Montecarlo Rally

The 2003 FIA World Rally Championship begins this weekend with the start of one of the most famous events in the WRC calendar, Rallye Monte Carlo. Competitors will cross the ceremonial start ramp in Place du Casino on Thursday 23 January, before moving to the French Alps for three days of action. This prestigious event promises everything from glitz and glamour to extreme drama and high-octane rallying. Run on the treacherous and twisty roads of the French Alps, this historic event, now in its 71st year, is renowned as one of the most demanding in the calendar. Comprising 415.02 competitive kilometres, contested over three legs and 14 stages, drivers will have to contend with hazards such as packed ice, tight turns and terrifying drops. Leg one, which makes up almost 50 per cent of the event's entire competitive distance, will be run around the French town of Gap, while Legs two and three are based on stages close to the Monte Carlo Principality. Renowned for its unpredictable weather conditions, driver skill and correct tyre choices are critical factors on this classic asphalt event which can see competitors encounter everything from dry tarmac to black ice, snow blizzards to bright sunshine - sometimes all in the same stage. Rapid climate changes in the Alps make predicting the correct level of grip very difficult and teams will be seeking to gather as much information as possible from their gravel and weather crews to help them determine the best tyre to use before each group of stages. Following Thursday's ceremonial start in Monaco, the event will begin in earnest on Friday 24 January when crews will travel more than 200km north west of Monte Carlo to Tallard for the event's first six stages. The entrants will run twice through three stages, including the longest of the event, the 47.27km Plan de Vitrolles test, before returning to Monte Carlo. Days two and three will see crews contest a further four stages on each day, all run to the north of Monaco. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp on Sunday 26 January at 1500hrs. Pirelli's efforts will be concentrated this year exclusively on the 555 Subaru World Rally Team who will be entering two cars, piloted by Tommi Mkinen (co-driver Kaj Lindstrom) and Petter Solberg (co-driver Phil Mills). Having won this rally four times in succession, four-time World Champion Tommi Makinen will be a force to be reckoned with. Confident following recent testing with the new Impreza WRC2003 and seeking to claim his fifth driver's title this year, Tommi is well motivated to score his fifth consecutive Monte Carlo win. Petter Solberg will drive the other Subaru works entry. Last year in Monte Carlo, the Norwegian claimed five of the fastest stage times and finished sixth to secure points in both the Driver's and Manufacturer's Championship, despite having only competed in the event once before. Following his maiden WRC win at the end of last season and now with much more experience at the wheel of his Impreza WRC, Petter and his army of fans are looking for the best possible start to the new season. Team Chief, David Lapworth had this to say: " Tyre choice is a critical success factor on the Monte Carlo Rally. The extreme weather conditions - dry asphalt and black ice - means there's often very little grip on the roads. As a result the tyres become massively important, in some ways more so than the performance of the car. Fortunately, the Pirelli tyres have traditionally been very good in Monte Carlo and work well in the cold and damp conditions" . Pirelli tyres have a great history at Monte Carlo. World champion Sandro Munari in his fabulous Pirelli mounted Lancia Stratos won the event three times in succession in '75, '76 and '77, Walter Rohrl in his championship winning year won it for Fiat and Pirelli in 1980, and Piero Liatti scored the first Monte Carlo victory for the new generation World Rally Cars with his Pirelli mounted Subaru in '97, not to mention Tommi Makinens victorious debut on Pirelli tyres in last years event.