Monte Carlo (WRC) - 19-22 Jan 23

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 1 – Rallye Monte-Carlo

Posted: January 17, 2023 5:32 AM

A milestone tenth season for Hyundai Motorsport in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) begins next weekend (January 19-23) with the 2023 edition of the iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Following a steep learning curve in the debut year of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid in 2022, the team in Alzenau has worked throughout the offseason to improve the overall package of the car for 2023. The first competitive test for the updated challenger will be at Rallye Monte-Carlo, an unpredictable mixed-surface event which has hosted the WRC opener on all but two occasions since 1973.

The famous – and often treacherous – snow and ice of Monte-Carlo were largely absent last year, due in part to the move of the service park from Gap to Monaco and a significant modification of the event itinerary. It is expected that the condition of the tarmac roads will be less wintry once again due to the current warmer temperatures; nevertheless, the event remains one of the more demanding on the WRC calendar. The threat of ice on the roads in the opening stages remains, and making the right call on tyre choice will be key throughout the weekend.

Three talented crews will be behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid to kick-start the team’s tenth season at the pinnacle of rallying: the 2020 winner Thierry Neuville with Martijn Wydaeghe, newcomers to the team Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm, and experienced Spaniards Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera.

The itinerary of the 91st edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo covers a distance of 325.02km across 18 stages. SS1 and SS2 will take place in pitch-black conditions on Thursday evening, before the crews negotiate six stages on Friday. Saturday is the longest day of the event, consisting of six tests that total 111.78km. Four final stages on Sunday bring the rally to a close.

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “Everyone in the team is excited to start what we hope will be a strong year for Hyundai Motorsport in the FIA World Rally Championship. So far I have only had a short visit in the factory in Alzenau, but what I saw was very impressive. It is clear that the team has been working tirelessly to improve the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid in a bid to be consistently competitive in every round. Speaking to the crews, they have painted a clear picture of the tricky nature of Rallye Monte-Carlo, and what it takes to win there; it is evident they are ready to take on the challenge. Personally, I will be attending the event to observe and start immersing myself in the team and the series. My goal for the season ahead is to support the team and do what I can to put us in the best position possible to succeed, but this will only work by taking a step back and focusing on getting myself up to speed quickly.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Neuville enters tenth season with Hyundai Motorsport
Belgians claimed podium at 2021 edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo

Neuville said: “I always like starting the year with Rallye Monte-Carlo; it is an event where we have been competitive in recent years. I expect we will face some tricky conditions, despite the warm weather in the region at the moment. Monte-Carlo is always a bit of a surprise, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s nice to kick off a new season; everyone is on equal points again, and it’s up to us to make the best out of the clean slate. The package of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid has improved so much since its first round in 2022, which helps with our confidence going into this year. There’s been some slight evolutions on the car which will give it even more performance. We never know what our opponents have done during the winter, but I don’t think there will be any big changes. While everybody will have improved a bit, hopefully we are all on a similar level.”

Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Finns set to make debut with Hyundai Motorsport
Pair finished fourth on last WRC visit to Monte-Carlo in 2020

Lappi said: “Rallye Monte-Carlo changed location last year; it moved closer to Monaco and there was a bit less snow and ice than before. I don’t know whether that will be the case this year as well, but if it is, then it will certainly make things simpler for us, as we also have to learn a whole new car. Thursday night is always quite tense – I have to say it is not the nicest feeling climbing up the hill in the darkness on slick tyres in potentially icy conditions! There is excitement, but there is also a small bit of fear. However, it’s quite special, and the following morning you feel more at ease – at least in your mindset. I’m excited to start this adventure with a new team; I will only have one test day on tarmac, but I will go there with my mind open and not give up before we’ve even started. I am confident we can have good pace – maybe not from the very first stage, but certainly we will develop a lot during the weekend and hopefully finish well.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Sordo boasts three previous podium finishes at the event
Spanish duo secured a trio of top-three results in 2022

Sordo said: “Rallye Monte-Carlo is a difficult event, but now it is based more around Monaco and the south of France it may be a little bit better in terms of the weather. It is always a challenge due to the conditions; normally it is cold and you have the potential for ice, especially first thing in the morning. As a result, in the course of one stage you can come across so many different levels of grip on the tarmac, so it is very demanding. However, we need to be a little bit closer to the rally to see what the weather will do and understand what we are going to face on the stages. It is important to start the season well; every time you arrive to the first event you do so with full power and recharged batteries. Overall, I really like Monte-Carlo and its stages, so hopefully we can perform well and begin the year with a positive result.”

Weekend at a Glance
Rallye Monte-Carlo begins on Thursday with two evening stages, including the longest test of the rally: La Cabanette / Col de Castillon (24.90km)
Friday’s itinerary consists of two loops of Roure / Roubion / Beuil (18.33km), Puget-Théniers / Saint-Antonin (19.79km) and Briançonnet / Entrevaux (14.55km), separated by a tyre fitting zone
Saturday is the longest day of the event, with the six stages boasting a total distance of 111.78km
The rally concludes on Sunday with two passes each of Lucéram / Lantosque (18.82km) and La Bollène-Vésubie / Col de Turini (15.12km), with the second of the latter acting as the Power Stage.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing starts WRC title defence on magical Monte

Posted: January 17, 2023 5:28 AM

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team aims to begin the defence of its FIA World Rally Championship titles with a victory on the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo, which opens the 2023 season on January 19-22.

