Upcoming Events
Menu
The teams of ACM Media Commission met a relaxed and happy Thierry Neuville last week, a few days before the start of the 93rd Monte-Carlo Rally. The Monegasque resident, who is now a full-time member of ACM, has two good reasons to shine this year: he is the current World Rally Champion and last year’s winner in the Principality!
How does it feel to be starting the Rally Monte-Carlo again?
“Monte-Carlo is definitely one of the most mythical rallies on the calendar, if not the most mythical and prestigious. Every WRC driver wants to win it at least once in his life. I’ve won it twice (2020, 2024) and both victories had a special flavour. They were great victories, and they were won in the right way. So to complete a hat-trick wouldn’t be bad”.
Does your new status as World Champions change anything in your approach?
“We’re the defending champions, but we are back to square one. We’re starting a new season with the same ambitions, the same goals, the same desire, but a little less weight on our shoulders. We’re a bit relieved about that (having won the world title), but the pressure to get the big points for the team is still there. That’s good, and we’re ready. I’m looking forward to having a great time, always with the aim of helping Hyundai win, so that its commitment to rallying continues. There are also the 2027 regulations on the horizon, the promotion of the championship and a lot of open questions. We’re going to put everything in the same basket to give ourselves the best possible chance”.
Who will be your main rivals?
“This year, there will be one more title contender: Kalle (Rovanperä) will be one of the men to beat, even if last year Sébastien Ogier decided, during the season, to play the title race to the end. There will also be Ott Tänak, Elfyn Evans and maybe Adrien Fourmaux too”.
Do you always listen to the notes of your co-driver, Martijn Wydaeghe?
“I always listen to my co-driver’s notes. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be competitive at all. There are certain stages that we redo every year, so we’re getting to know them, but there are a lot of changes on the roads from one year to the next, with the weather, the bumps, the quality of the asphalt. Even if you think you know the terrain, you always have to listen to your co-driver. Once you’ve set off on a special stage, once you’ve got the right rhythm, it’s almost automatic”.
How are the road connections going?
“We never get bored on the sometimes very long road sections. We’re always thinking about what we can do to improve the car, the tires we need to put on, the information we get from the team, the weather, with updates every five minutes, the engineer who often asks for things. In the first phase of the road section, we debrief the previous stage, then we stop and make changes to the car for the next stage. Then we have to put ourselves in a bubble of concentration, as we warm up the tires and put on the helmet, focusing on the stage ahead. The atmosphere in the car changes radically”.
What language do you speak with Martijn in the car?
“We are good symbols of what Belgium is like, with three official languages spoken. Martijn is Flemish and I was born in a German-speaking region, but we speak French in the car. It’s the language best suited to our notes, so that it’s precise in terms of road conditions”.
And how do you feed yourselves during a rally?
“Florian (Haut-Labourdette) organizes our meals for each day, with a nutrition plan that we follow as closely as possible, even if it’s not always easy. We also have a catering service at the service park, and we’re very well organized. We eat at lunchtime while watching the videos and notes for the afternoon. In the evening, we get back to the hotel as quickly as possible to prepare for the next day, with lots of videos to watch”.
Are you still enjoying life in Monaco?
“I’ve been living here for ten years, my children go to school and nursery in Monaco, so I appreciate life here. There are a lot of facilities for a top-level athlete, it’s small, a little isolated, with plenty of sunshine. There’s the proximity of the airport, and above all the ease of dealing with administrative formalities. You can do almost everything on foot, so it’s very quick”.
If you had the opportunity to contest a Rallye Monte Carlo Historique, which car would you choose?
“I’d probably go for an Opel Manta 400, just to enjoy myself. But on a rally with lots of snow, a Porsche would be more competitive, with its rear engine”.
What would you have done if you hadn’t become a rally driver?
“I think I could have become a helicopter pilot. I got my license eight years ago. I love it”.
Can’t be missed! From Tuesday 23 to Sunday 28 January, the Fan Zone will play host to the 92nd Rallye Monte Carlo. Based in the Théâtre de verdure of the Parc Givaudan in Gap, close to the Service Park, visitors will enjoy a wide range of activities:
Some 30 exhibitors’ chalets will be on hand to welcome you, including a catering area, road safety and the event’s partners.
In addition, take a look at the Official ACM Boutique and discover the Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025 collection.
