WRC | THE SHORTEST MONTE IN HISTORY GETS SHORTER + ENTRY LIST PUBLISHED
11/01/2021Further alterations have been made to the Monte Carlo-Rally which is due to take place in the coming week (21st – 24th January), as the opening round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championships. The accepted entry list has also been published which includes 84 competitors.
In addition to the schedule changes that were detailed back in December following the restrictions to the area relating to COVID-19. The Automobile Club De Monaco have faced further challenges with the new tighter restrictions and curfews of 18:00 hrs – 06:00 hrs, which have now been in place by the regional government since 2nd January.
So let us take a look at the new alterations:
- Fridays Stages are brought forward 2 hours in order to complete the day’s activities before 18:00hrs and comply with the curfew.
- Of those Friday stages, the second run of Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze / Villebois-les-Pins which is a little over 22km in length has been dropped from the schedule.
- Saturday will see a 2 hours 45mins time shift.
- Just 14 stages now re-main on the itinerary which now covers approx. 257 km
Here is the updated time table:
Thursday, January 21 2021
| 13:10 | Official Start – Gap | ||
| 14:08 | SS 1 – Saint-Disdier / Corps 20,58 km | ||
| 15:06 | SS 2 – Saint-Maurice / Saint-Bonnet 20,78 km |
Friday, January 22 2021
| 06:10 | SS 3 – Aspremont / La Bâtie-des-Fonts 19,61 km | ||
| 07:28 | SS 4 – Chalancon / Gumiane 21,62 km | ||
| 09:01 | SS 5 – Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze / Villebois-les-Pins 22,24 km | ||
| 12:17 | SS 6 – Aspremont / La Bâtie-des-Fonts 19,61 km | ||
| 13:38 | SS 7 – Chalancon / Gumiane 21,62 km |
Saturday, January 23 2021
| 06:30 | SS 9 – La Bréole / Selonnet 18,31 km | ||
| 08:18 | SS 10 – Saint-Clément / Freissinières 20,48 km | ||
| 12:08 | SS 11 – La Bréole / Selonnet 18,31 km | ||
| 16:08 | Parc Fermé – MONACO |
Sunday, January 24 2021
| 08:30 | SS 12 – Puget-Theniers / La Penne 12,93 km | ||
| 10:08 | SS 13 – Briançonnet / Entrevaux 14,31 km | ||
| 10:45 | SS 14 – Puget-Theniers / La Penne 12,93 km | ||
| 12:18 | SS 15 (PS) – Briançonnet / Entrevaux 14,31 km | ||
| 16:00 | Prize Giving Ceremony Monaco |
Link to document: https://acm.mc/en/edition/rallye-monte-carlo-edition-2021/timetable/
For now, all parties have no choice but to continue on with their preparation for the rally. The teams are preparing for their pre-event test with the new Pirelli rubber this week (all perhaps apart from M-Sport which it is rumoured to not be taking part) and the service park in GAP is already starting to take shape.
Of course, all of this could be in vain as we are still awaiting a final outcome from the French Government which is due to meet next Thursday. For now, we and the rallying world are crossing all fingers and praying to the rally Gods that the event can still run, all be it servery reduced and behind closed doors.
Here is the current entry list:
