The Subaru World Rally Team launches its 2006 World Rally Championship campaign in style next week in the glamorous principality of Monaco. Commencing on Friday 20 January, the historic Rallye Monte Carlo will see the competitive debut of the Subaru World Rally Team s latest title challenger, the Subaru Impreza WRC2006. Petter Solberg, Stéphane Sarrazin and Chris Atkinson continue with the team in 2006.

The 2006 season will bring a range of challenges for teams and drivers, with new technical regulations demanding the removal of several computer controlled systems and a longer season stretching into December. The 16-round series kicks off with the classic three-day Rallye Monte Carlo, renowned as the most prestigious event in the Championship calendar. The combination of glamour and opulence makes the rally one of the most eagerly anticipated WRC events of the year, but its twisty route with little margin for error also makes it one of the most fearsome for drivers.



Run through the southern Alps above Monte Carlo, the route often features vertical drops on one side and sheer rock face on the other. It s not uncommon for the twisty asphalt roads to be dry and abrasive at the start, only to become ice and snow covered as they climb up into the mountains. In these variable conditions predicting the levels of grip is extremely tricky and tyre choices are almost always a compromise, with drivers forced to base their decisions on the most suitable pattern for the majority of the stage. The ability to be ultra-fast when conditions and tyres are well suited, yet still maintain a competitive pace when the choice is less than ideal, is a key test of this rally.

The 74th Rally Monte Carlo will commence with the traditional ceremony on Thursday 19 January from the Place du Casino at 18h30. The rally will feature 18 stages and a competitive distance of 366.39km. The first Leg includes a return of the classic St Sauveur sur Tinée Beuil last used in 1997 and two new stages, with the famous Col de Turini stage run on the final Leg on Sunday. The official podium finish will be in front of the Palais Princier on Sunday 22 January at 15h25.
Entries

The Subaru Impreza WRC2006 will make its debut at the Monte Carlo Rally. Petter Solberg and Stéphane Sarrazin will drive the new car and will be nominated to score manufacturers points. This year s event will be Stéphane s second Rallye Monte Carlo with the Subaru World Rally Team, while Petter will be contesting his sixth.

Chris Atkinson makes his Monte Carlo debut with in a Subaru Australia-entered Subaru Impreza WRC2005.

Driver Quotes

Petter Solberg: I hope a podium will be possible in Monte Carlo, but it will be a very tough rally with lots of good cars and drivers. Marcus and Sébastien will be our main rivals but we are well prepared and I hope we ll be able to fight with them. The team has worked hard to be ready and has planned everything very well. A lot will depend on the weather as always in Monte Carlo. Cold, wet and snow would be the best conditions for us.

Stéphane Sarrazin: This is my second Monte Carlo Rally with the team and I m more relaxed than last year as I have more experience now. I know the team, I know the car so it is automatically better. We did well on tarmac last year and I have a very good car so I think we can have a very good event and get a good result. This is a very exciting rally as you never know if you will have snow or patches of ice or just the tarmac, making it very difficult for tyre choice. I hope all the same to get some solid points. We could get in the top four.

Chris Atkinson: This will be my first Monte Carlo Rally and I m really looking forward to the challenges of the roads. To get ready for the event I ve been watching through videos of the stages to get a feel for them. We re running last year s car, which will make it easier for preparation as we won t have to get used to a new car and a new rally. Of course Petter and Stéphane are nominated to score points for the manufacturers championship, but it would be nice for us to get some points too. Overall though the goal is to get miles and experience of this specialist rally.

The Car / The Challenge

Subaru World Rally Team Principal, David Lapworth: The principal feature of Monte Carlo is the changeable conditions, not only with regards to the weather, but also to the state of the roads. Drivers can start the Leg on a bone-dry road with high grip, but finish the day on sheet ice and snow. These massive variations can make set-up and tyre choice a huge compromise or a huge gamble. Generally the normal solution is to run with a compromised asphalt set-up that s predictable to drive.

The new Impreza WRC2006 will make its debut in Monte Carlo. The testing we ve done on asphalt so far has been good and we re pleased with the starting ground. This year will be a big shake-up for everyone and who ll be fastest will be one of the biggest questions of the rally. The drivers championship itself won t be affected. There are still the top three drivers, Loeb, Gronholm and Solberg, all with very good teams and the battle for the championship will be as hot as ever. With the same faces and names it will be business as usual. Our goal is to win that drivers championship with Petter.

Petter certainly has a shot at winning every rally, but our eye will always be on the championship. We start each event looking to win, but we won t sacrifice points at the expense of the title. If a win is on the cards in Monte Carlo we will go for it, but if the weather doesn t suit us we ll strategically go for points this isn t a case of Monte Carlo or bust!

This will be Stéphane s second time in Monte Carlo at the wheel of a Subaru. He s now got enough experience to get a result and can be on the podium if he has a clean run. There s the top three championship contenders, but Stéphane is one of a further five drivers entirely capable of achieving a very good result. Even though he still hasn t got a lot of experience on snow and ice, he stands to do very well if the conditions suit him.

Chris will enter his first-ever Monte Carlo Rally this year and this will probably be the last time we say he has a steep learning curve. He s now got experience of all the rallies and his year will be focussed on building on 2005 s solid foundations. Both he and the team will be looking for good finishes.
Between the Rallies

Petter Solberg spent the holidays with wife Pernilla, four-year old son Oliver and his family in the mountains in Norway, talking a lot about motorsport. For Christmas he received some underwear, lots of pairs of socks, a black stripy shirt and some fish (live ones). After a relaxing holiday, Petter spent two days of testing with the new car in Sweden.

Stéphane Sarrazin spent a relaxing Christmas in France with his family, but then stepped it up a gear when he went out riding motorbikes with friends. Stéphane was very happy with his presents, but couldn t actually recall what he got New son Pablo enjoyed Christmas too, although Stéphane didn t get a present from him he said having him was already a great present.

Chris Atkinson stayed in Australia after the last event of the 2005 season, Rally Australia, until the New Year. Chris spent his birthday, Christmas and New Year at his home on the Gold Coast catching up with the family and friends he hadn’t seen for the best part of a year. His favourite Christmas present was a book on Jeremy McGrath, the most successful rider in American Supercross, which he’s reading at the moment. New Year’s Eve was a fairly quiet affair for Chris as he had to leave early the next day to return to SWRT HQ in England.

The 16-round series kicks off with the classic three-day Rallye Monte Carlo,
renowned as the most prestigious event in the Championship calendar.  Bleak and inhospitable roads in the southern French Alps can provide one of the hardest challenges of the year.

Essentially an asphalt event on technically straight-forward roads, the Rallye Monte Carlo can be hugely difficult because of the unpredictable weather.  Drivers can face bone dry roads, streaming wet asphalt and treacherous ice - with the threat of snow on the highest ground.  They can often encounter all on the same speed test as the route climbs and descends mountain cols, switching from southern facing roads sheltered from the extreme weather to exposed northern ones. 

There is no perfect tyre choice for such mixed conditions, especially when each group of special stages contains three tests which can offer vastly different conditions and on rubber that must be chosen up to four hours before the last action begins.  Frequently, the secret for success is selecting compromise rubber which loses least time in the 'wrong' conditions.

