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There are four main contenders aiming for victory in the 92nd Rally Monte-Carlo, two of them in Toyota Yaris and the other two in Hyundai i20s. Sébastien Ogier, eight-time world champion and nine-time winner in the Principality, the last of which at the start of 2023, will be challenging for the win against another world champion, Ott Tänak, who was crowned champion in 2019 and returns to Hyundai after a short-lived spell with M-Sport Ford last season.
The French maestro couldn’t miss the return of Rally Monte-Carlo to his native land, with a service park set up all week in Gap, the prefecture of Hautes-Alpes. He will be the number 1 favourite on roads that he knows like the pockets of his racing gear. And he will have alongside him, to carry the torch of the Japanese manufacturer, the vice-world champion Elfyn Evans, but not the two-time reigning world champion, Kalle Rovanperä.
Rovanperä steps back
At just 23 years of age, the young Finn has decided to take a step back for a few months, to rest a little after 15 intensive seasons behind the wheel of a rally car. Like Ogier in recent years, he will be content with a partial programme, which gives hope of a world title to the other major players in the WRC. Starting with Tänak, who has already had the honour and privilege of claiming a world crown, in 2019, just before the Covid-19 epidemic.
For Elfyn Evans, who has been a regular 2nd in the world championship since 2020 (three years out of four), and above all for Thierry Neuville, who has already finished on the final WRC podium eight times (5 times 2nd, three times 3rd), this could be the year or never, while waiting for the return of the Finnish prodigy, next season. And a win in Monte-Carlo on Sunday would be the ideal way to launch this long-awaited season for the Belgian driver, who lives in Monaco: 155 WRC starts since 2009, for 19 wins and 63 podium finishes.
Shakedown in Gap
An initial assessment of the situation, and above all of the forces at work, took place Wednesday afternoon on the heights of Gap, for the traditional 3.28km shakedown. The day’s programme included an autograph session and a series of public interviews in the service park’s Fanzone.
The shakedown was also intended to give the two young M-Sport Ford drivers, France’s Adrien Fourmaux and Luxembourg’s Grégoire Munster, a chance to fine-tune their Puma Hybrids in preparation for the first two special stages, scheduled for Thursday evening in the Alpes de Haute-Provence and the Hautes-Alpes. After the start ceremony in front of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, a moment eagerly awaited by the Principality’s numerous motorsport fans. Can’t wait for Thursday…
Through the combined efforts of the Automobile Club de Monaco, the promoter of the World Rally Championship and the FIA, the 92nd Rallye Monte-Carlo will once again be fully broadcast this year on the Canal Group channels, with 2 special stages in free-to-air.
This year, the Canal Group will once again be offering a special coverage of the first round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. The Rallye Monte-Carlo will be broadcast live every day, once again with 8-time winner Julien Ingrassia as co-driver, alongside Laurent Dupin and Pauline Sanzey. Pierre-Louis Loubet will commentate with Stéphane Genti and Jules Deremble. 2 Special Stages will be broadcast free-to-air on Canal+: Esparron / Oze (SS12) on Saturday afternoon from 14:05 and La Bollène-Vésubie / Col du Turini (PowerStage) on Sunday from 12:15.
Monaco Info will be there to follow the Official Start from the Place du Casino on Thursday from 4.30pm. “Les Experts du Rallye » (Vanessa Dessi, Christophe Pacaud, Franck Phillips) will be on hand each evening to review the day’s special stages: Friday 26 – 9.00pm / Saturday 27 – 9.00pm / Sunday 28 – 9.00pm.
The Rallye Monte-Carlo 2024 will also be available live and in full on the Rally TV channel (www.rally.tv) with exclusive content (videos, archives, broadcasts).
The Rallye Monte-Carlo 2024 will finally be available live and in full on the Rally TV channel (www.rally.tv) with exclusive content (videos, archives, broadcasts).
New WRC points system for 2024 revealed
The FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers will have a new points-scoring system in 2024 following a change to the Sporting Regulations for the upcoming season. Instead of awarding points to the top 10 overall finishers at the completion of a WRC event based on 25 points going to the winner, 18 to the second placed driver, with 15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 to the next eight finishers, points will be allocated at the completion of Saturday’s leg on a descending scale of 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1. However, these points will only be awarded if a crew finishes the entire route, including the whole of the route on Sunday. If they fail to do so, they won’t score any points on the rally. In addition, a separate classification featuring the combined results of all Sunday stages will be published with the top seven scoring as follows: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Power Stage points, which go to the fastest five drivers on a rally’s deciding test, will continue to be allocated. There will be no change to how points are awarded in other categories, such as the Rally2-based WRC2, and WRC3 for Rally3 cars.
Engine change penalty rule adjusted
Changing engines between pre-rally scrutineering and the TC0 – the formal start of an event – will no longer be punished with a five-minute penalty. Providing the FIA Technical Delegate is informed and is given the opportunity to seal the new engine before its use, there will be no penalty to change an engine that has failed. However, each manufacturer must not use more than two engines per car per season with each engine assigned to a specific car name. For 2024, no more than two engines may be sealed per car name. The long-standing rule preventing engine changes once a WRC event has started remains unaltered.
