Car rally Monte Carlo

The Car rally Monte Carlo is a sporting event organized by the Automobile Club of Monaco and, whose arrival and starting framework is the principality of Monaco, even if the main part of the courses takes place in the department of the the Alpes-Maritimes. But for this year the rally has made its great return in the department of Ardeche with a short passage in Drome. This test proceeds systematically in Hiver.

One hears, or often reads, in the media, “Rally of Monte Carlo”, but the true denomination of this test included forever the word “of”.

History

  • has its creation, the car rally of Monte Carlo is not strictly speaking a sporting test, it is especially the means of attracting the European jet set in Monaco.
  • Each vehicle committed left with its crew, by the road, of the city where it had engaged. It carried out the course connecting this city to Monte Carlo, while following a precise route, with certain constraints. It is it should be noted that at the time to cross Europe in full winter is an exploit.
  • Arrived at destination, the winners were the crew who had succeeded in rejoining Monaco by respecting a time average imposed by the organizers, but the presentation of the vehicle, after as many kilometers on almost impassable roads, was quite as important!
  • a Cut of the Ladies was organized. It for example was gained by Mildred Mary Bruce in 1927.
  • Another characteristic of the Monte Carlo Rally was for a long time its course of concentration, the towns of departure being distributed with the four corners of Europe, the crews met in a single point in order to rejoin, by a common course, Monaco. This characteristic gave until the middle of the Nineties, its reputation with the rally and its unfolding fixed some.

Evolution

    • With the progress made on the vehicles as well as the improvement of the European highway network, the ACM tries to give a more sporting face to its test, in order to complicate the spot with the participants and especially that the rally is not a test of health. Thus with the passing of years, the payment is unceasingly modified. One sees appearing a test of handiness then a test being held on some lathes of the circuit of formula 1 in order to decide between the crews.

    • But soon appears a test which will make the reputation of the test Monegasque: the circuit of mountain in the back country niçois. But the rally did not take the sporting face yet that one knows to him nowadays: indeed, the tests being used to decide between the crews are still based on the regularity and not pure speed.
    • From the years 6o, the tests known as “special” make their appearance. The concept of regularity is still present but at the time of the special tests only pure speed counts. In order not to disadvantage the least powerful vehicles, general classification takes into account a method of calculating which one calls a vehicle “index” thus of less power can beat a vehicle of a largely higher power.
    • In the middle of the Sixties, the classification “scratch” between into force, the index lived, it is now the crew which carried out best times at the time of the special tests and which are penalized the least is declared victorious. It is also the appearance of the pilots “factories”, the time of the “gentlemen driver” is finished!
    • With beginning of the year 70, the rally is held according to a diagram which will last 25 year old meadows: 1) the course of concentration which drains the competitors towards the town of departure. 2) courses of classification. 3) common courses. 4) final courses formerly called: “circuit of mountain”. At that time, of the special tests cross Savoy, Isere, Ardeche, Drome, Hautes-Alpes as well as most of the back country niçois.

Nowadays

    • In the middle of the Nineties, the International federation of the car (TRUSTED) entirely reconsiders the rules of the car rally. Indeed, the rally was always a popular sport, so it attracts many spectators on the edges of the roads and since prohibition of the groups B at the end of 1986, the questions of security, as well for the crews as for the spectators finally seem to be taken into account by the international authority. Of this report, the course of the Monte Carlo Rally is then deeply modified:

    • the course of concentration disappears.
    • the Rally is not any more one test on line thus the stages with park of regrouping in the stages cities disappears.
    • the points of assistance are gathered in only one and single place with time control in entry and exit (this to prevent that the competitors do not roll too quickly in sector of connection to catch up with the time wasted in assistance).
    • the Car Club of Monaco organizes, since 1998, a test, reserved for the vehicles of time, which takes again the routes and especially the spirit of the rallys of the years 1950 - 1970: “historical Monte Carlo”.

Prize list

  • 4 victories: Jean Trévoux, Sandro Munari, Walter Röhrl, Tommi Mäkinen, Sebastien Loeb

  • 3 victories: Didier Auriol, Carlos Sainz

Classifications

2007

  1. Sebastien Loeb (FRA, Citroen)
  2. Dani Sordo (Esp, Citroen)
  3. Marcus Grönholm (Fine, Ford)
  4. Chris Atkinson (Aus, Subaru)
  5. Mikko Hirvonen (Fine, Ford)
  6. Petter Solberg (NOR, Subaru)
  7. Toni Gardemeister (Fine, Mitsubishi)
  8. Jan Kopecký (STN, Škoda)
  9. Jean-Marie Cuoq (FRA, Peugeot)

2006

  1. Marcus Grönholm (Fine, Ford)
  2. Sebastien Loeb (FRA, Citroen)
  3. Toni Gardemeister (Fine, Peugeot)
  4. Manfred Stohl (Aut, Peugeot)
  5. Stephan Sarrazin (FRA, Subaru)
  6. Chris Atkinson (Aus, Subaru)
  7. Mikko Hirvonen (Fine, Ford)
  8. Dani Sordo (Esp, Citroen)

External bonds

  1. Official site of the Car-Club of Monaco

  2. Site of the rally of the tourist office and the congresses of Valence

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