Monaco's famous Casino Square, home to celebrity gamblers and big bets, is where the stakes will be raised at the ceremonial start on Thursday evening.  The rally is highly compact and is based in the mountains above Monaco and Nice with competitors returning to the Principality for service in the port area.  The opening leg is based entirely to the north of the Var river with the second day, the longest of the event, generally located on the opposite side.  The opening day includes a brand new stage and another not used since 1994 while the second day includes a stage not used for 14 years as well as a first pass over the classic Col de Turini.  The final leg has a more traditional flavour. It is based in the mountains near Sospel and includes two further passes over the Turini, with the spectacular gorge section near Moulinet again run downhill.  Drivers tackle 18 stages in total, covering 366.39km in a route of 1336.84km.

As well as the team entries, Gigi Galli takes to the event in a 2005 spec Mitsubishi Lancer WRC, Alexandre Bengue drives a Skoda Fabia WRC, and so does François Duval and Jan Kopecky, Toni Gardeneister is entered in an Astra Racing Peugeot 307, and a host of other drivers in WRC cars. It looks to be a competitive Monte Carlo.

Team Previews:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull-Skoda Team

1. Kronos Total Citroen

The Kronos Racing Belgian team participates in the event with three Xsara WRCs. Two of these will be entered under the colours of the Kronos Total Citroën World Rally Team: one for two-times World Champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, and the other one for their Spanish team-mates Xavier Pons and Carlos Del Barrio.

Bearing number one and two on their doors, these Xsaras depend on a team registered in the ‘Manufacturers one’ category, and comply with the 2006 technical definition. The most known measures of these new regulations are the prohibition of the electronic front and rear differentials and an increased restriction of the spare parts changes.

After dominating in 2002, and winning three times consecutively in Monaco, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena cannot escape the fact they will play the role of favourites for another victory. No matter how confident they can be, they remain very cautious. Seb does not ignore that the changes in the other teams’ line-up - and how they will adapt to the new regulations - raise many questions. In any case, some of the answers will be given by the first stage times.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "After clinching our second world title, Daniel and I received a lot of various requests...and it was of course really nice. But in this very busy period, we absolutely had to do two big test sessions. The previous years, during the Monte tests, we were just checking everything and fine-tuning the settings. This time, with the comeback of the mechanical front and rear diffs, we had a lot to do.  We started from a basic definition and we worked mostly on the car’s balance which is our priority It took a while. In tests now, we don’t change the  differentials’ settings. We simply change it with a new one: either the rear diff itself, or if it’s the front one, the gearbox in which it’s located. In that case the car could be stopped for around an hour."

Xavier Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "In 2004, I discovered the Monte in the Super 1600’s category. In very difficult conditions, we went off the road and unfortunately we couldn’t go any further. Last year was my first outing with a World Rally Car. There was a huge difference. I think we set some interesting times. Unfortunately, our engine broke two stages before the end of the event. This rally is very difficult but I
enjoy it. You should remain calm and much focused due to all the traps you can encounter."

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

Manfred Stohl and Henning SOLBERG will participate to the 2006 World Rally Championship in a two car team at the wheel of BOZIAN RACING Team’s PEUGEOT 307 WRC“full spec 2005” ! Man fred and Henning who already illustrated themselves in the BOZIAN RACING outfit aboard PEUGEOT 206 WRC in 2004 (Henning finished 6 th overall in Rally Sweden and Man fred 6 th overall in Acropolis Rally) will compete for Manufacturer points in 12 events of the WRC within the “OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team” regrouping both drivers in BOZIAN RACING structure. Both cars will contest the rounds in Monte Carlo, Sweden, Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Finland, Cyprus, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. Man fred STOHL, who will contest the whole championship, will additionaly participate to Catalunya, Corsica, Deutschland and Japon ! Former Ski Champion, Philippe ROUX will also join the team with a Peugeot 206 WRC in Monte Carlo.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "The initial impressions of the Peugeot 307 WRC were fine but I've learned not to rely on feelings too much. The first rallies will show how we really will be getting along," OMV  driver Manfred Stohl explains. In the beginning Manfred Stohl had to wrestle with the vehicle length which is 20 cm longer than the one of his car last year. But the problem was duly solved. Said the OMV driver, tongue firmly in cheek: “After a few kilometre the front and rear bumper were missing – and we were back at the old measurements."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: Teammate Henning Solberg is impressed by the engine power of his new vehicle: “I'm very confident for my first start in Monte Carlo. The team has prepared the car perfectly."

3. BP-Ford

Rallye Monte Carlo heralds a new era for Ford. An exciting new Focus RS World Rally Car is complemented by a fresh driver line-up comprising the experience of double world champions Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and the raw talent of rising stars Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen.  The new Focus RS WRC, based on the recently launched Focus ST road car, encompasses the innovative design of BP-Ford World Rally Team technical director Christian Loriaux, his team of designers and engineers at M-Sport and the expertise of Ford TeamRS. After a test debut on the Rally Australia last year, the car lines-up for the first time in serious competition at the start of a 16-round championship which covers gravel, asphalt, snow and ice across five continents.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "The car is ready on asphalt," said the 37-year-old Finn. "Testing has gone well and I already have a good feeling with the car. I feel excited about this season and I have been counting down the days to the start since the end of last season. It's best not to try too hard on Rallye Monte Carlo though. It's a tough rally and my aim is to score a good result and avoid making any silly mistakes in the unpredictable conditions. "The rally is historic and it has to be in the championship, but it's far from being my favourite event. It's scary to start a stage when you don't know what the road conditions are going to be like. You can encounter asphalt, ice and snow and when you know you don't have the perfect tyres for one of those, you can't drive flat out. Some years I have driven in first gear on snow and ice for 3-4km because I have asphalt tyres on the car and I don't like
that. You really don't know what to expect round the next corner," added Grönholm for whom this will be his seventh start.

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "I want to be able to learn without the pressure of having to deliver victories on my first few rallies," he said. "This is a great opportunity for me at Ford and I want to make the most of it. Testing has gone well for me so far. Asphalt isn't my favourite surface but I scored my best result on an asphalt rally in Spain last year so I know can drive well enough on it. "I've had no problems settling into the team. Many of the faces are the same as when I drove for Ford in 2003 and that has made it easier. I know testing is different to the heat of competition, but I'm confident I can start the season well and open the year with a good, solid result," he added.