Interviews with the drivers:
From Wednesday to Saturday, meet your favourite drivers and managers on stage for public interview sessions. Discover the programme:
Opening hours:
Tuesday 21.01 : 16:00 – 00:00
From Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25.01 : 09:00 – 00:00
Three days to go! The 2025 season of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) kicks off on Thursday afternoon, with a ritual start on Monte Carlo’s Casino Square at 14:30, and there’s no shortage of new features: a new world champion, new events on the calendar, new tires and a new points system. Not to mention a step backwards desired by all competitors: there is no longer a hybrid propulsion system on the cars in the premium category (Rally1), which will reduce power for the drivers, but improve the bottom line for the teams!
This 2025 season was the subject of an inaugural ceremony on Sunday evening, in the sumptuous setting of Monaco’s Casino Square, in front of several hundred WRC fans and tourists visiting the Principality. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was in attendance, as was WRC chief promoter Jona Siebel and executives from Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM). It was also an opportunity to officially present Korean manufacturer Hankook, the new exclusive official tire supplier for the WRC, succeeding Michelin and Pirelli, among others.
Neuville, the new champion!
The main news of this WRC season is the identity of the driver carrying number 1 on the doors of his Hyundai i20N: Belgian Thierry Neuville, resident of Monaco and finally rewarded, at the end of his 15th season of international rallying (he made his debut in Catalonia in 2009!), after 168 starts (21 winsn 69 podiums. He will continue to have at his side the excellent Martijn Wydaeghe, the efficient accomplice of his latest victories and above all of that long-awaited and much-deserved world title in 2024.
A Frenchman at Hyundai
Alongside Neuville and Estonian Ott Tänak, another world champion, in the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team in 2025, there will be a French driver, Adrien Fourmaux, who was very much in evidence last year in his Ford and was therefore logically recruited this winter by Cyril Abiteboul, the boss at Hyundai Motorsport. At M-Sport Ford WRT, the leader this season will be Grégoire Munster, in his second full season in Rally1. He will be able to play big brother to Josh McErlean, a product of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and the FIA WRC2 championship.
Toyota: Rovanperä returns full-time
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team has a main asset back this season: two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä, who took a step back last year. He’s back for a full season, alongside regulars Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, who along with luxury freelancer Sébastien Ogier managed to reclaim the Manufacturers’ World Rally Championship crown last year. There will also be a newcomer at Toyota, the very talented Sami Pajari, 2024 FIA WRC2 champion and thus promoted to the higher echelon.
Two major technical innovations…
The main technical news for the 2025 season is the arrival of Korean company Hankook as exclusive tire supplier. It will supply Ventus Z215 soft and super-soft tires, as well as SR20 snow tires, with or without studs. Hankook will then launch its Dynapro dirt tire later in the year.
In another notable development, the cars in the queen class (Rally1) are now lighter, simpler and more affordable, and they continue to use 100% sustainable fuel, as they have done since 2022. They are lighter because they no longer feature the plug-in hybrid units of the last three years. As part of the rule change, the minimum weight of the cars has been lowered from 1260 to 1180 kilos. To maintain an equivalent power-to-weight ratio between the 2024 and 2025 Rally1 cars, the size of the air restrictor has been reduced from 36 mm to 35 mm.
Improved points system
Championship points allocation has been further improved for 2025, to place greater emphasis on outright victory, while ensuring that there is still plenty to compete for on Sundays. Points will now be awarded on a sliding scale of 25-17-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 to the top 10 finishers. On Sunday, the top five of the last Leg only will also be rewarded, as well as the Top 5 drivers in the Power Stage (5-4-3-2-1). So that after being able to accumulate a maximum of 30 points in 2024, a driver who wins the rally, leads the Super Sunday standings and is fastest in the Power Stage can now earn 35 points.
Three new rallies!
Held over 14 rounds, compared with 13 previously, the WRC will visit the Spanish island of Gran Canaria for the first time, followed by Paraguay and Saudi Arabia at the end of the year, for the final round of the 2025 season. Finally, the Estonian Rally returns to the calendar, after a brief stint last year in the Euro Championship.
On all these rallies, former co-driver Nicolas Klinger will be the new FIA WRC safety delegate, following the decision of Michèle Mouton, the great French champion, to retire after more than ten years of loyal service. Klinger’s role as deputy safety delegate will be filled by Estonian Priit Priimägi.
With just 16 days to go before the start of scrutineering for the 93rd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, which will mark the start of the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the Organising Committee published on this Friday the official list of the 70 crews entered*.
And at the top of the list are the reigning World Champions and winners of the 2024 edition, Thierry NEUVILLE and Martijn WYDAEGHE, who for the first time in their careers will be wearing the No. 1 and not the No. 11 as has been the case since 2019 and the introduction by the FIA of personalised numbers for professional drivers.
With 10 Rally1s representing the 3 official manufacturers (5 TOYOTA, 3 HYUNDAI and 2 FORD M-SPORT) at the start, the battle for victory promises to be as indecisive as it is intense!
While the crews of Elfyn EVANS / Scott MARTIN, Takamoto KATSUTA / Aaron JOHNSTON (TOYOTA GR Yaris), Ott TANAK / Martin JARVEOJA (HYUNDAI i20 N) and Grégoire MUNSTER / Louis LOUKA (FORD Puma) remain loyal to their respective employers. The transfer of the winter concerns Adrien FOURMAUX / Alexandre CORIA, who switched from the FORD Puma to the HYUNDAI i20 N.
The local man of the event, Sébastien OGIER from the Hautes-Alpes Department – paired with Vincent LANDAIS (TOYOTA GR Yaris) – although not taking part in the entire Championship, remains on paper one of the main contenders, looking for a record 10th victory in the Monegasque event.
The two-time World Champions in 2022 and 2023, Kalle ROVANPERA and Jonne HALTTUNEN (TOYOTA GR Yaris), are also back full-time this year.
Last but not least, two newcomers from the WRC2 have joined the elite: 2024 Champion Sami PAJARI – now partnered by Marko SALMINEN – has been promoted to TOYOTA and Joshua MCERLEAN / Eoin TREACY to FORD M-SPORT.
There are also other favourites in the other categories, starting with the WRC2. The leading names include Oliver SOLBERG / Elliot EDMONDSON (TOYOTA GR Yaris), Nikolay GRYAZIN / Konstantin ALEKSANDROV (SKODA Fabia RS), Yohan ROSSEL / Arnaud DUNAND (CITROËN C3) and Gus GREENSMITH / Jonas ANDERSSON (SKODA Fabia RS)….
*On top of the 70 entries accepted under the regulations, after studying the 92 complete entry forms received, including 47 FIA priority crews, and in addition to the presence of the 10 Rally1s (Priority 1), we should highlighted the following record-breaking registrations :
Looking to take part in the 93rd Rallye Monte-Carlo? Discover the maps of each special stage of the 2025 route, with details of the areas accessible to the public.
Find also the access conditions to each public area (access roads, closing and reopening times), in order to plan your visit to this 93rd edition.
We remind you that these areas are dedicated to the reception of the public (marked by green net or green tape), with a minimum overhang of 1.50 m and out of the path of the competitors. Outside these areas, spectators are not permitted. It is not permitted to enter the special stages and to move around in them, on the road or on the shoulders, 30 minutes before the start of the first competitor and until the end of the event. Failure to comply with these rules may result in the delay or cancellation of the special stage.
Rally Guide 2 now available
On Friday 20 December, the Organising Committee also unveiled the Rally Guide 2, which can be downloaded from the Competitors’ Area > Official Documents. This document will enable future competitors to prepare their participation in this 93rd edition in the best possible way.
Next up is the publication of the entry list on Monday, January 03, 2025, as well as the deadline for the registration of opening cars and the closing of accreditation for the international media. The 93rd Rallye Monte-Carlo will be held from 20 to 26 January 2025.
The Organising Committee of the 93rd Rallye Monte-Carlo WRC has published the Supplementary Regulations for the event on Wednesday 20 November, at the same time as it officially opened the entry form.
The first round of the 2025 FIA WRC World Rally Championship will take place from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 January, on a route that once again features numerous difficulties and should appeal to professional and amateur drivers alike.
You can already find the Supplementary Regulations for the event in the Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025, Competitors’ Area > Official Documents, where all the entry and participation conditions are detailed.
Entries are open until Friday 20 December 2024.
You can find the entry procedure in the following link:
The countdown is on! The big week of the 93rd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo gets underway in 4 months’ time. The Rally Guide 1 is already available to future competitors! The route of Stage 1 has also been slightly modified.
The Organising Committee has unveiled the Rally Guide 1, which can be downloaded from the Competitor Area > Official Documents. This document will help future competitors to prepare for this 93rd edition in the best possible way.
