WRC
Monte Carlo: Background Info/Stage Details
67th Rally of Monte Carlo Round 1 of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship 17 January - 20 January 1999 The Monte Carlo Rally is the oldest of all events in the World Rally Championship and was first held in 1911. The Principality of Monaco is ...
Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM
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67th Rally of Monte Carlo Round 1 of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship 17 January - 20 January 1999
The Monte Carlo Rally is the oldest of all events in the World Rally Championship and was first held in 1911. The Principality of Monaco is an independent sovereign state located between the foot of the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean and it borders with several French villages. Thousands of spectators come to watch the Monte Carlo no matter what the conditions.
As a rally, it is perhaps one of the least predictable. Varying altitudes and weather conditions have an impact on road conditions - roads may be dry at the bottom of a mountain, snowy on the top and wet on the other side! This makes tyre choice difficult for drivers and critical for rally winners.
The compact format for 99 does mean that tyres can be changed now at the end of almost every stage. Although usually beneficial, this is offset by much longer stages. The average stage length is 30km and the very first stage is 48km long! Also, the most famous stage of them all, the Col de Turini will be run three times this year.
Didier Auriol, Toyota: "The difficulty with Monte Carlo is that the conditions can change on every stage, but I think this year we have the chance to change tyres for most stages, even though we have to make the decision maybe a couple of hours before. For me it is difficult to say what the tactics for the rally will be, but we are starting with a very long 48 km stage. This will be a very important one, so depending on the conditions I will try hard immediately, but it is so easy to make a small mistake and lose a lot of time. We will see."
Tommi Makinen, Mitsubishi: "I was leading Monte Carlo last year and it is a rally I would really like to win. It is too long since a Finn won this rally! "
Surface: Tarmac Total Distance: 1,613.20 km Competitive distance: 424.69 km Special Stages: 14 (two run three times) Legs: 4 legs starting Sunday 17th Jan - Wed 20th Jan
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Weather Conditions Expected:
The weather conditions are expected to be cold and snowy during the weekend, making this year's rally likely to be snow bound, especially on the higher stages, similar conditions to those encountered last year or worse.
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Sunday January 17th: Liason Only Start: Quai Albert 1 er, Monaco 1400 Arrive: Gap 1920 Distance: 251.60km
Monday January 18th: Leg 2 (Stages 1-5) Restart: Gap 0745 0830 SS1 Plan de Vitrolles - Faye 48,28km 1041 SS2 L'Epine - Rosans 31,15km 1313 SS3 Eygalayes - Ruissas 27,56km 1618 SS4 Prunieres - Embrun 33,82km 1720 SS5 Saint Clement - St Sauveur 20,35km Arrive: Gap 1952 Distance: 469.32km Competitive: 5 Special Stages - 161.16km
Tuesday January 19th: Leg 3 (Stages 6-10) Restart: Gap 0715 0821 SS6 Bif.C1/D1-Bayons 32,52km 1105 SS7 Sisteron - Thoard 36,72km 1426 SS8 Entrevaux - Saint Pierre 30,73km 1746 SS9 Sospel - La Bollene Vesubie 33,65km 1837 SS10 Lantosque - Luceram 20,87km Arrive: Monaco 2100 Distance: 570.45km Competitive: 5 Special Stages - 154.49km
Wednesday January 20th: Leg 4 (Stages 11-14) Restart: Monaco 0700 0820 SS11 Sospel-La Bollene Vesubie 33,65km 0911 SS12 Lantosque - Luceram 20,87km 1123 SS13 Sospel-La Bollene Vesubie 33,65km 1214 SS14 Lantosque - Luceram 20,87km Arrive: Quai Albert 1 er, Monaco 1412 Distance: 321.83km Competitive: 4 Special Stages - 109.04km
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1998 Rally Monte-Carlo
Carlos Sainz won the Monte on his return to Toyota! Remarkably consistent, he won only one special stage all event, but most of those who won more special stages went off the road later on.
World Champion Tommi Makinen, still suffering from a winter illness, made a bold but successful choice of tyres on the first stage and gained a good lead. The next day he crashed off the road.
Mitsubishi took the top four places in Group N.
This was the first time that all the competitors on the Monte Carlo Rally had ever started from Monte Carlo itself.
Didier Auriol finished 14th after crashing and falling down to 51st position.
THE TWO LITRE STORY:
Beaten by the predominantly patchy conditions throughout the event (below), F2 cars never had the chance of winning, scoring only one fastest time of the rally.
Citroen was absent, preferring to concentrate on entering events in the French Rally Championship instead. Peugeot won and finished with four cars in the top five in the W2L category.
RESULTS:
1 Sainz/ Moya Toyota Corolla WRC
2 Kankkunen/ Repo Ford Escort WRC
3 McRae/ Grist Subaru Impreza WRC
4 Liatti/ Pons Subaru Impreza WRC
5 Burns/ Reid Mitsubishi Lancer A
6 Thiry/ Prevot Ford Escort WRC
7 Nittel/ Thorner Mitsubishi Carisma A
9 Panizzi/ Panizzi Peugeot 306 Maxi Kit Car F2
10 Delecour/ Grataloup Peugeot 306 Maxi Kit Car F2
LEADING RETIREMENTS:
Gomez/ Marti SEAT Ibiza accident
Trelles/ Del Bouno Mitsubishi Lancer accident
Makinen/ Mannisenmaki Mitsubishi Lancer accident
Lundgaard/ Pedersen Toyota Celica accident
LEADERS:
Auriol after SS1, Liatti SS2 and SS3, Makinen SS4 to SS6, Sainz from SS7 to SS18.
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Recent Winners.
1987 Miki Biasion/Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF 4WD (74.61 kph)
1988 Bruno Saby/Jean-Francois Fauchille Lancia Delta HF 4WD (85.27 kph)
1989 Miki Biasion/Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale (84.89 kph)
1990 Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale (93.53 kph)
1991 Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Toyota Celica GT-Four (89.98 kph)
1992 Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale (87.77 kph)
1993 Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (95.33 kph)
1994 Fracois Delecour/Daniel Grataloup Ford Escort RS Cosworth (94.83 kph)
1995 Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Subaru Impreza 555 (83.58 kph)
1996 Patrick Bernardini/Bernard Occelli Ford Escort RS Cosworth (85.50 kph)
1997 Piero Liatti/Fabrizia Pons Subaru Impreza WRCar (89.50 kph)
1998 Carlos Sainz/ Luis Moya Toyota Corolla WRC
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"Cynan 'Dusty' Rhodes" <cynan@harvestroad.com.au>
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