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Cumbria’s Matthew Wilson will make history when he arrives in Monte Carlo for the start of this year’s World Rally Championship on Thursday the 19th of January. The 18-year-old becomes the youngest driver ever to start a full programme of events in the sport’s global series. Despite owning a driving licence for less than two years, Matthew will go head-to-head with the best drivers in the world as he travels through
16 countries and crosses five continents in the next 11 months. And what a place to start: right outside Monaco’s iconic Casino. The World Rally Championship might be new to him, but Matthew’s already proved his mettle in international rallying. He won Rally Yorkshire – one of the highest calibre events in the UK – last October, driving a Ford Focus RS WRC similar to the one he’ll be driving in Monte Carlo. But for Matthew, this year is what his whole life has been leading up to: the chance to play his part in the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team. The chance to take on the world. Matthew won’t be alone in the Stobart VK M-Sport  Ford Rally Team this season. The team’s second Ford Focus RS WRC will be piloted by four drivers through the year. On round one, triple Belgian champion Pieter Tsjoen takes the wheel of the number 10 Focus. This is Pieter’s sole 2006 outing with the Cumbrian team, but the 31-year-old brings a wealth of experience. Along with a plethora of domestic triumphs, he has also tasted victory on the world stage, having won a highly competitive battle on the production car round of the 2002 Catalunya Rally.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "This is an amazing opportunity that people like the Stobarts and Steve Perez, from VK, have provided me with. I certainly intend to make the most of it. Monte Carlo is a really tricky rally to start the programme. Unfortunately, I was too young to do the recce last year, you have to be 18 to drive on the roads in France – I was only 17. I’ve heard all the stories about Monte, about the changing road conditions and things like that. I think one of the hardest things
will be the first time I come across a patch of ice when we’re on slick racing tyres. I will have to slow to virtually walking pace, there’ll be no grip at all. Pyschologically, that’s quite tough – you have to keep telling yourself that everybody else is doing the same thing. The minute you try to push a bit harder on the ice, you’re likely to go off the road. It’s going to be very different to the events I’ve done before, but right now I just can’t wait to get started."

Pieter Tsjoen/ Eddy Chevalier: "Since I started rallying in 1998, I’ve been aiming for a drive like this. To be part of the Stobart VK M-sport Ford Rally Team on what is probably the most famous rally in the world is fantastic for me. Having driven in the Belgian Championship for so long, I have a lot of experience of asphalt rallies. Some of those events, such as Condroz, are run in wintry conditions similar to Monte Carlo, but it’s still going to be a very big challenge for me to take on the best rally drivers around on round one."

5. 555 Subaru

The Subaru World Rally Team launches its 2006 World Rally Championship campaign in style next week in the glamorous principality of Monaco. Commencing on Friday 20 January, the historic Rallye Monte Carlo will see the competitive debut of the Subaru World Rally Team’s latest title challenger, the Subaru Impreza WRC2006. Petter Solberg, Stéphane Sarrazin and Chris Atkinson continue with the team in 2006. Chris Atkinson makes his Monte Carlo debut with in a Subaru Australia-entered Subaru Impreza WRC2005.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I hope a podium will be possible in Monte Carlo, but it will be a very tough rally with lots of good cars and drivers. Marcus and Sébastien will be our main rivals but we are well prepared and I hope we’ll be able to fight with them. The team has worked hard to be ready and has planned everything very well. A lot
will depend on the weather as always in Monte Carlo. Cold, wet and snow would
be the best conditions for us."

Stéphane Sarrazin/Stéphane Prevot: "This is my second Monte Carlo Rally with the team and I’m more relaxed than last year as I have more experience now. I know the team, I know the car so it is automatically better. We did well on tarmac last year and I have a very good car so I think we can have a very good event and get a good result. This is a very exciting rally as you never know if you will have snow or patches of ice or just the tarmac, making it very difficult for tyre choice. I hope all the same to get some solid points. We could get in the top four."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "This will be my first Monte Carlo Rally and I’m really looking forward to the challenges of the roads. To get ready for the event I’ve been watching through videos of the stages to get a feel for them. We’re running last year’s car, which will make it easier for preparation as we won’t have to get used to a new car and a new rally. Of course Petter and Stéphane are nominated to score points for the manufacturers’ championship, but it would be nice for us to get some points too. Overall though the goal is to get miles and experience of this specialist rally."

6. Red Bull-Skoda Team

Baumschlager Rallye Racing (BRR) is the name of the new Red Bull Skoda Team that will be taking on the field of the Rally WC 2006. Gilles Panizzi, Mattias Ekström and Andreas Aigner are the names of the drivers, meaning the private BRR team will be represented at the Rally WC 2006 with a promising mixture of experienced star pilots and powerful youngsters.

Experience is what the 40-year-old Frenchman Gilles Panizzi has in spades. Panizzi was for years unbeatable on asphalt (earning him the nickname “Tarmac Expert” in racing circles). As part of BRR, he will compete in the WC races in Monte Carlo, Spain and Corsica, joined by his brother Herve as co-pilot. It has also been announced that for the second WC race in Sweden, "local hero" Mattias Ekström will be taking the wheel. At 28, the Swede has already had a remarkable amount of experience with winning: he captured the DTM in 2004 and finished second behind Gary Paffet in 2005. Ekström, who has long displayed ambitions to drift from the asphalt, was the Group N winner at the Sweden rally.

The third man, and the rookie of the team, is Austrian rally talent and Red Bull Rallye Junior Andreas Aigner. The 21-year-old was discovered two years ago. This year, he’s already made a name for himself at several Rally WC races in Group N. "Andreas, in particular, will profit from the experience of the two older pilots and learn a great deal," says team coach Raimund Baumschlager.

Gilles Panizzi/Hervé Panizzi: illes Panizzi about driving the Skoda Fabia WRC for the first time: "I got along very well with the car right away. The mechanical differential worked faultlessly, and I was quite happy with the times I achieved. Therefore it should be possible to get a top result in Monte Carlo."

Andreas Aigner/Timo Gottschalk: Junior Andreas Aigner, who in December already completed a day of testing in the Czech Republic, was enthusiastic as well: "We tried different setups and tested various tyre compounds. I learned quite a lot, it was a perfect test session. That’s why I can hardly wait for the rally to start, although it is going to be tough."

Event Timetable

Thursday 19 January: Ceremonial Start

Start  Place du Casino, Monte Carlo                    18.30

Friday 20 January: Leg 1 Monaco - Monaco

Start  Monaco                                          06.50
SS1    St Sauveur sur Tinee - Beuil            22.23km 08.33
SS2    Guillaumes - Valberg                    13.60km 09.31         
SS3    Pierlas - Ilonse                        23.22km 10.19
Serv A  Monaco (30 mins)                                12.12
SS4    St Sauveur sur Tinee - Beuil            22.23km 14.25
SS5    Guillaumes - Valberg                    13.60km 15.23         
SS6    Pierlas - Ilonse                        23.22km 16.11
Serv B  Monaco (45 mins)                                18.04
Finish  Monaco                                          18.57

Saturday 21 January: Leg 2 Monaco - Monaco

Serv C  Monaco (10 mins)                                06.00
SS7    Sigale - Bif. D10 / D110                22.54km 07.53
SS8    St Antonin - Toudon                    20.22km 09.06
SS9    La Tour sur Tinee - Utelle              18.73km 10.19
Serv D  Monaco (30 mins)                                12.02
SS10    St Antonin - Toudon                    20.22km 14.30
SS11    La Tour sur Tinee - Utelle              18.73km 15.43
SS12    La Bollene Vesubie - Sospel            31.25km 16.38
Serv E  Monaco (45 mins)                                18.03
Finish  Monaco                                          18.56

Sunday 22 January: Leg 3 Monaco - Monaco

Serv F  Monaco (10 mins)                                06.50
SS13    Col de Braus - La Cabanette            12.60km 07.55
SS14    Col St Roch - Lantosque                14.45km 08.23
SS15    La Bollene Vesubie - Sospel            31.25km 08.56         
Serv G  Monaco (30 mins)                                10.19
SS16    Col de Braus - La Cabanette            12.60km 11.44
SS17    Col St Roch - Lantosque                14.45km 12.12
SS18    La Bollene Vesubie - Sospel            31.25km 12.45 
Serv H  Monaco (20 mins)                                14.05
Finish  Monaco                                          14.25

Event Statistics

- The total length of the 74th running of the championship's longest running event is 1,336.13 km, including 366.39 km divided into 18 special stages (9 different).

