WRC: Rallye Monte-Carlo 2012

Steve · Jan 23, 2012

Eurosport's full review show (53 min).

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/user/MotorsportFunCyprus2?feature=watch#p/u/0/D6HGcZ6UdxA]MotorsportFunCyprus2's Channel - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 24, 2012

The wrc.com review: Rallye Monte-Carlo (WRC.com)

23 Jan 12

It's hard to believe that Rallye Monte-Carlo was on leave of absence from the World Rally Championship for three years - but in this case, absence definitely made the heart grow fonder.

â€œLook at this,â€ said David Richards, chairman of the Prodrive team that runs the MINI WRC Team, as he surveyed the glittering harbour of Monte Carlo, packed cheek by jowl with yachts and beautiful people. â€œThis is exactly where we need to be, isnâ€™t it?â€

Not for nothing is this event the most famous rally in the world, in the same way that the Monaco Grand Prix is the jewel in Formula Oneâ€™s crown.

There was a sense that the World Rally Championship had truly come home - and that was certainly shared by Sebastien Loeb. He already started the rally as the most successful driver in its history, and he consolidated that distinction with the 68th victory of his career.

Loeb had not driven these roads since 2008 - the second year that the event returned to the Ardeche - but he carried on exactly where he left off.

Without taking anything away from the brilliant Frenchman, he benefitted from two big let-offs though. Firstly, the exit of Jari-Matti Latvala on the first day, when he had an advantage of more than 30 seconds over Loeb. If - and itâ€™s a big if - Latvala had continued to make the right tyre choices for the rest of the rally, this would have been a lot of time to haul back.

Secondly, the weather was a complicating factor on only two of the five days.

Rallye Monte-Carlo hinges on tyre choice, and the more variable the conditions, the more opportunities there are to lose time. The nightmare scenario is to find yourself with non-studded tyres on ice: a situation that cost Petter Solberg the best part of a minute on just one stage on day two, and effectively cost him a shot at second place.

â€œI wouldnâ€™t have liked to have been Petter then,â€ pointed out Loeb, who managed to get the choices right pretty much all of the time: a reflection of the superb teamwork and organisation within Citroen as well as Loebâ€™s own prodigious talent.

The DS3 WRC was slightly altered from last year, with a few engine evolutions, and the eight-time world champion managed to make the most of it. But he was suitably impressed with Latvalaâ€™s day one pace, and Fordâ€™s new signing Solberg also believes that M-Sport can really take the fight to their French rivals this year, after scoring his best-ever result on the rally: traditionally a bÃªte noire for the Norwegian.

â€œThe car is so fast,â€ he pointed out, struggling as usual to contain his enthusiasm. â€œAnd it suits me so well. I tell you: Iâ€™m really, really looking forward to getting on snow and gravel now, because I know that I can be even quicker there. We can definitely challenge for the championships: manufacturers and drivers.â€

Looking at the rally as a whole, Solbergâ€™s optimism is well placed. Unlike many of Latvalaâ€™s previous accidents, what happened on stage four was just down to momentary distraction rather than any fundamental error in his approach to the event.

He started looking at the ice on the road rather than what he was doing, and the consequences were inevitable. Latvala, of course, would have won last yearâ€™s world title if the results had only been based on the second half of the season. Along with his experience of Ford and the Fiesta, thatâ€™s why he is nominally the â€˜number oneâ€™ driver this year - although team principal Malcolm Wilson has promised to be very flexible in his approach.

So itâ€™s an incredibly strong line-up, with Solberg seemingly adapting to the Ford a little quicker than Hirvonen has got to grips with the Citroen. Itâ€™s not just been a question of learning the car for him: the culture shock for Hirvonen as a Finn in a very French team is going to be far greater than it is for Solberg coming back to Ford, and Citroen have had to alter their working practices too. For example, the team debriefs - which used to be in French during the Loeb-Ogier era - are now all in English. But according to many people within the team, there is a healthier atmosphere since Loeb and Ogierâ€™s differences were resolved by the younger Frenchman moving to Volkswagen, and new team principal Yves Matton has also brought a breath of fresh air into an outfit that was in danger of becoming swamped by in-fighting.

Even installed in a Super 2000 Skoda, Ogier was still making headlines. His pace at the start of the rally was nothing short of phenomenal, setting a third-fastest stage time and running in the top six.

That speed came at a price though: Ogier admitted that he cut a corner too deep and this was what launched him into the biggest accident of his career. It was probably a useful lesson not to attempt the impossible, and in any case, itâ€™s going to be hard for him replicate such a strong run on the remaining events this year, which have slightly fewer random factors.

One of the most impressive drives of the rally though was far less conspicuous. Dani Sordo held second place right from day one, to claim the first podium for MINI in Monte Carlo since Rauno Aaltonen last won the event in 1967. Sordo was in a car that had nothing like the resources, testing and development that the other factory teams plough into their entries, yet once more he was only beaten by Sebastien Loeb, to claim MINIâ€™s third podium in seven rallies.

Even so, none of the podium finishers was the biggest hero of the rally. That accolade goes to sixth-placed Francois Delecour, returning to the WRC after a 10-year absence. His touching gesture of allowing co-driver Dominique Savignoni to drive the last stage of his last rally goes to show what a tremendous sport this is.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 25, 2012

During the rally I could find hardly any video at all, now I suspect some of you have reached overload/capacity. These two are worth watching though (IMHO), HD, nearly all action and only one short bit with music.

Pay close attention to the 4:50+ mark in the first video to see Dani Sordo after his day 1, double wall-bumping incident dealing with the twisties with a deranged rear left suspension. From about 5:00-5:05 you can see how much that rear left wheel is steering the back of the car.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8xkdGrLi9c]Rallye Monte Carlo 2012 HD part 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPB8LnSY2eI]Rallye Monte Carlo 2012 HD part 2 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 19, 2012

Shortly after the WRC event ended they held the Historic Monte Carlo Rally 2012. Here are a few videos. Looks like the WRC arrived a week or two early for the snow...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh6PbJhpQMs]15 em monte carlo historique premier fevrier 2012 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ENJeDDcyug]MontÃ© Carlo Historique 2012 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uitXcM8laSA]15Â° Rallye Monte Carlo historique 2012 ZR1 sospel - luceram - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqFqUyqUJeQ]rallye monte carlo historique 2012 - YouTube[/ame]

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