Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport It's January, and to most people that may mean it's time to get yourself down to your local gym, but for any rally fan it means one thing and one thing only: Rallye Monte-Carlo is about to begin. And along with it, so is the next WRC season. Welcome then to one of the most exciting articles I will write this year, previewing the first round of the 2016 World Championship, where excitement, expectation and anticipation are all higher than ever. And what a place for the action to get underway. Rallye Monte-Carlo is the jewel in the crown, the most prestigious event in the history of rallying, with it first running over 100 years ago in 1911. 2016 marks the 84th running of the event, which has been part of the World Championship for nigh on every year since its birth in the 1970s. The rally is run on closed tarmac, often mountainous roads. But what it makes it so special is its unpredictable weather. Run in the Winter, snow and ice is often a constant hazard, and it can either claim the ego of the fancied ones and bolster the reputation of the underdogs. It is a supreme challenge for the drivers to conquer, making any victor of this rally an unprecedented great of rallying. Like any of the greats, the Monte-Carlo rally has its own centre-piece, in the shape of the Col de Turini. This legendary mountain stretch of tarmac has over the years seen all types of car and all those brave enough to tame them roar through its beautiful landscapes, and has claimed a few victims in its time too. The Col is like holy ground to die hard rally fans. Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport It isn't just the setting that's worth getting excited about. The characters are also sure to cause quite a stir. Volkswagen Motorsport head to the principality as favourites, with triple world champion Sebastien Ogier surely the individual that is odds on for the win. However, Mikkelsen is ever improving and Latvala will be eager to mount a serious title challenge so even within the sport's top team, there could be a bit of a battle. However, it's Hyundai Motorsport that are going to be creating the most headlines next week. The team are debuting their new next generation i20 WRC, and the battle between the drivers there to gain supremacy within the team has the potential to be explosive. The largest question though will be whether the new car can be a consistent match for the Polo R. The team and certainly most neutrals will be hoping that it can be. An interesting reference for the team is Hayden Paddon as for Monte-Carlo he will be running a 2015 spec i20. M-Sport have undergone a big change in the off season and are to start 2016 with two new drivers: Mads Ostberg and Eric Camilli. Camilli has minimal experience so will be treating the Monte and probably the whole upcoming season as a place to gain experience, whereas Ostberg will be hungry for rally wins and a potential title challenge. Mads was with the team with 2013, so it will be interesting to see how much the Fiesta has progressed since then. Citroen will be represented at the Monte too, under the new Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team banner. They won't however be competing in the full season. For round 1 of the championship Kris Meeke will be partnered by Stephane Lefebvre, but there are to be appearances for Khalid Al-Qassimi and Craig Breen alongside Meeke to come throughout the year. Other WRC drivers to look out for are Ott Tanak, who is to undergo a full campaign for the new DMACK World Rally Team, and Robert Kubica who after uncertainty is back for a third season. Lorenzo Bertelli also returns for a second season at the sports's top level. The battle in WRC-2 is poised rather nicely as well. Skoda Motorsport will be back for 2016 but are not competing in Monte-Carlo, although Fabia R5's have been entered for Finnish drivers Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen amongst others. 2014 & 15 M-Sport WRC driver Elfyn Evans is set to push them all the way though in the upgraded Fiesta R5, so this one is definitely worth keeping a watchful eye on! Don't discount the likes of Julien Maurin for a win on the Monte either, who has switched from Ford to Skoda power. And last year's JWRC Champion Quentin Gilbert, who begins his prize of a WRC-2 drive in his DS3 R5 on the Monte. Make sure you don't miss next week's rally! Who will make the dream start to 2016? You'll have to watch to find out.
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January 2018
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