- Recce takes place over Tuesday January 17th (8.00 until 18.00) and Wednesday January 18th (08:00 until 17:00).

- The shakedown (Thursday from 08.00 until 12.00) uses the same stage as in previous years (at the exit of the village of Sospel, Col of Castillon-Col St Jean and finishes on the D54). The shakedown service park will be settled in the village of Sospel.

- On Thursday, after the traditional photo shoot for drivers and co-drivers at 15.00 (“Jardins des Boulingrins” in Monaco), the FIA press conference will be held in the media centre at the Sporting d’Hiver at 15.30

- Thursday's programme ends with the ceremonial start (Place du Casino, Monaco, 18:30).

- Tyres: the authorised quota per driver is 80 asphalt tyres and 40 snow tyres. The bar-code references of these tyres must be registered by January 16th. Three tread patterns are permitted but all tyres must have an interior diameter of 18 inches. The drivers will be allowed to use only 50 tyres of their quota during the rally, shakedown included.

- Both chassis and engine, which will be sealed in Monte Carlo, will have to be used in Sweden too

- Servicing: the event's single service park will be located on Monaco's harbour front. The end of leg 1 and 2 services will use the flexi-service system (cars of the same team serviced one by one). The 10-minute morning service and the 30-minute mid-leg services, and 20-minute (before the final podium) work according to the traditional system.

- Leg 1. Friday January 20th: 508.40 km including 118.10 divided in 6 SS (3 different). Start in Monaco at 6.50. SS1 ‘St Sauveur sur Tinée/Beuil’ (22.53 km) – SS2 ‘Guillaumes/Valberg’ (13.60 km) – SS3 ‘Pierlas/Ilonse’ (23.22 km) – Service A (12.12/30 min) – SS4 ‘St Sauveur sur Tinée/Beuil’ – SS5 ‘Guillaumes/Valberg’ – SS6 ‘Pierlas/Ilonse’ – Service B (18.04/flexi-service, 45 min) – Last car due in parc fermé at 20.30

- Leg 2. Saturday January 21st: 530.71 km including 131.69 divided in 6 SS (4 different). Start in Monaco at 6.00. Service C (6.00/10 min) – SS7 ‘Sigale/Bif. D10-D110’ (22.54 km) – SS8 ‘St Antonin/Toudon’ (20.22 km) – SS9 ‘La Tour sur Tinée/Utelle’ (18.73 km) – Service D (12.02/30 min) – SS10 ‘St Antonin/Toudon’ – SS11 ‘La Tour sur Tinée/Utelle’ – SS12 ‘La Bollène Vésubie/Sospel’ (31.25 km) – Service E (18.03/flexi-service, 45 min) – Last car due in parc fermé at 20.30

- Leg 3. Sunday January 22nd: 297.73 km including 116.60 divided in 6 SS (3 different). Start in Monaco at 6.50. Service F (6.50/10 min) – SS13 ‘Col de Braus/La Cabanette’ (12.60 km) – SS14 ‘Col St Roch/Lantosque’ (14.45 km) – SS15 ‘La Bollène Vésubie/Sospel’ – Service G (10.19/30 min) - SS16 ‘Col de Braus/La Cabanette’ – SS17 ‘Col St Roch/Lantosque’ – SS18 ‘La Bollène Vésubie/Sospel’ – Service H (14.05/20min) – Finish of the rally : TC out service H (14.25) – Podium on the “Place du Palais Princier” at 15.25.

- ‘New this year’ for the rally route  : SS1/3 ‘Col de la Couillole, which had not been used since 1994 – ‘Guillaumes/Valberg’ (SS2/4), was a stage of the Antibes rally – Reverse direction ‘Pierlas/Ilonse’ (SS3/6) – Comeback to the short classical version (without Col de Bleine) for ‘Sigale’ (SS7) – ‘La Tour sur Tinée/Utelle’ which was run for the last time in 1992 – New versions of the ‘Col de Braus/La Cabanette’ (SS13/16) and ‘Col St Roch/Lantosque’ (SS14/17).

Leg 1 Unofficial News

World champion Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) built up a 1min 16.4sec lead before crashing into retirement 5km after the start of the final stage. It is not yet known whether he will restart tomorrow under SupeRally regulations.  If so, he will be ninth.  A second world champion to retire was Petter Solberg (Subaru).  The Norwegian lost a minute after selecting slick tyres this morning.  He climbed back to seventh before
an oil leak in the final stage irreparably damaged his car's engine. Team-mate Chris Atkinson excelled on his first Rallye Monte Carlo appearance to hold second, ahead of Toni Gardemeister (Peugeot).  Gilles Panizzi (Skoda) held second midway through the leg but poor handling dropped him to fourth.  Also out was Gig Galli (Mitsubishi) who retired from fourth in stage four with a broken steering arm after hitting a
stone.

The second leg is the longest of the rally and is primarily based to the south of the Var river.  As today, it comprises two groups of three stages which are split by a return to the Monaco service.  It includes a test which has not been used for 14 years and ends with the first of three passes over the famous Col de Turini.  Drivers leave Monaco at 06.00 and return for the overnight halt at 18.56. 

Team News:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull-Skoda Team

1. Kronos Total Citroen

This Friday is known in the church as Saint Sebastian’s day. It started off as Seb’s party, in every way. He was the hero of the morning, with an inspired choice of ‘BFGoodrich Winter’ tyres, containing a row of studs on the inside of the tyre. The two-time World Champion exhibited the sort of form that has earned him three consecutive Monte Carlo victories, taking a commanding lead from the beginning. He extended his advantage using ‘Dry’ tyres for the second run through ‘La Couillole’
(SS4) which was the opening stage of the afternoon’s loop.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: Then about five kilometres after the start of Pierlas/Ilonse’ (SS6), his rally was turned on its head. « I just got caught out, » he admitted with characteristic honesty. « It was even more important to be aware of the amount of grip on each corner during the afternoon than it was in the morning, when the studs gave us a certain amount of safety. On that particular corner, taken in fourth gear, I thought that the black asphalt in the braking area was simply damp. In fact, it was extremely greasy. Having arrived at it too fast, the car started to understeer and so to try and get it back I pulled the handbrake. We went into a spin and the car slid backwards down a steep slope. But we did not hit anything, which makes me hope that there is no real damage to it. We will have to wait to find out if it is possible for us to re-start the rally tomorrow. And if that is the case, we will see what we can hope for over the distance that remains.