TGR-WRT has set its sights on a third successive WRC triple crown following a successful debut season in 2022 for its GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID car, which swept the drivers’, co-drivers’ and manufacturers’ world championships.

The team continues to work hard to improve this winning package, and the most obvious change for 2023 is new rear fender bodywork featuring a revised cooling inlet for the car’s hybrid system. Other developments include a new specification of engine with a higher output.

After becoming the youngest ever WRC drivers’ champion at the age of 22, Kalle Rovanperä returns to defend his crown together with co-driver Jonne Halttunen. They are joined again for the full season by twice championship runners-up, Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin.

Eight-time champion Sébastien Ogier commences another partial schedule of rallies on his home roads in the French Alps – where he will target a record ninth Rallye Monte-Carlo victory – and continues to work with co-driver Vincent Landais after they joined forces at the end of last year.

Takamoto Katsuta will step up to share the team’s third entry with Ogier during the season, while also continuing to gain experience on all the remaining rallies – beginning with Monte-Carlo – in an additional fourth entry alongside co-driver Aaron Johnston as part of the TGR WRC Challenge Program.

Rallye Monte-Carlo is the oldest and most famous event on the WRC calendar, and often also one of the most demanding. Changeable weather conditions can mean drivers sometimes face dry asphalt and snow and ice in the same stage. As a result, tyre choice is crucial.

As in 2022, the service park will again be located on the harbourfront in Monaco itself, with the rally to start from the iconic Casino Square before two Thursday night stages. The first of these climbs up to finish at the famed Col de Turini, while the second descends from La Cabanette on roads last used at the end of the 2020 edition and is the longest test of the rally at 24.9 kilometres.

Friday consists of two loops of three stages to the north-west of Monaco around Puget-Théniers, which hosts a tyre-fitting zone in place of mid-day service. Saturday follows a similar format but is longer, with the action taking place further to the west and crews only due to return to Monaco almost 15 hours after they left. Sunday pairs two passes of the classic Luceram – Lantosque test with two more runs up the Col de Turini, where the rally will conclude at the end of the Power Stage.

Quotes:

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“As a rally fan the start of the season is always a very exciting moment and this year is no different. Every team is able to win so we expect that this season is going to be tougher and more challenging. But we like this challenge and we enjoy having to really fight for victories. Of course, we have to have the three titles as our target once again. We know we have a strong car but we also know that we need to keep working hard and that there are areas where we have to improve compared to last year. Every year you have to look for where you can make your car better and there are a few things which we have changed for this year. We have everything ready; we have a car which has been competitive and reliable and our drivers are all familiar with that car and hungry for results. With Rallye Monte-Carlo we start with the most difficult rally of the season. Going into the first stages in the darkness on Thursday night is a huge challenge for the drivers, and at the end of the weekend you want to finish with a good result to start the season.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“My feeling is good before the start of the new season. We know that it will not be easy to defend the championship. We have seen that the competition level is getting higher all the time, so we need to try and raise our game also and keep pushing hard. The team is again doing a great job to try and maximise the performance and make the car faster and stronger. Rallye Monte-Carlo is a special event, and usually makes for a bit of a tricky and nervous start to the season. But I’m more confident going into the rally than I was last year when everything was so new with the car; now I know that we should have everything in the right direction and be able to have an easier start. It’s never simple to have a clean rally there, but that will be our plan to begin the season in the right way.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“The WRC off-season is always pretty short but I was still happy to take a bit of a break and now I feel ready to go into the new season. Last year fell short of my own expectations personally, but we managed to make some progress and I’m hoping to be able to put better results together this season. The team is always working to evolve the car, and twelve months in to the Rally1 era we understand things a lot better. Like always it should be a competitive year but I definitely feel that we’re in a better place to challenge, and to fight for the title remains my goal. Rallye Monte-Carlo is a classic event and one that everyone wants to win. It’s always a big challenge, especially with the conditions, but it’s a challenge I enjoy and hopefully we can start the year with a positive result.”

Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“I’m still very excited at the start of the season, even though I’m no longer taking part in the full year. It’s always a pleasure to sit behind the steering wheel of a top WRC car. Last year I really enjoyed doing these few rallies. It was good to see I could still be competitive and the target is to try and stay on a similar level this year and fight for some more wins. I know that the team is never relaxing; even though the last seasons have been very successful, they are still working very hard. Rallye Monte-Carlo is probably the one I want to win the most and I will do my best once more. Preparation has been more difficult as everybody is limited to one day of testing, which is difficult for such a complex event with different conditions and tyre options. But it’s the same for everybody, and I will try to make the most of my experience.”

M-SPORT CREWS PREPARE FOR SEASON LAUNCH ON ICONIC RALLYE MONTE-CARLO

Posted: January 17, 2023 5:27 AM

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team readies itself for the opening round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship and the return of Ott Tänak to the Ford ranks for the first time since 2017.

The stunning mountainous and snow-capped stages of Rallye Monte-Carlo await as the crews set to tackle the challenge of the season’s only mixed-surface event. With only midday tyre fitting zones to support the crews during Friday and Saturday’s gruelling full days, the crews must combine their speed with an air of caution.

After a successful pre-event test in the Gap region, M-Sport’s crews are ready to launch into the action that spans four-days and covers a total of 325 competitive kilometres.

The team will be reminiscing last year’s fairy-tale result on the inaugural event for the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 as 2019 World Rally Champion, Ott Tänak, makes his return to the M-Sport family. Already with three consecutive Monte podiums between 2017 and 2019 under his belt, the Estonian’s Puma Rally1 debut on the world’s stage will be a significant moment for everyone at M-Sport as he hopes to kick-off his 2023 season in style.

Lining up alongside the previous World Champion is Pierre-Louis Loubet, who will be launching his first-ever full season in a top-level car with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Competing in a Puma on seven events in 2022, Loubet claimed his maiden stage win and took his first rally-lead as part of the M-Sport team. Having already made memories in a Puma Rally1, the young Frenchman will look to claim his first podium result in what looks to be a promising 2023 season.

Jourdan Serderidis sits behind the wheel of the third Puma as 2023’s first privateer Rally1 entry. Serderidis contested three rounds of the 2022 season in an M-Sport car and claimed an impressive seventh overall on Rally Kenya. The Greek is renowned for his love of the sport, and the team looks forward to welcoming him on a number of events throughout the year.

Alongside its Rally1 ambitions, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team also launches its FIA WRC2 Championship campaign with Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster ready to rev up their Ford Fiesta Rally2s on Rallye Monte-Carlo.

With a recent victory on Jännerrallye to bolster him, Fourmaux will look to build on previous success on the Monte in Rally2 machinery. Three consecutive WRC2 podiums give him good knowledge and experience on the event as he looks to make a strong return to the world rally stages.

His teammate, Munster, off the back of his WRC2 victory in Japan, hopes to gain further experience on the event after claiming third overall in the WRC2 Junior category on the 2022 edition.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:
“We’re thrilled to be starting this new season with Ott leading the ranks. It’s been a productive few months, culminating in the pre-event test this week, and we’re ready to take on what is to come. I think we’re already seeing the benefits of working with Ott, and I hope Pierre comes to gain from this as well.

“Everyone back at Dovenby has been hard at work on both the Rally1 and Rally2 programmes to get us ready for this new season. I want to thank everyone for their commitment so far and together we should be able to deliver some very strong results this year.”

Ott Tänak, said:
“Rallye Monte-Carlo is always a difficult one to expect something, but for sure it’s the trickiest rally of the season. It won’t be any easier this time as well to get into the rhythm right away, so we expect nothing less than another tricky weekend in the mountains.

“We tried to get the best out of our first test days and we were lucky to experience the car in different conditions. It’s never easy to start the season from the blank page and building up the setup, but the boys and girls from M-Sport are working hard and hopefully we are well prepared for the upcoming challenge. I’m really looking forward to our first race together.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet, said:
“I’m really happy with this week’s test; we tried a number of things, much more than usual, and the car felt great. The car is built for these kinds of roads and it’s very enjoyable to drive. I hope we will see similar conditions to the test on the rally next week, that would suit us really well.

“I’m trying to stay calm, it’s a fantastic opportunity to have my first full season with M-Sport, but it’s also a big responsibility and I take that very seriously. So, I’m trying to keep a cool head, and we’ll see how we do throughout the season. We have all the tools we need to do well.”

Jourdan Serderidis, said:
“Starting the WRC season with a Puma Rally1, with M-Sport at Monte-Carlo is first a privilege but also a major challenge. Considering the level of competition and the tricky snow and ice conditions, I will be more than happy to be in the top 20 of this fantastic rally. It’s not only the most beautiful event on the calendar but the most challenging as well. We had a good test in snowy conditions yesterday, so I believe we are ready for the fun!”

Adrien Fourmaux, said:
“Rallye Monte Carlo is, of course, the most famous in the Championship, and it’s always a fantastic way to start the season. We’re hoping for a good result on this rally to give us the best start possible for the WRC2 Championship. It’s one of the most difficult rallies of the season, with tricky and changing road conditions, and we should have the full effect with some snow and ice conditions too. I’m looking forward to getting back out in a Rally2 and seeing what we can achieve.”

Grégoire Munster, said:
“We’re looking forward to going to Monte Carlo for the first time with a car prepared by M-Sport. We’ve done the rally a few times in the past so we have some experience there, but I don’t think it would be realistic to say we will aim straight for a big result. We will just try to get familiar with the car, be consistent throughout the weekend and see where we end up. We want to start our campaign on a good footing.”

Entry List

Posted: January 9, 2023 10:17 AM

Monte Carlo (WRC) - 19-22 Jan 23 - ENTRY LIST

Rally Guide / Details / Event Website

Posted: January 2, 2023 5:18 PM

https://acm.mc/en/edition/91e-rallye-automobile-montecarlo/