Rally Monza (WRC) - 19-21 Nov 21

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing ready to give the Yaris WRC a title-winning send-off

Posted: November 18, 2021 3:43 AM

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team aims to complete a clean sweep of FIA World Rally Championship titles when it bids farewell to the Toyota Yaris WRC in the final round of the 2021 season, Rally Monza.

With victories in eight of the 11 rounds held so far, this has been the most successful season yet for the Yaris WRC in its fifth and final year of competition. In 2022 it will be replaced by the GR Yaris WRC Rally1 as the championship enters an exciting new era of hybrid power.

In the manufacturers’ championship the team has a lead of 47 points with a maximum of 52 points available from the final round, meaning the crown will be secured if any of its three nominated crews finish the rally inside the top seven places.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is already guaranteed to win the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles for the third year in a row. Just as in 2020, Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans will do battle for the championship in Monza. In the final event of their full-time rally careers, Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia will aim to claim their eighth championship together. They have a 17-point lead over team-mates Evans and Scott Martin, who have the chance to acheive their maiden crown.

Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen will also aim to finish their strong season – which included their first WRC wins in Estonia and Greece – on a high, with the chance to still join their team-mates in the final top three. TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta drives a fourth Yaris WRC, co-driven by Aaron Johnston, at the venue where he took his maiden stage win in 2020.

The annual end-of-year rally held at the iconic Monza racing circuit near Milan first appeared on the WRC calendar one year ago. The event features stages at Monza itself – making use of the super-smooth racetrack, the historic banked oval and mixed-surface service roads – as well as sections on challenging mountain roads around Bergamo. Wintery weather impacted the 2020 event, and even if snow and ice stays away, then rain and mud could still reduce the grip available. The opening two days of the rally on Friday and Saturday will both feature a pair mountain stages repeated in the morning, followed by stages at the track in the afternoon. A trio of stages at Monza then round out the rally on Sunday.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“We are excited to go to Monza with a great chance to secure all three championship titles, something which has been our dream to achieve. It would be the perfect way for us to finish the World Rally Car era and the last race for our Yaris WRC that debuted in 2017, when I was one of the drivers. I hope that everything will go to plan and we will be able to clinch the manufacturers’ championship, but in motorsport we know that nothing is certain until you’ve reached the finish. We also look forward to seeing a fair fight between Sébastien and Elfyn to decide the drivers’ title. Rally Monza was a very difficult event last year with the snow and the rain, and already during our pre-event testing in Italy last week the conditions were tricky with quite a bit of rain, so I expect it to provide a challenging finale once again.”

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“While it’s true that this rally will be the end of a sporting chapter for myself and especially for Julien, this is not something I am thinking too much about for now: I think this is the best way to approach it, so that I can give my best as always and focus on our target of winning both titles. Of course, the situation going to Monza is much more favourable than one year ago, as this time I have some points in hand in the drivers’ standings. But it is not done yet and we need to stay focused. We had a good test in Italy last week, and I hope we can start the rally with the right rhythm, perform well and fight for a top result as well as keeping the championship in mind.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s good to be going into the final round still with a chance of taking the drivers’ title. It’s an outside chance but Scott and I will give it our best shot: The approach will be just to aim for the best result possible and see what happens. After a difficult mid-season, the last couple of rounds have been better for us, but Monza will be a completely different challenge again. The stages in the mountains have a really nice character, but the stages at the circuit are very mixed and not so flowing. It’s impossible to capture all of that in a pre-event test, but after last year we have a pretty good idea of what to expect.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It’s going to be interesting to go back to Monza. Last year it was quite a special event with the extreme weather that we had, and I’m sure it will be another difficult rally in any case. This time we will have more stages on the proper mountain roads, which will be nice. At the circuit, you can have a bit of everything in one stage, and if it rains it will be very muddy and tricky. The plan is to fight for the best position but also to have a clean rally: With our team-mates fighting for the championship, it will be important for us to be there to secure the points for the manufacturers’ title if needed.”

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 12 – Rally Monza

Posted: November 18, 2021 3:41 AM

Hyundai Motorsport travels to Italy for the final round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Monza, aiming to continue its strong form and finish the season on a high.

The team heads to the event in buoyant mood after Rally de España, in which Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe took a confident win, with Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera also on the podium. Both crews are hoping for a similar level of performance as WRC returns to Monza for the second time as a championship round.

Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula will tackle the rally’s sixteen stages alongside the Belgians and Spaniards, after Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were forced to withdraw from the event due to personal family matters.