Xavier Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: Friday was also a memorable day for Xavier Pons and Dani Sordo. An extensive traffic jam at St Sauveur sur Tinée, the start of SS1, meant that they were unable to contest any of the three stages that made up the morning’s action. They were also handicapped by the notional times they were awarded – giving them a total time which was a full three minutes off the leader ! «It’s frustrating but these things happen, » said Xevi afterwards. « Now we will just have to concentrate on the next loop of stages. » It started with a spin on ‘La Couillole’ (SS4). «I’m not used to driving on ice with dry weather tyres, » explained Xevi. « The spin was nothing special, but it was a good warning and I decided not to take any risks, especially as it was the first time we were seeing these stages after
their cancellation in the morning. My aim is to get to the finish and so I’m going to take everything one step at a time. »

Dani Sordo/Marc Marti: At the end of his first day of driving a World Rally Car, Dani Sordo explained : «Dropping three minutes in the morning without even starting a stage was not too serious in itself. What hurt me most was the lack of competitive time in the car, which I am seriously in need of. Having said that, I am not at all unhappy. The car is perfect, my ice crew did a good job and my tyre choice was correct. More than ever, my goal is to get to the end of this rally – which I can
honestly say is the most difficult of my career so far ! »

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The circumstances at the 74th edition of the Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo were no piece of cake. The biggest challenge was to reach the start of the first special stage. Only eleven competitors made it. The rest had to return to the service zone in Monte Carlo. Manfred Stohl unfortunately made a wrong choice of tyres. The Austrian’s tyre
distributor had recommended slicks – which proved to be a mistake. Luckily the third special stage was cancelled, therefore the Viennese is only two minutes behind the top. But on the second three special stages the Austrian OMV driver gathered momentum. A fact that was proven by third SS-time on SS 5 and second SS-time on SS 6. This means fifth place in the intermediate standings – only 15 seconds behind second place.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "I felt rather desperate. It was extremely icy and all I could do was to try and remain on the road." "I only had a spin on SS 4. The rest was smooth sailing. I’m actually rather surprised that we can keep up this well. I’m feeling right at home in the Peugeot and Bozian Racing are doing a perfect job."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: Henning Solberg wasn’t too happy when he reached the serive in Monte Carlo at noon. The Norwegian had completed over 100 kilometres – but without racing a single special stage. Solberg: "What a disappointment. But that is rallying for you. There areover 50 drivers who had to face the same fate.“ In the afternoon the former World Champion’s brother was finally able to show his forte. At the end of the day he found himself in twelfth overall place. We’re quite content. The rally is long and we still have reserves."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen made a sensational debut in the new Focus RS World Rally Car to lead the Rallye Monte Carlo after today's opening leg.  The Finns lead by 1min 23.7sec on their first appearance with the Ford squad after a demanding day's driving over slushy and icy mountain roads in the French Alps. This opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship is the first full competitive outing for the new Focus RS WRC.  Grönholm posted fastest
time on two of the day's five speed tests in the mountains north-west of Monaco, and a consistently fast pace through the remaining special stages propelled him to the top of the leaderboard on the three-day rally. Team-mates and fellow countrymen Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen are 10th in a second BP Ultimate and Castrol-branded Focus RS after a more difficult day.  A poor tyre choice this morning and a handbrake problem on the hairpin-lined roads this afternoon cost time on a rally in which Hirvonen has limited previous experience.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "I spun about 3km after the start of the first stage on a right hand corner," said Grönholm.  "It was marked in my pace notes as 'really slippery' but it was really, really, really slippery.  The car ended facing the way I had come.  I stalled the engine a couple of times trying to manoeuvre it back in the right direction.  It was difficult to make our tyre choice and maybe we should have opted for half studs.  My tyres would have been good for stage three but unfortunately we didn't find out."The 37-year-old Finn opted for soft compound dry weather rubber this afternoon.  He climbed to second on the opening test and powered into the lead on the final stage with his second stage victory - by a massive 15.5sec.  "It's fantastic to be leading and the Focus has been perfect all day," he added.  "I drove a little too carefully sometimes but conditions were terrible and
it was hard to judge the correct speed.  I've not enjoyed the day but I am enjoying leading.  The big thing for the rest of the weekend will be tyre choice.  There is slush, ice, wet asphalt and dry asphalt and it is so hard to decide what is the right option."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: Hirvonen opted for dry weather rubber this morning and paid the penalty.  He was 10th on the opening stage and 11th on the next to return to service in 10th.  "The conditions changed totally between my safety note crew driving the stage early this morning and me starting," he admitted.  "All the ice had turned to slush and I just did not know what the conditions were like around the next corner. I didn't push because I couldn't trust my notes and I didn't want to make any mistakes." Twenty-five-year-old Hirvonen was fourth fastest on the afternoon's opening stage.  However, a handbrake sensor problem on the last test cost more than a minute.  "It was a twisty stage and I needed the handbrake at hairpins.  But when I pulled on it the car went into launch control mode and activated the clutch.  It meant they were controlling the car and not me!  The engine stalled and when I restarted it the system released itself.  It happened about five times," he
explained. 

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Matthew Wilson and Pieter Tsjoen, driving a brace of Stobart VK-decaled Ford Focus RS WRC 04s, were looking forward to three tests in the French Alps, north of the event's base in Monaco. Unfortunately for the duo, the narrow roads had been blocked by two buses. Despite being only two kilometres from the start of stage one, there was no way through and the organisers were forced to cancel. Matthew and Pieter finally got their chance at a little after 1430 this afternoon, when the re-run of the morning's stages began without any problems. Much of the snow and ice had melted from the roads by the time the world's finest rally drivers arrived for the afternoon competition. The conditions allowed Matthew and Pieter to use slick, racing tyres, offering sensational grip on the dry asphalt but zero resistance on any lingering patches of ice. Matthew posted a highly-respectable 17th fastest time on his first test, while Pieter slid off the road and into one of the many snow banks lining the
road. He dropped five minutes digging the car out of the bank and would spend the next two stages racing back through the field, trying to make up for the time loss. After another top-20 time on SS5, Matthew was settling in and feeling more comfortable with the conditions. Unfortunately, that didn't last. Close to the finish of the day's final test, he clipped a rock on the outside of the corner and bent a steering
arm. He made it to the end of the stage, where he tried to fix the problem. Unfortunately the repair didn't last and he retired on the road section back to Monaco. Otherwise both his M-Sport-run and the sister car of Pieter Tsjoen ran without fault.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "What a day! After all the build-up to this event, I was so keen to get on with the driving this morning. I'd taken a studded tyre, which would have worked really well in the icy conditions, but then we never even got the chance to compete. It made the nerves a little bit worse, just sitting in the traffic waiting to
start. We stalled in SS4, my first in the rally, and dropped 20s, but okay, the tyres were working and I was feeling happy with the car. It was the same in SS5: everything was good. There was a section of about six kilometres, towards the end of the stage, which was pure ice. We got through without any problems and I'd learned a lot about what speed you can drive in these conditions – maybe I backed off too much, but I just wanted to get to the end. Then, on the final stage, things weren't so good. I clipped a rock on the outside of a corner and damaged the front-left steering arm. After the stage, I tried to put a new arm on the car, but the steering rack was damaged. We had to put the old arm back on and continue. Unfortunately this broke about half-way back to Monaco. It's so disappointing this has happened, but the Monte Carlo Rally is full of these kind of stories. The positive thing is that I can continue tomorrow. I need to carry on, I need more experience and
that's what I'll be looking for."

Pieter Tsjoen/ Eddy Chevalier: "Both times I've done the Monte Carlo Rally before, I've had problems on the opening day. I really hoped I'd left that behind this year. Unfortunately, I hadn't. I hit a rock in stage four, which spun the car across the road and into a snow bank on the opposite side. With the car buried in the snow, my co-driver and I weren't going to be able to get it out. We managed to get some
spectators to come and help us, but still we lost about five minutes. Apart from that problem, I've also had some difficulties with my pace notes. Basically, I'm driving at a higher speed than we thought we would be and the notes are a little bit too slow – we're trying to work around this. It's been frustrating, but tomorrow's another day – and this is certainly a fantastic car."

