Monte Carlo (WRC) - 20-23 Jan 22

M-SPORT READY TO LAUNCH AT MONTE CARLO WITH ALL-NEW PUMA HYBRID RALLY1

Posted: January 18, 2022 12:12 PM

As the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team embarks upon the new hybrid era of the World Rally Championship, check out M-Sport’s ‘Quick Facts’ ahead of 2022 Rallye Monte Carlo:

The new season marks the beginning of the hybrid era and the launch of a new car with its striking electric-inspired livery, and the team at M-Sport are excited for the challenges ahead and the promise of a competitive season.

This year’s Rally1 cars house a 100kW hybrid unit coupled to a 1.6-litre turbocharge internal combustion engine that uses 100% renewable fuel for the first time in the sport’s history. The traditional season opener will take place over four days, with the service park for this year based throughout the event in the Monaco harbour area.

The added challenge of using hybrid in competition for the first time is further enhanced with no mid-day service point on any of the event days.

2022 sees Irishmen Craig Breen and Paul Nagle head-up the M-Sport team alongside Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria and, Gus Greensmith and Jonas Andersson.

Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb will also join M-Sport’s ranks with Isabelle Galmiche as his co-driver currently as a one off drive on the iconic season opener.

The team will enjoy a diverse range of experience as young, fresh talent is combined with the knowledge of the sport’s most decorated driver.

Throughout the 2022 season, the M-Sport and Ford will be celebrating 25 years of partnership and competing in the FIA World Rally Championship. This landmark anniversary has seen the team take three manufacturer’s titles for Ford and a combined total of seven FIA world titles when including Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ titles. The pairing has also claimed 61 victories and a record breaking 268 consecutive points scoring events to date.

Team Quotes

Rich Millener, Team Principal, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, said:
“There has been a huge amount of anticipation leading up to Monte-Carlo, both internally and from the fans, so we’re really excited to finally get out there and show everyone what we have been working on so hard over the past 18 months. An exceptional amount of work has been put in to get the cars ready to rally, and of course there are going to be challenges when you’ve got a new car, but we’re feeling very happy with the position we are in as we head into the first event of the year.

“We’re really happy and excited about our line-up for this season; Craig joining us for his first full season has obviously been significant and he has played a big role in testing the car and providing feedback to the team. We’re pleased to be keeping on Gus and Adrien for full seasons as well as they gain more experience in WRC and I expect them to be challenging for some great results during the season. Séb Loeb joining us is a dream come true for many at M-Sport, and we know all the other drivers will get to benefit from his experience in Monte Carlo. We have done all we can to put us into the best position possible for the season opener, now it’s down to our crews to show us what they can do!”

Sebastien Loeb
“It's a radical change of scenery after spending three weeks on the Dakar Rally but it's still very exciting to be at the start of the Monte Carlo Rally, especially with the WRC’s new hybrid era.
“I'm also proud of this collaboration with Malcolm's team, working with them has been talked about throughout my career but never quite managed to happen, so thank you all, M-Sport, Ford Performance and Red Bull for finally making this happen on such an amazing event. “For this rally, I will certainly be less prepared than the other drivers but the feeling with the Puma Hybrid Rally1 was immediately very good and everything just came together. I am looking forward to having fun this weekend with Isabelle, my new co-driver, and the whole M-Sport team.”

Craig Breen
“It is always something very special competing on Rallye Monte Carlo, but to be doing it for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, is a dream come true! The team has done an unbelievable job building and developing the Puma Hybrid Rally1 and it really shows. It is by far the best rally car I have ever driven and with the addition of the hybrid unit, it is going to add another dimension to the rally. Paul and I are relishing the challenge and are really looking forward to the year ahead with M-Sport and Ford.”

Adrien Fourmaux
“For Rallye Monte-Carlo, we will try do do our best, feel the car and understand its level of performance compared to the others. It will be the first time here in the top category of the WRC, I have been here previously in the Fiesta Rally2, my first appearance was already a top ten overall finish! I love these roads, I have performed quite well in the past so I have good hopes. By the way it's a new era for everyone so we'll need the perfect match between the car's reliability and driving skill to perform well until the end of the rally. We hope to deliver the best result as we can, everything is possible!”

Gus Greensmith
“I’m excited to be a part of the 2022 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team as we head into the most significant rule change in WRC history. The team has done a great job developing the new car, and I feel really comfortable driving it. We’re all confident the car should be a lot more competitive than recent years, which will hopefully give us more opportunities to fight near the front. I was happy with my improvements last season, and I want to build on that going into 2022. I was within a second of my first stage win last year, and I feel that with the new package, this is definitely an achievable goal, and we also want to try to push for our first podium as well. Monte Carlo has always been a tricky opener for the championship, but I have done the rally a few times now, and with the new car feeling so good, I am really looking forward to the challenge. It will be essential to build the speed throughout the weekend, especially with this being Jonas and I’s second rally together. Thanks again to all the team for all the hard work they have put into the Puma Hybrid Rally1, and I hope we can repay them with a good result in Monte.”

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 1 – Rallye Monte-Carlo

Posted: January 18, 2022 12:10 PM

The first chapter of a new challenge in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) begins at Rallye Monte-Carlo this weekend (January 20-23), with Hyundai Motorsport focusing on making a fast start to the Rally1 hybrid era.

Battling for victory in the new Hyundai i20 N Rally1 will be a line-up that boasts a combination of youth and experience, as the Alzenau-based team targets a renewed challenge for the manufacturers’ title in 2022.

Competing alongside the established pairs of Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe and Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja will be the youngest Hyundai Motorsport crew in the team’s history: 20-year-old Swede Oliver Solberg and his 27-year-old co-driver Elliott Edmondson. All three crews have worked extensively with Hyundai Motorsport’s new challenger ahead of the event in a bid to power themselves to the top of the classification over the course of the four-day rally.

Due to its treacherous and ever-changing conditions – which can feature a mixture of tarmac, snow and ice in a single stage – Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of the most challenging and unpredictable events on the WRC calendar. The 2022 edition of the rally will feature a new service park in Monaco instead of Gap, which had been the base of the event since 2014. There are also changes for the crews to manage on the stages, with almost 95% of the route modified from the 2021 itinerary.

After a three-day recce, Rallye Monte-Carlo will begin on Thursday January 20 with an opening ceremony in the iconic Casino Square, before the crews take on two stages under the cover of darkness. Friday will push the brand-new Rally1 cars to the limit, with the day’s itinerary consisting of six stages without a midday service. Instead, there will be only a single tyre-changing opportunity sandwiched between nearly 100km of mountain stages. Saturday features five more demanding tests covering a competitive distance of 92.46km. Similarly to Friday, the final day of the event has no service, as crews tackle four more stages in the Alps to determine the final positions.

Hyundai Motorsport’s preparations for the 90th edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo began in early December, with its crews putting the new Hyundai i20 N Rally1 through its paces amidst wintery conditions in the French Alps. The team conducted its final pre-event test last week in the Gap area, giving the drivers and engineers the opportunity to fine-tune the car’s set-up before heading to the start line for the season opener.

Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet said:
“We are excited to see the debut of the new hybrid powered Rally1 cars. This will be the culmination of an intensive period of technical development from our entire organisation. Our new car has undergone significant testing to prepare us for Monte-Carlo, which will be a tough event for all competitors. Reliability will play a key role as we put the new cars through their paces. For Hyundai Motorsport, our long-term target this year is to fight once again for the WRC titles. We know to achieve that it would be a big advantage to secure a strong result in the opening round. As a team, we will do all we can to get 2022 off to a positive start with our three crews.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Belgians took podium on partnership debut at 2021 Rallye Monte-Carlo
Neuville claimed the team’s first victory at the event in 2020

Neuville said: “Our main target in Monte-Carlo is to finish and gain experience in the car. I don’t think we are going to have a completely dry event but I don’t think it will be full of snow either; as usual, we are expecting a mix of conditions. Because of this, it’s very hard to have the perfect tyre choice for all the stages, so it’s all about compromise next weekend – the driver who does it best is going to be the most competitive. Choosing the tyres is not so easy because you have to collect a lot of information, trust yourself and commit. It will be a challenge, but I like driving in these conditions, so it is going to be exciting.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Estonian crew begins third season with Hyundai Motorsport
Pair has previously claimed a hat-trick of podiums in the Principality

Tänak said: “I think there is some uncertainty heading to Monte-Carlo, so it is important that we get through the rally without any major issues and keep the car running so we gain as much experience as possible – that will be the priority. Rallye Monte-Carlo is not as much about pure performance; it is about the reliability and the small decisions you make. Of course we want to finish well and score many points for the championship this weekend. The very first stage in the dark with the new car will certainly be an adventure.”

Crew Notes: Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (#2 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Solberg begins first season as a Hyundai Motorsport factory driver in WRC
Edmondson to join the Swede in the co-driver’s seat for the outing

Solberg said: “Starting my first WRC campaign in Monte-Carlo is going to be very exciting. I think we have realistic expectations for the event – the most important part for us is just finishing and helping the team as much as possible. Rallye Monte-Carlo is an event where everything can happen; a stage can start with snow and end with tarmac, so it’s a very interesting and unpredictable way to begin the season with the new cars, but it’s also very exciting. I know I will take some time to find my feet but I have the best guys in the team to learn from.”

Weekend at a Glance
Rallye Monte-Carlo kicks off on Thursday with an opening ceremony in Monaco followed by two stages run in the dark: Luceram / Lantosque (15.20km) and La Bollène-Vésubie / Moulinet (23.25km)
Friday’s itinerary consists of two attempts of Roure / Bevil (18.33km), Guillaumes / Péone / Valberg (13.49km) and Val-de-Chalvagne / Entrevaux (17.11km) with just a tyre fitting zone between the morning and afternoon loops
Saturday begins with Le Fugeret / Thorame-Haute (16.80km), before presenting the challenge of two passes of Saint-Jeannet / Malijai (17.04km) and Saint-Geniez / Thoard (20.79km)
Sunday features two loops of La Penne / Collongues (19.37km) and Briançonnet / Entrevaux (14.26km). The second pass of the latter will be the rally’s Power Stage.

Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 ready for the WRC hybrid revolution

Posted: January 18, 2022 12:07 PM

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will begin a bold new era in the FIA World Rally Championship when the 2022 season begins and the GR YARIS Rally1 makes its debut on the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo from January 20-23.

The GR YARIS Rally1 is the successor to the all-conquering Yaris WRC, which claimed a clean sweep of the manufacturers’, drivers’ and co-drivers’ in the 2021 season that concluded just eight weeks ago at Monza in Italy. Now, the roads of the French Alps will play host to the first event for the revolutionary Rally1 cars, which take over from the World Rally Cars that have formed the highest category of the WRC for the past quarter of a century.

Rally1 cars feature several significant changes compared to their predecessors, headlined by the arrival of hybrid technology to the highest level of rallying for the first time. The hybrid unit in each car comprises of a 3.9kWh battery and a motor-generator unit (MGU) delivering an additional 100 kW (134 PS) under acceleration.

In the GR YARIS Rally1, this is combined with the proven 1.6-litre turbocharged engine from the Yaris WRC to provide the drivers with over 500 PS. The engine will run on a 100 per cent sustainable fuel: The first of its kind to be used in an FIA world championship.

The GR YARIS Rally1 is built around a dedicated spaceframe chassis offering increased safety protection for drivers and co-drivers. Other transformations required by the regulations include less complex aerodynamics, a return to a mechanical gearshift and the removal of the active centre differential. These changes will increase the focus on the skills of the drivers, who will also need to adapt to the demands around regenerating and deploying the hybrid energy on the stages, while working with their engineers to optimise the performance and drivability within these new parameters.

Since it ran for the first time last spring, the GR YARIS Rally1 has undergone a thorough testing programme which for the last few weeks has been focused on the particular demands of Rallye Monte-Carlo. The event is famed for its changeable conditions, which can vary from dry asphalt to snow and ice, and could provide an especially challenging start for the drivers in their new cars.

When the rally begins on Thursday night, the GR YARIS Rally1 of reigning champion Sébastien Ogier will be the first of the new generation of cars to start a competitive stage. The eight-time world champion, who has also won Rallye Monte-Carlo a record eight times, is embarking on a partial schedule of events this season along with a new co-driver, Benjamin Veillas. Leading TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s effort over the full season will be Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin, who finished second in the 2021 standings, and Kalle Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen, who came fourth overall last season.

A total of four GR YARIS Rally1 cars will be present on every round with Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston contesting the full season for a newly-created team, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team Next Generation.

The crews today begin three days of reconnaissance of the stages, 85 per cent of which are new compared to 2021. For the 90th edition of the rally, the service park moves to Monaco itself from Gap. After a shakedown on Thursday morning, the rally will begin in the evening from the iconic Casino Square ahead of an opening pair of night stages – the second includes a return to the classic Col de Turini, to be passed in darkness for the first time since 2013.

Friday is the longest day of the rally and consists of three stages to be run twice with no mid-day service, only a tyre-fitting zone in Puget-Théniers. The task is similar on Saturday, which takes place further to the west: Three stages will be run in the morning, two of which will be repeated in the afternoon after a tyre-fitting zone in Digne-les-Bains. The rally’s final day on Sunday is made up of two stages run twice – the latter stage finishing in Entrevaux is the only one that is identical to last year.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“Rallying is entering a very new era and it’s a very exciting moment. There are a lot of question marks and Rallye Monte-Carlo will be giving us some of the answers. As a team we have been working very hard to be ready, but nobody can know how the different cars compare against each other until we get to the first rally. We might also see a difference between the drivers who feel the most confident with their new cars and those who will still be finding that confidence. There are a lot of changes for them to adapt to with how they drive and set up the cars. During testing this has been maybe the most important thing for the team: That our drivers feel confident and comfortable behind the wheel. For a driver, Monte Carlo has always been the most difficult rally in the championship. A lot is going to depend on the conditions: We have more power, but how do you use that power in snowy and icy conditions? On top of everything, the move from Gap to Monaco means there are a lot of new stages. There are so many unknowns and that makes it really exciting.”

Sébastien Ogier / Benjamin Veillas
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“I’m at the beginning of a different stage in my career, and as I’m not taking part in the full championship the feeling is a little bit different to usual for me at this time of the year. But being part of this programme with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is still exciting and going to Rallye Monte-Carlo is always special for me. I’m still a competitor and I still want to win, so I will be giving my best to perform. I know the team has been working very hard to be ready with this new generation of car and big steps have been made in every test. I’ve had the chance to do three days of testing in the GR YARIS Rally1 in December and another day last week, all to prepare for this event. It’s quite a big change and it’s an exciting challenge to try and adapt to that. But I think going to Monte Carlo will be a huge challenge for everybody: There’s more uncertainty than ever going into this rally.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“This is an exciting time in our sport and I’m looking forward to the challenge of these new cars. Since I first tested the GR YARIS Rally1 we’ve made some good progress, but it’s impossible to know where we stand relative to the competition until we get to Monte Carlo. So much has changed and it’s a clean sheet of paper. It’s not been easy to jump from a car that was so well-developed, where everything was coming quite easily, and into something that is a lot more unknown. The additional power from the hybrid system makes a huge difference and how you manage it could be worth quite a lot in certain cases. We’ve already learned a lot in testing and I’m sure we’re going to continue learning a lot during the year, starting in Monte Carlo. It’s a rally that’s always a bit of a lottery with the weather anyway, and now the base has moved south there’s a lot of new stages and different terrain to get to grips with.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“My feeling with the new car is good and we have some good preparation behind us. With any new car there are always many things to work on and to improve, but I feel we have been making good progress all the time. It’s been especially interesting to get used to the boost from the hybrid. It gives you much more power, and that’s usually a good thing, but it can also be a bit tricky in certain points if you’re not ready to use it. As a driver you need to think about how to use it and if you can do that better than the others it could make quite a big difference. Rallye Monte-Carlo is going to be quite special this year. It’s always a tricky rally but this year we are going to have a lot of new stages as well as a totally new car. Friday and Saturday are going to be long days without mid-day service and if you can get through those days without issues that will already be quite good.”

Seeded Entry List

Posted: January 12, 2022 1:21 PM

Monte Carlo (WRC) - 20-23 Jan 22 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Rally Guide / Details / Event Website

Posted: January 8, 2022 7:35 AM

acm.mc/en/edition/rallye-monte-carlo-edition-2022/