The Finns claimed a podium with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on their WRC2 debut with the team at the previous round in Spain and will be hoping to make a similar impact in Italy as they compete in the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC for the very first time.

Hyundai Motorsport has shown impressive pace on tarmac so far this season, taking victories at the last two events on the surface (Rally de España and Ypres Rally Belgium). The team is targeting another podium top spot in the final event for its competitive Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, as the championship is set to enter a new hybrid era from 2022.

The Rally Monza itinerary begins with seven stages on Friday, including SS7 Grand Prix 1, which sees the crews take on sections of the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Saturday then features a further six stages, covering a competitive distance of 108.72km. The weekend finishes on Sunday with another run on the Monza circuit, followed by two passes of Serraglio.

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said:
“We approach the end of the 2021 season with the same fighting spirit with which we started it back in January. For different reasons, we are not in the same championship position as when we competed at Monza twelve months ago, but that doesn’t mean we are going to stop pushing for the best possible result. This rally will mark the end of a chapter for the WRC as we embark on a new hybrid era from next year. We certainly want to battle for another victory with our Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC and to see out the 2021 championship in style. To do that, we have three crews – Thierry/Martijn, Dani/Cándido and Teemu/Mikko – who are all up for the challenge.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Belgians looking for back-to-back wins
Claimed victory at last two tarmac events

Neuville said: “I have participated a couple of times at Rally Monza in previous years, both as a WRC event and as Monza Rally Show, so I know the roads quite well. The stages are unique with lots of chicanes and cones, which is not the traditional rally style, but this year’s there looks to be more typical Italian mountain stages. It is also a great experience to compete on the Monza circuit. As it is the last event of the season, our aim is to push hard and fight at the front.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Crew targeting their second consecutive podium
Spaniards secured third place last time out at home rally

Sordo said: “Monza is always a very nice rally to drive, and of course is a special place for the team as we won the manufacturers’ championship here in 2020. I really like the format of the event, with some stages on the circuit and others in the mountains. Last year was very fun, especially with the tricky weather conditions, so I think crews and spectators both really love this rally. I will of course try my best to get the best result possible this year.”

Crew Notes: Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (#3 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Finnish crew’s first event in WRC for Hyundai Motorsport
Deputising in the absence of Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja

Suninen said: “Being part of the Hyundai Motorsport WRC line-up for Rally Monza is a great opportunity for us. I will follow the goals set by the team and show our speed within those limits. The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC is a new car for me and for sure I will need some time to get used to it. After I drove it for the first time at the pre-event test, there is no doubt that it is a winning car. Monza, as an event, has a lot of variations in grip and rhythm. There is also quite a difference between the stages up in the mountains and circuit sections. What a wonderful way to end the season!”

Weekend at a Glance

Rally Monza opens with a shakedown on the evening of Thursday 18 November.
Friday features two passes each of Gerosa (11.09km), Costa Valle Imagna (22.17km) and Junior (14.97km) followed by an evening run of Grand Prix (10.21km) in darkness.
Saturday is the longest day of the rally, with two passes of San Fermo (14.45km) and Selvino (25.06km) in the morning proceeding back-to-back afternoon runs of Roggia (14.85km).
Sunday’s three stages only cover a competitive distance of 39.07km, as two passes of Serraglio (14.43km) follows a single run of Grand Prix. The second pass of Serraglio will be the rally’s Power Stage.

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team - 2021 ACI RALLY MONZA PREVIEW QUOTES

Posted: November 18, 2021 3:38 AM

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team heads to ACI Rally Monza for the final round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship signalling the end of the World Rally Car era. Read what the team’s expectations are ahead of the all-asphalt affair.

Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
“I am very much looking forward to getting to Monza. I understand the format has split opinions amongst some groups, but for me, having the chance to once again bring Rally to the iconic Monza Circuit, and this year with fans, is going to be fantastic. There will be a championship title to decide which we will be watching, but our goal is to give the Fiesta a real send off on it's final ever event in the WRC top flight. The car and the team has achieved so much since 2017 and I hope our guys can give it the goodbye it deserves.”

GUS GREENSMITH
JONAS ANDERSSON
Gus Greensmith said:
“Monza is a rally of two halves, you have the stages on the circuit which also incorporate quite a lot of gravel and grass which is something we don’t see during the year on Tarmac. Also the actual Tarmac part of the track is very different as well, it’s more of a single venue format which is very different to what we see all year. Then we go to the stages up in the mountains, three of which are the same as last year which I know from personal experience are very tricky but we also had some very good times there last year. It’s somewhere I think we can excel at this weekend.”