5. 555 Subaru

The opening Leg of Rallye Monte Carlo brought mixed fortunes for the Subaru World Rally Team. Making a remarkable Monte Carlo debut, Chris Atkinson finished the day second overall after a trouble free run through the twisty asphalt stages. The young Australian recorded three top-five stage times. Petter Solberg struggled with a poor tyre choice on the morning’s icy roads but turned things around in the afternoon and
recorded the second fastest time on the final stage of the day. But soon after disaster struck when Solberg’s engine developed an oil leak on the road section back to service. Forty seven kilometres from his destination his car came to a halt and he retired. Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin also struggled on slick tyres in the morning, but fought back to secure the second fastest time in SS5. He will start Leg two in
seventh place overall.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I still can’t really believe it. We were cruising home after the stage and it just happened. We stopped and  tried to fix it but there was nothing we could do. The oil had leaked out and we had no chance. Up to then the rally had been getting better and better for us. We didn’t start well - in fact I don’t think our tyre choice could have been any worse - but the afternoon was good, and our pace on the final stage was very encouraging. It’s incredible really; it seems I have no luck here in Monte Carlo. It must change soon."

Stéphane Sarrazin/Stéphane Prevot: "This morning was extremely difficult. There was so much ice and snow on the ground that it was impossible to do much with the slick tyres that we’d chosen. To be honest, I’m still feeling quite lucky to be in the rally, it was so easy to make a big mistake. The second loop this afternoon was much better, I’m feeling good about the car and my driving and I’m very much looking forward to a big fight tomorrow."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "Obviously I’m very happy; it’s been a good day for Glenn and me. We’ve stuck exactly to our pre-event plan, haven’t taken any risks and have ended up in second place overall. In fact, I think that’s the only thing that we weren’t really planning for. The stages today have been very interesting and a tough challenge. We haven’t been going slowly but we haven’t been taking risks either. We’ve just driven sensibly, on safe tyres and the results have been incidental. We learned a lot on the asphalt rallies last year and we put it to good use. Our plan for tomorrow is to keep it consistent, just carry on doing what we’ve done today and see where it gets us. I’m looking forward to it."

6. Red Bull-Skoda Team

Quite a positive first day for the Red Bull Skoda Team. After lying second overall this morning, local hero Gilles Panizzi managed P4 at the end of the day despite a spin in Special Stage 6.

Gilles Panizzi/Hervé Panizzi: Special Stage 6: "Unfortunately I had a spin at the exit of the very first corner of SS 6. Even before that the car handled rather twitchy, so I lost some time there. In spite of this mishap I am pretty content, especially with this morning’s round, and I hope for a similar performance tomorrow."

Andreas Aigner/Timo Gottschalk: Because of a traffic jam on the access roads to SS 1, only 11 cars contested the first two stages, so Andreas Aigner saw his first competitive action on Special Stage 4: "I was very comfortable and ran the stages without any unnecessary risk. By choosing intermediates I took a safety-first approach with tyres as well. My first duty has to be finishing my first world Championship event in the Skoda Fabia WRC and show a respectable performance. With each and every kilometre I am able to gain further experience, which I hope will come to good use later on."

Leg 2 Unofficial Results

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen    Ford Focus RS  2hr 36min 10.2sec
2.  T Gardemeister/J Honkanen  Peugeot 307    2hr 38min 16.1sec
3.  M Stohl/I Minor            Peugeot 307    2hr 38min 19.0sec
4.  S Loeb/D Elena              Citroen Xsara  2hr 38min 51.8sec
5.  S Sarrazin/S Prévot        Subaru Impreza  2hr 39min 13.6sec
6.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall      Subaru Impreza  2hr 40min 53.0sec
7.  D Sordo/M Marti            Citroen Xsara  2hr 41min 11.8sec
8.  G Panizzi/H Panizzi        Skoda Fabia    2hr 41min 30.2sec
9.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen      Ford Focus RS  2hr 41min 37.5sec
10. X Pons/C Del Barrio        Citroen Xsara  2hr 42min 53.1sec

Leg 2 Unofficial News

Behind Grönholm, Manfred Stohl and Toni Gardemeister (both Peugeot) enjoyed a huge battle for second.  Stohl started the day in fifth but the pair swapped places throughout before Gardemeister grabbed second on the final test, just 2.9sec ahead of Stohl.  Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) bounced back from yesterday's retirement to post fastest time on all five stages to climb from eighth to fourth.  Team-mates Stephane Sarrazin and Chris Atkinson (both Subaru) rounded off the top six, Atkinson unable to reproduce the pace which carried him into second last night.  François Duval (Skoda) crashed out of fifth place on stage nine while Gigi Galli (Mitsubishi) retired for the second consecutive day after the same test with a broken gearbox.

The final day covers familiar territory in the mountains above Monaco, close to the town of Sospel.  After restarting at 06.50, drivers face two identical groups of three speed tests covering 116.60km, split by a return to the Monaco service park.  The last test in each group crosses the famous Col de Turini before a dramatic descent through spectacular gorges near the village of Moulinet.  Drivers return to the Principality for the finish ceremony at the Palace at 14.25.

Team News:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull-Skoda Team

1. Kronos Total Citroen

After their problem on the ‘Pierlas’ stage yesterday, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were on a mission to make up time. Helped by their flawlessly reliable Citroen Xsara WRC, they were quickest on five out of five stages today. It could well have been six out of six, had the second run through the 19 kilometres of ‘La Tour sur Tinée/Utelle’
(SS11) not been cancelled. By the end of their thrilling day, the reigning World Champions had made up four places and returned to Monaco knocking on the door of the podium. They started the leg’s action with a gap of 3m43.6s to leader Marcus Grönholm, but slashed the deficit to 2m41.6s heading into the last day.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: At final service, Seb took stock of the situation. «It’s been a trouble-free day, apart from a spin at a hairpin bend on ‘St Antonin’ [SS8], » he said. « For the second loop of stages, I opted for harder tyres than my rivals. I took advantage of that choice on the second run through ‘St Antonin’. On the other hand, those tyres cooled down a lot during the three kilometres of snow after the Col de Turini [SS12] and I was never really able to get temperature back into them for the end of this long stage. I still won it, but it was not easy. The gap of 161 seconds to Marcus will be impossible to make up under normal circumstances, in the 117 kilometres or so that are left to run tomorrow.  But we have come back to within 35 seconds of a possible second place, and we are going to do everything possible to try and take it tomorrow…

Xavier Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "It’s good to see a difficult day end well!" said Pons, a former world Enduro champion, after making up two places. "Today’s leg was maybe not quite as challenging as yesterday, but it was difficult nonetheless. The car is exactly as I want it, well-balanced and consistent. On sections of road that are dry or damp, I’m able to give it everything. But I struggle when I have to drive on roads that are snowy or icy with slick tyres. My inexperience of these conditions results in gaps to the opposition which are too big for my taste. I need to work hard in order to reduce them…and getting to the finish is the best way to do that."