As tradition dictates, the route for the 2025 edition is expected to be challenging and selective, and will once again include many difficulties. Stage 1 has been slightly modified compared to the version presented last July. As a result, SS2 will be run between Faucon-du-Caire and Bréziers (19.20km / 7.53pm). The stage will be run at night, a few hours after the official start from Monaco’s Place du Casino on Thursday 23 January 2025.
Below is the calendar of upcoming publications:
Join us from 20 to 26 January 2025 for the 93rd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo.
As always, the Organising Committee of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) hopes that this 93rd edition of Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo will be a highly selective event, and perhaps even more so than previous editions. So let us take a look at this inaugural round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship* (WRC), which should appeal to professional drivers and amateurs alike…
Following on from the recce scheduled from Monday January 20 to Wednesday January 22, the competitors authorised to take part will have their first opportunity to test themselves in race conditions during the Shakedown (3.28km) from 4:01 pm on Wednesday afternoon. This is the route introduced in 2017, along Route de la Garde in Gap, the city which hosted the event from 2014 to 2021 and has been chosen again since 2024.
The official start of the 93rd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo is scheduled for the following day, on Thursday January 23 at 2:30 pm, from Casino Square in Monaco. On the menu for this first 100% nightly leg are three special stages totalling 52.23 kilometres. Organised in the departments of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes, the special stages of Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante (SS1 – 19.01 km – 6.05 pm), Esparron / Oze (SS2 – 18.32 km – 7.53 pm ) and Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus (SS3 – 14.90 km – 9.06 pm ), very complex in terms of tyre choices, should already make it possible to establish an initial significant hierarchy.
Two departments (Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) will host the second day of racing, on Friday January 24, totalling 107.38 kilometres against the clock. With a loop of three special stages to be contested twice, comprising Saint-Maurice / Aubessagne (SS4/7 – 18.70 km – 9.31 am / 3.23 pm), Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve (SS5/8 – 16.68 km – 10.34 am / 4.26 pm ) and La Bréole / Selonnet (SS 6/9 – 18.31 km – 11.42 am / 5.34 pm), this 2nd leg will only confirm the increasing pace of difficulties.
The third day of racing, on Saturday January 25, is mainly based in the Drôme department, with a total of 132.10 timed kilometres. With a loop of three special stages to be completed twice, this day is undoubtedly the most difficult for the crews. On the menu, La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert (SS10/13 – 27.30 km – 08:59 am/2:59 pm), followed by the new Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac (SS11/14 – 20.91 km – 10:05 am/4:05 pm),and La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont (SS12/15 – 17.84 km – 11:08 am/5:08 pm).
Finally, on Sunday January 26, three stages totalling 51.88 kilometres will be contested between Gap and Monaco, on the following timed sectors: Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus (SS16 – 14.90 km – 6:39 am), Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante (SS17 – 19.01 km – 8:32 am) and, last but not least, La Bollène-Vésubie / Peïra-Cava (SS 18 – 17.97 km – 12:15 pm) which will count as the Power Stage. The prize-giving ceremony will take place on Casino Square in Monaco from 4:15 pm…
Kilometres and times given as an indication until the official publication of the route.
Monaco, July 22, 2024
The winning crew of the 92nd Monte-Carlo Rally, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe, had spoken of “perfection” after one of his eight fastest times over the weekend, out of 17 special stages contested. They paid a heartfelt and much appreciated tribute to all members of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) during Sunday’s gala evening at the “Salle des Etoiles” of Sporting Monte-Carlo.
The compliment came from a Belgian resident of Monaco, so it went straight to the heart of president Michel Boeri and his troops on the ground, who did not count their hours throughout the week, in the five French departments crossed by this memorable 92nd edition.
“We enjoyed having a huge number of spectators and people cheering us on, and it was great to see so many people lining the stages of this perfectly organized rally”, said Neuville on the Sporting stage.
The composition of the podium was exactly the same as in 2020, with Neuville, the Hyundai leading driver, ahead of two Toyota drivers, Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, as the official speaker had already pointed out on the podium in Casino Square, a few hours earlier.
“I’m very proud of our work, and I want to thank all the marshals and stewards who did an extraordinary job,” added Martijn Wydaeghe, the victorious co-driver, who was not yet here in 2020. He was very tired and couldn’t wait to rest, but once again this week he did justice to his role as a perfect co-driver for a star driver.
