{"id":10616476,"date":"2026-02-01T18:09:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acm.mc\/top-depart\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T18:44:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:44:29","slug":"lets-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acm.mc\/en\/lets-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s go!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 244 crews authorised to take part in the 28th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique have set off! Three days after John O’Groats, the competitors set off from Bad Homburg, Monaco, Barcelona, Turin and Reims on Sunday 1 February. They will meet on Monday afternoon at the Champ de Mars in Valence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At 2:00 pm on Sunday 1 February, ten<\/strong> crews set off from Bad Homburg (Germany)<\/strong>. They have 870 km to cover on this concentration stage to Valence. Among them are four crews competing with Norwegian Rally Drivers.<\/p>\n

At the same time, 92<\/strong> competitors set off from Monaco<\/strong> under the blue skies of the Principality. The competitors will have more than 550 km to cover to reach Valence, the prefecture of the Dr\u00f4me. Among the notable competitors is, of course, Bruno Saby<\/strong>, winner of the 1988 Rallye Monte-Carlo and fresh from a new experience at the Dakar Rally. This year, he is competing in the legendary Renault 5 Turbo (1980), once again accompanied by his charity Espoir contre le Cancer.<\/p>\n

Thirty minutes later, 26<\/strong> cars set off from Barcelona<\/strong>, in front of the cathedral, and 55<\/strong> from Turin<\/strong>, in front of the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi. From Spain, the departure of Antonio Sainz Cenamor<\/strong> (Porsche 911 S No. 113), brother of Carlos Sainz Sr., is worth noting. On the other side of the Alps, all eyes were on Angelo Sticchi Damiani<\/strong> (Fiat 124 Abarth No. 123), former president of the Automobile Club d’Italia.<\/p>\n

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Finally, at 5:00 pm, 56<\/strong> competitors set off from Reims<\/strong>, including Takuma Sato<\/strong> (Honda Civic RS No. 1), former F1 driver between 2002 and 2008 and two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (2017 and 2020). Two-time title holders Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo<\/strong> of Belgium also set off from the historic capital of champagne. They are back in an Opel Ascona 400, the car they traded in last year for an Alfa Romeo Giulia TI.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, five<\/strong> crews set off from John O’Groats<\/strong> in northern Scotland on Thursday 29 January. The starts were given by John Thurso, Lord Lieutenant of Caithness, representing His Majesty King Charles III.<\/p>\n

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Destination Valence!<\/h3>\n

A total of no fewer than 244 crews<\/strong> passed the administrative checks and scrutineering, and were authorised to take part in the 28th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique<\/strong>. At the end of the concentration stage, they will all gather at the Champ de Mars<\/strong> in Valence<\/strong> on Monday 2 February<\/strong> at around 2:00 pm.<\/p>\n

To follow the competitors’ arrival in Valence, a live stream will be available on the Automobile Club de Monaco’s YouTube channel. Join us at 4pm for the presentation of the 2026 Monte-Carlo Historic Rally from the Champ de Mars in Valence.<\/p>\n