ADRIEN FOURMAUX
ALEXANDRE CORIA
Adrien Fourmaux said:
“I’m really excited to be going back to Monza after doing the rally last year in a Fiesta Rally2, I was happy about my pace so hopefully we have some good pace on this rally. It’s always interesting to do some stages inside a circuit and also in the really nice mountains. There are some beautiful mountain stages here too, last year was a big challenge with the weather so let’s see and hopefully the conditions will be a bit nicer. We’re happy to see the spectators back in the circuit area and we are looking forward to seeing them there! Thanks to M-Sport and all my partners for an amazing season.”

JARI HUTTUNEN
MIKKO LAUKKA
Jari Huttunen said:
“For me it's really exciting to be joining M-Sport for Rally Monza in WRC2. It's a new car and team to get to know, which will be a steep learning curve, but one I am looking forward to.

“I know that the Fiesta Rally2 is very competitive on Tarmac so I am looking forward to seeing what we can do together. Ok, Rally Monza has extra challenges thatcome with the circuit stages, but I still cannot wait to line up on the start line of the event with a prestigious team like M-Sport. I would like to thank M-Sport for making this happen at short notice.”

Entry List

Posted: November 10, 2021 4:31 PM

Rally Monza (WRC) - 19-21 Nov 21 - ENTRY LIST

Monza to form 2021 FIA World Rally Championship finale

Posted: October 4, 2021 11:01 AM

Italy’s ACI Rally Monza will host a spectacular finale to the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship for a second straight season.

The asphalt event will take place on 19 - 21 November and will be based at the famous Autodromo Nazionale de Monza race circuit near Milan, in the north of the country. It will form the 12th and last round of the year.

ACI Rally Monza will replace FORUM8 Rally Japan which was cancelled last week due to the continued effects of the pandemic in the country.

The rally was also drafted into the championship at short notice in 2020 when Sébastien Ogier and Hyundai Motorsport clinched the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles after three days of tense competition on muddy and snowy asphalt.

The rally will include stages at the ‘Temple of Speed’ circuit featuring famous Monza corners such as Michele Alboreto, Lesmo and Curva Grande. There will also be demanding closed public road stages in the mountains to the north of the circuit.

The rally has been held since 1978 and will be the second Italian counter of the season. June’s gravel road Rally Italia Sardegna formed the fifth round of the championship and was won by Ogier.

WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said the rally would once again provide an exciting challenge for competitors.

“There were plenty of thrills and spills at last year’s rally when wintry conditions played a crucial part,” he said. “This year’s event will be held earlier, but the ‘Temple of Speed’ allied with tough roads in the foothills of the Alps will ensure the action will be equally breathtaking.

“We are obviously tremendously disappointed at the cancellation, for unavoidable reasons, of FORUM8 Rally Japan after so much hard work. Equally we are grateful for ACI’s commitment in stepping in again at short notice to provide a fitting finale to the WRC season.

“Our heartfelt thanks go to JAF, motorsport’s governing body in Japan, rally organisers SAN’S Inc., the government and the local authorities in the rally region which contributed so much preparation. We remain totally committed to returning to Japan in 2022 when we’re sure conditions will allow,” he added.

FIA rally director Yves Matton said:
“The cancellation of Rally Japan due to Covid-19 is clearly very disappointing and another tough blow for the organisers who have worked so hard with no reward for a second year.”

“ACI Rally Monza stepped in at a very late stage last season and yet the organisers managed to deliver a strong and innovative event around the iconic circuit.

“President Angelo Sticchi Damiani and his team from ACI demonstrated they have all it takes to put on a top-class WRC event and it is very positive news to count on their commitment and professionalism this year to again host the championship finale,” he added.

Angelo Sticchi Damiani, Automobile Club d’Italia president, said:
“The confirmation of the ACI Rally Monza within the World Rally Championship shows on the one side the great relationship among Automobile Club d’Italia, FIA and WRC Promoter that is based on mutual trust and respect, and from the other the value of the format of this rally that has been highly appreciated last year.

“Once again, Automobile Club d’Italia made itself available by providing a unique location that will be the extraordinary setting for the finale of the WRC 2021 campaign in order to complete the calendar of this world series in a moment that is still quite tough.

“The Temple of Speed of Monza will welcome again the WRC cars hoping that fans can be the icing on the cake of this extraordinary event. The organisation work has started and all the staff is working to deliver the best possible event.”

Event Website

Posted: October 4, 2021 11:01 AM

Rally Monza (WRC)