Dani Sordo/Marc Marti:  It’s all about learning – learning as much as possible!  This is also the personal maxim of Dani Sordo, who is feeling more and more comfortable at the wheel of his Xsara WRC rented from Kronos Racing. The reigning Junior World Rally Champion was satisfied with his day’s work. "We’ve made some good tyre choices, avoided mistakes, and set a fourth-fastest time [SS7] and a second-fastest time [SS10], making up two places" he said.  "I will remember my second day at the wheel of a World Rally Car as a very good experience"

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

One half of the OMV Peugeot Norway WRT has reason to be satisfied with day two of the 74th Rallye Automobile. Manfred Stohl lies in excellent third overall place after twelve of 18 special stages. He is only missing 2,9 seconds on second-placed Finn Toni Gardemeister. Henning Solberg, on the other hand, was less successful. After having chosen the wrong set of tyres in the morning, the Norwegian lost a lot of time in the afternoon due to a spin and ensuing technical problems. Up to now Manfred Stohl has achieved more than he had dared to hope. Originally his main focus at the season’s WRC-premiere in Monte Carlo had been on getting to know his new Peugeot 307 WRC more intimately. But the OMV duo Stohl and co-driver Ilka Minor soon found the right rhythm.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "We didn’t know our exact standing after the tests last weekend. But the initial special stage times gave us confidence. We also didn’t make any grave mistakes up to now – and so this comes from that. But Sunday will be tough and the time differences aren’t exactly huge." The Austrian is referring to the 2,9 seconds he lies behind Gardemeister but also to the 32 seconds he still has on Loeb. Stohl: „There is still a tough fight to come with Gardemeister. If Loeb keeps on performing like he did today we will hardly be able to cope with him. If I want to reach the podium I’ll have to beat Gardemeister – and I want to. But Toni know this rally inside-out. After all he came in second last year.“

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: It was a day to forget for Henning Solberg. Wrong tyres in the morning and eventually a spin on the last special stage of the day – which caused problems with the engine power. The Norwegian of the OMV Peugeot Norway WRT was able to finish the stage but had to park his Peugeot 307 WRC immediately afterwards in order to prevent engine failure. Solberg: "We don’t know what really happened. But it is better to give up now and rather compete again tomorrow thanks to SupeRally. Since this problem occured on the last special stage of the day and we’ve already lost a lot of time we don’t mind the five-minute-penalty. At least we’ll try to really put our foot down on the last leg.“

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen extended their lead in the Rallye Monte Carlo during today's second leg in the French Alps.  Ice and slushy snow on the winding mountain roads once again made conditions treacherous, but Ford's Finns controlled their pace throughout the day to return to Monaco this evening with a 2min 05.9sec advantage in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. Grönholm and Rautiainen posted top five times on every speed test to extend their leg one lead by 42.2sec on their debut drive in the new Focus RS. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lie ninth in a similar Focus RS with one day remaining of this opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: I spun just after the top of Turini," he said.  "The conditions there were terrible, the worst I have ever seen them, and we have to go over there twice more tomorrow so anything can still happen.  The Focus has again been really good today but the conditions mean that it's not enjoyable to drive this rally because on every corner I'm waiting for something to happen. "It's hard to judge what is a good pace.  I'm looking at Loeb's times and calculating the pace at which I need to drive.  I'm not trying to beat his times.  I hope I don't make any mistakes tomorrow because in these conditions that is so easy to do," he added.

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: Hirvonen and Lehtinen tackled the day's opening stage using the back-up manual gearchange system on their Focus RS after a clutch sensor problem en route to the test.  However, the Finns, made light of the situation and two top five times on the next two tests lifted them to eighth.  "I fixed the problem after the first stage by disconnecting the chassis controller and had a steady drive in the next two," said Hirvonen.  "I hit a wall in the third stage but it wasn't a problem.  The road was narrow, covered with gravel and with big ditches alongside and it was easy to make a mistake." Hirvonen spun 7km from the top of the Col de Turini this afternoon and dropped about 30 seconds and a place on the leaderboard.  "I slid wide at a hairpin, the back of the car caught the snow and I spun round.  But just to reach Turini was fantastic for me because I've never got this far before. Everyone told me it was a tough stage and that's true, but I've finally
driven it so I'm happy.  "I tried to find a good speed but be cautious
at the same time because I could earn a good finishing position without being on maximum attack.  I think I can move up tomorrow.  I think sixth is possible and that's my target," he added.

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team of Matthew Wilson and Pieter Tjoen left Monaco at 0630 this morning, bound once more for the icy mountain passes of the French Alps, north of the Monaco base for this opening round of the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship. Once again, the route provided a mixture of old and new. Stages like St Antonin-Toudon has always been part of the fabric of this event. The road from Sigale through Le Mas and on towards St Auban, however, hadn’t been used for 14 years. No matter how often they’re used, at this time of the year, these stretches of asphalt remain among the most challenging in the championship, with black ice, snow, slush and even gravel waiting to catch out the unwary. Mindful of a troubled opening leg, courtesy of a bent steering arm for Matthew and a fourth-stage excursion for Pieter, both would be taking a cautious approach to leg two. Saturday’s stages, however, didn’t deliver quite the same level of difficulty in terms of surface changes. That was, until the crews arrived in La Bollene late this afternoon. In the fading light, Matthew and Pieter nosed their Fords into the last stage of the day, which included the pass over the awesome Col de Turini. This stage had everything: a true test of nerve and skill as the drivers skated their way across a surface shorn of anything resembling grip.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: “It’s been a bit of a mixed day. Some of the stages have been fantastic, really dry and good grip, giving lots of confidence. Then you go into the next one and it’s completely different again, really slippery, with lots of ice. I knew Turini was going to be tough and it lived up to its reputation. When I was sitting on the start line, I actually felt really privileged, knowing all the great drivers who had sat there before me. The stage itself was absolutely unbelievable. Let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve driven through there! It was just starting to get dark when we came over the top of the Col, which added to whole experience. I could see all of the camera flashes and fires going, it was stunning – I think I even saw some Union flags flying. It was one of life’s experiences, something I’ll never forget. After all that, though, I was pretty pleased to see the finish. We came over the top of the Col and it was ice for about five kilometres down. I was driving so slowly, but I knew that as soon as I tried to go any quicker, we’d go off the road. I feel more comfortable with that kind of thing now. The experience is coming – and that’s what I’m here for.”

Pieter Tsjoen/ Eddy Chevalier: I’m not here to race with anybody – I don’t want to push the car too hard, that’s not my plan. I’m here to learn and that’s what I’m doing. Going up the Turini I was trying to be really smooth, just drifting the car on ice, really trying not to make any mistakes. As soon as you spin, you’re going to lose a lot of time. I came through with no spins and was really pleased.”

5. 555 Subaru

Both Stéphane Sarrazin and Chris Atkinson had a trouble-free run through Leg two of Rallye Monte Carlo to end the day in fifth and sixth respectively. All of the day’s five run stages were won by Sébastien Loeb, but Sarrazin was the closest challenger when the Subaru driver finished just two seconds behind him in SS8. Sarrazin finished every stage in the top ten to move from seventh to fifth, with his team-mate Atkinson in sixth. Subaru’s youngest driver continued his aim of gaining more experience on asphalt, often matching the pace of more experienced drivers.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: Retired

Stéphane Sarrazin/Stéphane Prevot: We did some good times and I’m very happy with the car, it feels very strong. Today our tyre choice was spot on, so it’s a good average. I’m sure a lot is down to confidence, all the time I’m learning more about the new car with the mechanical diffs and so on and I have had to adapt my driving style to cope. Of course for tomorrow I will try to catch up the cars ahead but I’ll try to push without going crazy – something like the level I was pushing at today.”

