The Monte Carlo Rally – Auto Racing

The Monte Carlo Rally has been called the Granddaddy of Motor Rallying, and for good reason: it was one of, if not THE, first motor rally. First run in 1911, the Monte Carlo Rally was for a time the only motor sports race of its kind but through its enduring popularity has spawned the sport of motor rallying that spans the globe today.

The relationship was formalized in 1973 when the Monte Carlo Rally was made the inaugural race of the FIA World Rally Championship season. The original reason for the race was not strictly for competition, but for testing the cars of the day under a wide variety of road conditions.

The legendary Monte Carlo Rally circuit provides drivers with one challenge after another as their reflexes are continually being tested. Run in January to take advantage of the weather, some portions of the course are especially icy. Uniquely among professional racing, spectators are allowed to throw snow onto the course, leading on more than one occasion to drivers spinning out and damaging their vehicles.

Through the first 30 years of the rally, cars that even in their day were relatively unknown won races. Makes like Berliet, Metallurgique, and Autocarrier competed with enduring racing names like Lancia, Citroen and Bugatti. Strange as it may seem, Studebaker and Buick each finished third in the 1930 and 1938 races respectively. Even into the 1960s, cars such as the Ford Falcon and the Citroen ID were very competitive.

The Saab 96 won the 1962 and 1963 editions of the Monte Carlo Rally, while the Mini Cooper S (similar to the tiny boxy cars featured in the 1969 film “The Italian Job”) won in 1964, 1965 and 1967.

These days, cars claiming the checkered flag include the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Subaru Impreza, Citroën Xsara and the 2006 winner, the Ford Focus RS WRC driven by the team of Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen.

Auto Racing: Rally Racing, A Sport of Time

Rally Racing is a sport where the driver is more focused on navigation and time than speed. Generally, a team of two, one driver and one navigator, compete in a series of stages. These stages take place in all driving conditions from extreme off road to friendly highways. Those who complete the stages most accurately will achieve the best time, thus winning the competition.

In many of these rallies, these teams participate in a reconnaissance run. During this run, the team will become familiar with the course and note any and all situations throughout the course. Things such as sharp turns, jumps, and hazards will be noted and referred to from navigator to driver during the race.

The largest rally is the World Rally Championships. These competitions are a series of stages throughout Europe, and in the past stages have taken place in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia. The race is over off-road courses and street avenues and features a trophy for team and manufacture performance. Since there are two awards a team can win there can be different winners for each category. Although this is rare, it has happened. In 2003 the team from Subaru won the team competition while Citroen won the trophy for the manufacture category.

One of the more interesting rallies is the Mongol Rally. Participants of all levels meet in London, England in a car of limited power and function. Each team is given the choice of various routes to make it to Mongolia. The race travels through Russia and the Middle East. It makes for a very challenging and exciting time for each team.

For those who love the open road or a challenging course, check with a local car club. Many of these rallies are organized by grass roots car clubs and are more than willing to welcome you to their society.