It was a beautiful gala evening at the Sporting and the hero of the day, congratulated in the afternoon by his famous compatriot Jacky Ickx, spoke at length: “This win has a special flavour because Monte Carlo is the most prestigious of all rallies, and because it’s the second time I’ve had the chance to win here. But it’s the first time for Martijn, so we’re very happy”.
Neuville also spoke about the rest of the 2024 season, which has clearly been well prepared at Hyundai Motorsport: “There have been a lot of changes and with our new boss, Cyril (Abiteboul), we have put things in place to go after the drivers’ title, which has been eluding me for so long, and a new manufacturers’ title. We’ve got off to the best possible start, but there are still a few rallies to go. We need to keep our feet on the ground and look ahead. I want to make my dream come true and I want to tell all the young people who follow rallying that there is always a way of achieving your goal, if you fight hard, if you keep believing, if you are well surrounded, if you have the motivation and the will. D-Day will come”. A very strong message, from a worthy champion.
He’s done it! Thierry Neuville dominated the 92nd Monte-Carlo Rally, claiming his 20th win in WRC and pocketing all 30 points available under the new World Championship points system. He is now, logically, the favourite for 2024.
It was an even-handed victory over Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), the absolute benchmark in the Monte-Carlo (9 wins), who today scored his 99th WRC podium. But the Frenchman was in mourning, as he said at the finish of the last special stage: “It was difficult to say goodbye on Monday to someone who was very important to me, who launched my career in motorsport and who bought me my first go-kart”.
Because he is a great champion, Ogier took the start anyway, after having considered withdrawing, but he was upset all week. His attitude, his behaviour and his performances (6 best times on Friday and Saturday) were all blatant tributes to this member of his family who had suddenly passed away. And he searched for no excuse.
“It was a great battle with Thierry [Neuville]. Well done to him, he was very quick this weekend. It was a difficult week for me. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I really struggled on Friday,” said the eight-time world champion, whose emotions as a young driver came flooding back this week on his home turf.
A double for Neuville in the Principality
That in no way detracts from Neuville’s merit, who won for the 2nd time in the Principality, after his victory in 2020, and took the maximum number of points available under the new championship scale (30), because he was also the best in the Power Stage. His Hyundai was the absolute weapon this week, thanks also to the new Hyundai technical director, François Xavier Demaison (formerly with Citroën Sport, VW Motorsport and Williams F1).
The Belgian hopes, in his heart of hearts, that it will remain so throughout the season, to help him finally claim the world crown that has eluded him since his WRC debut in 2012. He is already the stage winner leader for 2024, having set eight fastest times in this rally, compared to six for Ogier, two for Evans and one for Tänak.
“I’m at a loss for words. It was such a great weekend and I felt so comfortable. The whole team did a fantastic job and I think it worked really well. We need to keep working, but we’re very happy to win this rally,” reacted Neuville, before climbing onto the podium on Col de Turini. For co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, it was a first Monte Carlo victory since he took over from Nicolas Gilsoul in the right-hand bucket.
Successful comeback for Fourmaux
The podium, behind the untouchable Neuville and Ogier, was completed by Elfyn Evans (Toyota), the reigning world vice-champion who led from Thursday evening to Saturday morning. “We weren’t quick enough to win this weekend. The potential was there but we didn’t do what we needed to do on Saturday afternoon. On this stage, things were fine but the tyres started to weaken on the climb [to the Col de Turini]. That’s just the way it is”, summed up the Welshman.
The last spots in the Top 5 went to Ott Tänak (Hyundai), the 2019 World Champion, and Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport Ford). “We are very happy to be at the end of this rally, at the top of the Col de Turini. We still need to improve on certain aspects but for the start of the season, it’s really good, so I’m positive,” explained Fourmaux, back in the queen category (Rally1) after a season of purgatory in WRC2.
WRC: Rossel wins at the end
In addition to Ogier and Fourmaux, the colours of French rallying were also brilliantly defended by Yohan Rossel (Citroën), the 2021 WRC3 champion. He won the WRC2 category thanks to a clear-cut fastest time on Col de Turini, even though he was only 3rd in the standings on Sunday morning when he left the service park in Gap.
Once again, it was a Monte-Carlo Rally to remember in many ways. One of the most important features for the organisers at Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) is always the safety of the thousands of spectators in all the departments crossed. Thanks to the patience and dedication of dozens of volunteer marshals from the ACM, the mission was accomplished and successful, from start to finish.
