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World Rally Championship three-time runner-up Elfyn Evans struck a blow from the outset by setting the fastest time in the first special stage of the 92nd Rally Monte-Carlo on Thursday evening between Thoard and Saint-Geniez (SS1, 21.01km).
Equipped with four soft tyres and two spare wheels in the boot of his Toyota Yaris, the Welshman started first, thanks to his world ranking at the end of last year. He took advantage of an ultra-clean road, dry from start to finish, to set a time of 12:12.9 on this special stage run in the opposite direction to the 2022 edition, via the famous Col de Fontbelle, at an altitude of 1,300 metres. “It was surprising to have such a high level of grip at the start of the rally. I don’t know if I managed to make the most of it, but overall it went well”, commented the Toyota driver.
The best resistance to Evans came from the most capped driver in the Hyundai camp. Estonia’s Ott Tänak, the 2019 world champion, lost just 5.2 seconds to the Welshman, thanks to having set off, like his team-mate Thierry Neuville, with just one spare wheel in the boot, to save a little weight. And although he encountered some problems with his main pedal sometimes staying in full throttle, which is always annoying.
Ogier ten seconds behind Evans on a dirty road
“It was the right solution,” said Neuville at the stop, not too disappointed at having lost 8.3 seconds to Evans because he wanted above all to avoid overheating, and therefore damaging his soft tyres, before attacking the next stage, 25km long between Bayons and Bréziers. The Belgian, who won here in 2020, knows that Rally Monte-Carlo is always “a very long event” and that it’s important not to get carried away early. He will have plenty of other opportunities to shine, throughout the 17 special stages until Sunday morning’s grand finale.
Last but not least, Sébastien Ogier, the ultimate favourite, lost 9.8 seconds to his team-mate Evans, with a very simple explanation: “The road was very dirty, so the first on the road (Evans) really had a big advantage”, summed up the eight-time world champion, winner of the 2023 edition. “I was expecting it, so I’m not surprised,” added the driver from the Hautes-Alpes, before setting off towards his native region.
The other Frenchman competing in Rally1, Adrien Fourmaux, was delighted with the first stage of his comeback to the top category. “There were lots of spectators and lights, and I love driving at night,” said Adrien Fourmaux, on whom rest the main hopes of M-Sport. But he had to slow down in places at the wheel of his Ford Puma: “The road was so dirty that in some bends I couldn’t see the trajectory, there was dirt and stones everywhere, so I had to slow down”. But that didn’t stop him from setting the 5th fastest time on the stage, 16.2 seconds behind Evans. Quite a good start.
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco was present on Casino Square, on Thursday, for the official start of the 92nd Monte-Carlo Rally. Following the withdrawal this morning of an Italian crew’s VW Polo GTI, the 69 competitors then set off for a long road section (over 200 km) to the first two special stages, scheduled this evening between Alpes de Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes.
“It’s never easy at night, so we will need to be vigilant, even if there’s no snow. The rally won’t be easy though and there will be a lot of pitfalls, as usual”, said Sébastien Ogier, the eight-time world rally champion, on the starting podium, after a discreet exchange of words with HSH Prince Albert II. His Toyota Yaris, now in a superb matt black livery, will carry his lucky number, 17. The driver from the Hautes-Alpes is aiming for a 10th success in the Principality, having last year taken the all-time record for Rallye Monte-Carlo victories to 9 (the same number as Seb Loeb’s world titles…).
Two special stages on Thursday night
As it does every year, Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) pulled out all the stops and invited a number of VIPs to this top-of-the-range start ceremony. They watched a parade of 70 superb rally cars, in slow motion and, for the eight hybrid cars in the top category (Rally 1), in a relative eco-friendly silence: three Toyota Yaris, three Hyundai i20s and two Ford Pumas entered by Malcolm Wilson’s British M-Sport team.
As this is the year of the big return to Gap, everyone set off on a long road section (over 200 km) heading to a couple of very tricky special stages: Thoard-Saint Geniez (SS1, 21km) from 8.35pm, very close to Digne-les-Bains, then Bayons-Bréziers (SS2, 25km), closer to Gap, from 10pm for the first cars. And a little later for the private competitors, expected until 3am in the new service park in Gap.
The night will be short before a potentially strenuous Friday, with the start set for 8am for two loops of three special stages (SS3 to SS5, then SS6 to SS8, totalling 105km of timed sections). And that means a dozen hours of fierce battling at every level of the overall standings. This is the 92nd Rally Monte-Carlo and, once again, it’s going to be a great show!
Review the Ceremony
There are only two World Champions entered in this 92nd Rally Monte-Carlo, Ott Tänak (Hyundai) and Sébastien Ogier (Toyota). And it was the Estonian, crowned in 2019, before Covid, who set the fastest time in the shakedown on Wednesday afternoon in the hills above Gap. In his very first timed run of the 2024 season, he clocked a time of 2:00.4 over 3.28km of a small, dry road, but which quickly became smeared with dirt, with most of the competitors generously taking the apex in the fastest corners. Three years have passed since the 2021 edition, run behind closed doors and with masks because of Covid-19, when Monte-Carlo competitors last took advantage of this shakedown to fine-tune their rally cars.
On his first run, Tänak did barely better than Elfyn Evans (Toyota) over the 3km shakedown. It was just by one tenth of a second, the weather was good and daylight was only beginning to fade. Behind Tänak and the 2:00.5 clocked by the Welshman, 2nd at the end of last season, 3rd place in this shakedown went to another Hyundai driver, Thierry Neuville (2:01.2), two tenths quicker than Ogier (2:01.4). And for the places of honour in this full-scale set-up session, the third Toyota driver, Takamoto Katsuta, was ahead of the third Hyundai driver, Andreas Mikkelsen, back in the top class after several seasons in WRC2.
Ogier, the eight-time world champion, is in search of a 10th win on Sunday in the Principality, while Tänak has never managed to succeed in this very special rally. On Thursday evening, serious business will begin, with two special stages (SS1, SS2) starting at 20h00 in the Alpes de Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes departments. This will happen after the ritual and very official start, on Casino Square in Monte-Carlo. You will be able to follow it live from 4:45 pm, local time, on the Facebook and YouTube pages of Automobile Club de Monaco.
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 Official Ticketing for the 7th Monaco E-Prix is now open! You can now book your tickets for the Round 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which is celebrating its Season 10.
The Generation 3 of the 100% electric single-seaters will be taking to the streets of the Principality on Saturday 27 April 2024. On the programme: a full day of motorsport and entertainment, with free practice, qualifying, race, on-track demonstrations, and entertainment at the Allianz Fan Village. Don’t wait any longer and book your tickets now!
Tickets from €30
Grandstand tickets start at €30.
Tickets for children under 16, accompanied by an adult, are free.
