 seconds behind the leader.
In terms of stage wins in this rally, Ogier is still leading (8 to 5), and he is only 34 km away from an historic 9th success in the Principality. Behind the two untouchables, Elfyn Evans made a mistake in a hairpin where his Toyota Yaris pivoted too much on the way out. Another few seconds lost which consolidate the 3rd place overall of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport), on his way one more time to saving big points for the Korean brand.
In WRC2, the battle also continues. Halfway through the last day, Russian Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia) still has a little leeway against Yohan Rossel (Citroën C3): 9 seconds, it is a little and a lot at the same time.
With his team-mate taking 20 seconds back yesterday, the Gapençais reacted this morning by setting the first scratch time of the day. While the drivers are managing their tires for the 18th and last stage of this 91st Rallye Monte-Carlo, which will be the Power Stage as well, Sébastien Ogier won his 8th special stage victory in 2023. He was 2.7 seconds faster than his two Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mates, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä.
“Yesterday night it looked like people were in doubt, but so far I am controlling my risks” commented the Frenchman after the 15th stage between Luceram and Lantosque (18.82km).
Behind the trio, Thierry Neuville is still the best of the rest. The Belgian finishes only 5.1 seconds behind the eight-time world champion and keep a comfortable lead (22.1 seconds) in the overall ranking over Evans. This Sunday, the winner of the 2020 Monte-Carlo Rally must remain careful in the two loops if he wants to secure a 56th podium in the WRC.