P2 drivers to call on route note crew guidance
Priority 2 crews can, from now on, utilise the services of route note crews for sections of an FIA World Rally Championship event run entirely on asphalt during the 2024 season. The allowance was previously for Priority 1 only but has been updated to include P2 crews after extensive competitor feedback was taken into consideration. From 2024, the driver of a route note car must hold a valid International Drivers’ Competition licence. This requirement has been added to the regulations to ensure route note crew drivers adhere to the general rules of a rally concerning safety and behaviour.
Starting order tweaks for Priority 2 crews
Two factors will be taken into account when setting the running order for Priority 2 crews competing in the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. Previously, the order for leg one was determined by the Clerk of the Course according to driver performance. For the upcoming season, the drivers’ championship position (at the end of the previous season for Rallye Monte-Carlo) will also be considered in addition to performances. As a result, it is hoped that the start order will be more straightforward to compile, more fair and easier to understand. The order for legs two and three will be unchanged compared to 2023 with P2 drivers running in rally classification order.
More scoring opportunities in WRC3
Drivers and co-drivers competing for honours in the FIA WRC3 Championship will be able to count their best six scores from a maximum of seven rallies in 2024. Previously, competitors in the Rally3-based category could count their best four scores from five rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship. The rule change brings WRC3 into line with the FIA WRC2 Championship’s scoring regulations.
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:
A number of booths await you, including a food and beverage area, the Alpes Rally Clean association, road safety and the event’s partners.
In addition, take a look at the Official ACM Boutique and discover the Rallye Monte-Carlo 2024 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 23.01 : 18:00 – 22:00
From Wednesday 24 to Saturday 27.01 : 08:00 – 00:00
Sunday 28.01 : 07:00 – 13:00
With just two weeks to go before the start of the recce for the 92nd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, the Organising Committee revealed this Monday the Official Entry List of the 70 competitors who will be allowed to take part in the opening round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
Against all expectations, the record holder, Sébastien Ogier, is back to defend his title. 9-times winner of the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the native of Gap will be competing in his home territory at the wheel of the Toyota Yaris Rally1 Hybrid.
The battle for victory is announced to be as indecisive as it is intense, with his team-mate Elfyn Evans of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team as the main opponent at the start, as well as the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT drivers Ott Tanäk (2019 World Champion) and Thierry Neuville (2020 Winner).
The suspense is also there in the other categories, starting with WRC2. Some of the headliners include Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin, Oliver Solberg, Nicolas Ciamin, Stéphane Lefebvre and Bryan Bouffier, who won the Monte in 2011 and is making his comeback to the world circuit for the occasion.
In total, there were 8 cars in the top category representing the 3 Official Manufacturers, 24 in WRC2, 3 in WRC3 and 35 non-priority competitors (RGT & amateurs) where the Selection Committee had to make crucial choices. “We registered 112 applications, and 93 of them met the criteria set out in our Supplementary Regulations. Unfortunately, we had to reject 23 of them,” says Eric BARRABINO, General Commissioner of the Automobile Club de Monaco and Director of the Rallye Monte-Carlo, with some regret. “As an organiser, having to turn down participants is not something you do easily, believe us! I won’t get into the details of the real puzzle that the selection represents, but a multitude of criteria have been considered to ensure that, in the end, some twenty regional drivers will be able to take part against an international elite. Right now, you are bound to be making some people happy… and, unfortunately, some unhappy! Our dearest wish is now to be able to find, in the long term, an area of more than 30,000 m2 to increase the capacity of the Service Park and give us the possibility to accept all entries, both professional and amateur…“.
The 92nd Rallye Monte-Carlo kicks off in just over a month’s time! Discover the detailed maps of the 2024 route. Click on Spectator Area on this page.
Find also the access conditions to each public area (access roads, closing and reopening times), in order to plan your visit to this 91st 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.
The countdown is on! With less than 50 days to go until the 92nd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, the Organising Committee of the 2024 WRC season’s first round organised a one-day rehearsal for its volunteers on Sunday December 3, 2023. On the agenda: training, practice and a review of their skills. For more than 40 years, the aim of the “Circuit Routier d’Instructions Commissaires” (C.R.I.C.) is to ensure that rally procedures and regulations are properly applied.
Nearly 165 volunteers from the Corps des Commissaires were mobilised to recreate a fictive rally, between the Chapiteau de Fontvieille in Monaco and the roads of the Monegasque hinterland. Over 100km and 3 Special Stages were on the agenda, with the Côte d’Azur sun shining down on the crews and volunteer teams this year.
“The C.R.I.C. comes after 2 theoretical sessions which gave to the marshals the opportunity to review the procedures, regulations and the IT tools used during the events” explains Cyril Vada, in charge of the formation and Deputy Race Director of the Monte-Carlo Rallies. Then comes the practical part.
After the briefings that kicked off the first part of the day, the volunteer teams were divided up along the route and put through their paces in real-life conditions, with around 20 competitors in attendance. “Our Marshals were confronted with several different situations: special stage interruptions, incidents and race facts, special stage start suspensions, late check-in, etc“.
Observers and evaluators were present to check and grade the level of each marshal and chief officer, following the example of what is put in place in the spring for the circuit training course. “Their reactions and attitudes are carefully scrutinised“. A level of requirement that is in keeping with the spirit of the Corps of Commissaires. “We are the only organisers involved in the World Rally Championship to offer our marshals this kind of training. “
Next up in January 2024 for the Rallye Monte-Carlo WRC (22-28/01) and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique (31/01-07/02).
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.