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: “It’s been quite a challenge for us today. We knew we would drop a few places anyway but we’ve lost a bit more time than we wanted. We had a few slow spins in the morning and then this afternoon we were massively too cautious on the Turini stage. I’ve never done that stage before and everyone was warning us about how tricky it was. In the end I took it too carefully and threw away some time. Tomorrow I think we can go at a much faster pace than we did today, that’s for sure, but we still want to finish the rally, that’s the main thing.”

6. Red Bull-Skoda Team

The second day of the 74th edition of the Monte Carlo Rally was again a quite successful one for Red Bull Skoda. Although Gilles Panizzi dropped down to P8 from his fourth position yesterday, points are well within reach for the Frenchman at this year’s season opener.

Gilles Panizzi/Hervé Panizzi: "My car seems very twitchy since Friday evening, I had a spin and lost some time. This situation stayed pretty much the same this morning, and I informed the team about it."

Andreas Aigner/Timo Gottschalk: The 21 year-old from Styria, who was the first to tackle today’s stages thanks to his 15th position yesterday, coped well with this new situation: "On one hand, you feel honoured, on the other hand there are quite a few stones lying around on the tarmac, which you will clear away for the other competitors whether  you want to or not. I especially need to improve at the start of a stage, where I am still losing time because of bad timing. I will try my best to reach the finishing line in my first WRC event."

What is this with Loeb still eligable for points after failing to finish a stage 

He got given a 5 minute penalty

Gronholm takes first Monte Carlo victory
Racing series  WRC 
Date  2006-01-22

By Tom Haapanen - Motorsport.com

It was a weekend of firsts for Marcus Gronholm: the first drive in the works Ford Focus WRC 2006, the first World Rally Championship win on tarmac, and, most importantly, his first Monte Carlo Rally victory.

Gronholm may not have been the fastest man on the road -- that honor belonged to WRC champion and defending Monte Carlo winner Sebastien Loeb -- but he was fast enough, and he kept his car on the road when it mattered most.

"This is the best feeling," the happy Gronholm smiled at the finish. "I had a good lead and didn't need to get involved in a massive fight. It is my first win on asphalt, although it wasn't 'pure' asphalt because there was so much ice and snow. It is fantastic to score so well on the first rally and I'm really looking forward to driving on the snow in Sweden on the next round."

There has been no love lost between Gronholm and Monte Carlo in the past, and double world champion's best result in the French mountains to date had been a fourth place.

"I didn't think a victory was possible here before the rally," he admitted. "My dream was a podium, but this is the best feeling. It is a fantastic day for everyone in the team and one that I will always remember,"

Loeb, who finished second in a Kronos Citroen Xsara WRC, was just over a minute adrift, in spite of winning ten stages to Gronholm's two; the difference was all in Loeb overcooking a corner, spinning off the road and sliding down the hillside on Friday's final stage. The Frenchman was unable to continue, and took instead a five-minute penalty for missing the special.

"Of course I'm very disappointed to have made the mistake on Friday, especially for the team," Loeb said. "I can only blame myself. On the other hand, I can honestly say that from the inside of the car this rally turned into a thrilling chase, the sort of battle that I really like. It showed us that our Xsara can more than stand up to the opposition, and that my new team is working really well."

That mistake dropped Loeb to eighth, 3:40 behind Gronholm, and set the scene for the remainder of the weekend. Gronholm, uncomfortable in the icy conditions, drove cautiously and with an eye on the watch, while Loeb was driving with abandon to make up as much time as possible.

And Gronholm did survive, even with three passes in all -- one each day -- over the treacherous Col de Turini section, where he crashed out in 2005, spinning off the road after hitting snow thrown on the road by spectators.

"Today was again difficult," he explained. "The first stage was really hard because there was a lot of ice and sometimes the car was skating. There were many tricky corners and so I drove with great care. My right knee hurts because the position of the throttle pedal was not quite right, but that was my only problem this weekend, so that's not too bad!"

Loeb did all he could, but Gronholm's lead was insurmountable in the end. He did pass every other car, flying into second on the final stage; Toni Gardemeister, driving a privateer Peugeot 307 WRC for Astra, held second place by six seconds entering the final stage, the last of the famous Col de Turini crossings.

And while Manfred Stohl stole the show on the final stage, beating Loeb by almost 19 seconds, Loeb was easily 27 seconds faster than Gardemeister, clinching the second podium spot. Gardemeister had said that he was willing to take risks to keep second, but this was just too much for him.

And Gronholm? He was taking no risks on his final encounter with the famed pass, and gave up a minute to Loeb. But with a two-minute gap entering the final stage, and the first Monte Carlo victory at stake, caution was more than prudent for the Finn.

Gardemeister took third, then, 21 seconds behind Loeb, while Stohl, who stormed through to take the last two stage victories in an OMV-entered Peugeot 307 WRC, was fourth, 19 seconds adrift of Gardemeister.

After the top four, there was a big gap: Stephane Sarrazin took fifth for Subaru, three minutes and twenty seconds off Gronholm's time, and more than a minute and a half behind Stohl.

"I'm very pleased that we've finished in the points on the first round of the championship and with a new car," Sarrazin said. "Mechanically we've had no problems at all, but we were caught out by the weather on Friday and that cost us a lot of time. But it's a part of the game -- this time we lost but next time we might win. In performance terms the car is a big step forward already."

Chris Atkinson, who impressed in a 2005-spec Subaru Impreza WRC on Friday in spite of limited experience on asphalt, but lost much time on Saturday, today kept pace with tarmac specialist Sarrazin -- who was driving a current works Impreza -- and finished in sixth.

"We're ecstatic, really," Atkinson gushed at the finish. "Coming to our first Monte Carlo, to finish in the top six and to have such a good result all weekend is fantastic. Glenn and I drove exactly according to our pre event plan, we learned a lot and we'll head to Sweden in a very positive frame of mind. The conditions (in Sweden) suit me a bit better than the ones here and I'm looking forward to going back."

Mikko Hirvonen, in the second Ford Focus, was seventh, followed by Loeb's two Kronos teammates, Daniel Sordo in eighth, the final points-paying position and Xavier Pons in ninth. Sordo had been attacking Hirvonen, and was within 15 seconds of the Finn entering SS18, the final run through Col de Turini, but a hydraulic problem cost him the chance at seventh, and Sordo finished 55 seconds behind Hirvonen.

"To be at the end of the rally with a second-fastest stage time in our pockets, one championship point, and an intact car is fantastic," Sordo admitted, overcoming the disappointment of the mechanical problem. "Step by step I think I've learnt a lot since Friday and I can't wait to get to Sweden now to learn some more."

So while the number of "true" factory teams dropped significantly for the 2006 season, the Monte Carlo opener was none the worse for that, with the privately-entered Citroens, Peugeots and Skodas more than competitive -- and the impressive effort from Gronholm, a gravel specialist, gave the Ford team the first trophy of the season, and their first since 2004.