Monte Carlo : Subaru World Rally Team - PreviewRally Monte Carlo heralds the return of the World Rally Championship with one of the most unpredictable events of the year. In its 76th running, this four-day rally is a notoriously tricky combination of snow, ice and demanding
routes which often produces some surprise results.
Crews will leave the service park in Valence, near the river Rhône in south-east France, for three of the four days of competition until the finish of Saturday's stages, at which point the WRC contingent will decamp to a second service park location in Monaco, opposite the Automobile Club de Monaco headquarters.
The asphalt roads twist and flow through the breathtaking but notoriously tricky mountain stages. A welcome inclusion of the Alpes Maritimes region on Sunday will see crews tackle the spectacular Col de Turini and finish the rally with a high-speed blast around the harbour section of the famed Monaco Grand Prix circuit.
The 365 kilometres of competition start on Thursday evening with two night stages. There is no gentle launch to the year: the opening stage is just shy of being the longest of the event at over 28 kilometres.
The January weather in Monte Carlo will be typically cold, and this year the rally has been scheduled one week later in an attempt to ensure the snow that the rally just missed last season.
In the first rally in which the teams will use the Pirelli championship control tyre, there will be three options: the DS soft slick tyre, the snow WX tyre without metal studs, and the WX tyre with studs that provide extra traction on icy sections.
The team's driver lineup remains unchanged: Petter Solberg will commence his tenth season alongside co-driver Phil Mills in one of the most established pairings of the WRC. Rallye Monte Carlo will be the duo's 122nd rally on the world stage together.
In the second Impreza will be Chris Atkinson and co-driver Stéphane Prévot, who started together in Argentina last season. Spanish duo Xevi Pons and Xavier Amigo are missing from the entry list however, their negotiations with the team are still ongoing.
Petter and Phil have competed on these roads seven times. Chris, on his second visit, had his best finish of fourth overall in 2007 courtesy of three stage wins.
David Richards, Team Principal:
"Monte Carlo Rally has often turned out to be a lottery, where the weather has thrown up some opportunistic and historic victories, and if we can snatch those chances, who knows? I wouldn't be at all surprised if either of our drivers climbed the podium. It's one of those events where anything can happen."
Paul Howarth, Team operations director:
"Monte Carlo is an event that is all about tyres. This year there will be a lot of snow and stages run in the dark, so consistency and optimizing the grip level on the changeable asphalt will be crucial to a good result. There are a lot of competitive drivers this season all bidding for top spots, so it will be a measure of pushing for pace without throwing it away in the opening round."
Source Subaru World Rally Team
