WRC / 2025 SEASON INCOMING – RD 1 RALLYE MONTE CARLO
20/01/2025The 2025 FIA World Rally Championship will get underway this week with the iconic Rallye Monte Carlo.
There are a number of important changes this season, the big one being no Hybrid, which although means less power, it also mean less weight to carry and one less thing to go wrong. On the subject of things going wrong, remote service returns with the added bonus of teammates being able to lend a hand to work on cars at the side of the road. The points system has been tweaked for this year but the Power Stage on Sunday remains as is.
The teams will also get to grips with the new tyre provider, Hankook for the first time in anger at the Wednesday afternoon Shakedown in GAP ahead of the first stages of the season in the darkness of Thursday night.
Following the official start in the Casino Square, Monte Carlo, crews will tackle three stages covering 54km in the darkness, beginning with Digne-Les-Bains – Chaudon-Norante in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region not far from Nice.
Friday and Saturday will again both cover six stages (three of which are repeated) ahead of Sunday’s morning final loop of three where our first winners of 2025 will be known after SS18 the power stage.
ALL EYES ON OUR LOCAL TALLENT
Welshman Elfyn Evans alongside Scott Martin in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 will be hoping to fight for the title this year, having come close in the past, surely it is now time for the Brits to shine?
Irish paring, Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy step up to the top flight in rallying for the first time, joining M-Sport in that stunning-looking Ford Puma Rally1 car. The Monte is a big event in itself to tackle, without the added pressure of sitting in the Rally1 beast on the World scene for their first competitive outing, everyone back home is rooting for them.
Another Brit, Elliott Edmonson will once again Co-Drive for Oliver Solberg, this time they compete in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with Printsports. We are looking forward to seeing how they settle into and perform in the Yaris compared to the Skoda Fabia of last season.
Gus Greensmith is back in action, once again in the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, Greensmith is sure to be in the hunt for the WRC2 honors alongside Swede, Jonas Andersson.
And finally, another familiar name in national rallying here in the UK, Ross Whittock steps into a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 in the WRC2 class, Co-Driving for Czech driver Filip Kohn. The pair have teamed up previously at the Rallye Du Var last year with the Barumschlager Rally team but will begin with the Monte and follow it up with a second WRC2 outing on the snow and ice of Rally Sweden in February.
VIDEO: MONTE 2024 TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD
Feature Photo: Red Bull Content Pool | Video By Dan Morris
