With changeable weather conditions and switchback Alpine stages of up to 25.51 miles (41.06kms) in length, Rallye Monte Carlo (January 18-22) is one of the world’s most technically difficult and physically demanding rallies. Contesting it for the first time is one of the toughest challenges a rally driver can face – but that’s exactly what Andreas Mikkelsen has prepared for over the winter months, as he gets ready to climb aboard Škoda UK Motorsport’s Fabia S2000 and head out to the classic French mountain roads.
There will be drivers going all-out to have their name engraved on the famous trophy, an achievement that will be all the more rewarding as Rallye Monte Carlo celebrates its centenary this year. For Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene, the desire to make a strong start in the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) is first and foremost in their minds.
A trouble-free run could result in a points-scoring result of course, and to give Andreas the best possible chance of putting in a strong Rallye Monte Carlo debut performance, no stone has been left unturned in the pre-event preparations.
Physically, both driver and co-driver have been training hard over the winter – Andreas running and working in the gym, plus keeping to his daily in-take of vitamins and his specially formulated green-sludge energy drink, while Ola has lost almost ten kilos through training and diet.
Andreas will drive the latest spec Fabia S2000 – similar to the one in which he won the S-WRC category (and finished 10th overall) in on last year’s Wales Rally GB. Rallye Monte Carlo will be the first rally Andreas has driven the Fabia S2000 on Michelin tyres, and the team’s final pre-event test, which took place near Allos and Saint Auban last week, concentrated on running on various available tyre options on different road conditions.
Andreas will face stiff competition, as Rallye Monte Carlo has attracted a star-studded entry list. Out of over 300 applications, 120 cars will start the event – including 32 Super 2000 rally cars. Of these, 10 are Fabia S2000s – and in addition to Andreas, other Škoda drivers include the 2010 and 2008 IRC Champions, Juho Hänninen and Nicolas Vouilloz, the 2010 IRC runner-up, Jan Kopecký, the driver with the most IRC rally wins, Freddy Loix, and former F1 driver Alex Caffi.
A total of 11 car manufacturers are represented on the entry list. Škoda’s main rivals are likely to be Peugeot (Petter Solberg, Bryan Bouffier, Stephane Sarrazin, Thierry Neuville, Francois Delecour, Toni Gardemeister, Giandomenico Basso, Bruno Bruno Magalhães and Guy Wilks), Ford (Henning Solberg and Julien Maurin) and Proton (Chris Atkinson and P-G Andersson).
Andreas: “I’m really looking forward to my first Rallye Monte Carlo, but it will be very difficult. The rally begins with the longest two stages of the event, so that will be a challenge for everyone. There will be drivers with a lot more experience of the event and drivers who just want to win it, but for us we have to think of the whole IRC series. Our aim is to drive as fast as we can without making a mistake, learn as we go, and if we do that and get to the finish, we might have done enough to score some points.
“Marcus [Grönholm] has been very helpful with my career, but he has told me there is no magic formula or big tip he can give me for Monte Carlo. I have to learn it for myself. When the conditions are tricky and you’re going very slowly on cut slick tyres on snow and ice, I have to be patient and remember that everyone will be thinking the same thing and actually you’re going at an okay speed. I just have to tackle the conditions in our own way and stick to our game plan without worrying about what everyone else is going.
“It’s every rally driver’s dream to contest the Monte Carlo Rally, so I’m planning to enjoy the experience and learn everything I can about the event.”
This year’s Rallye Monte Carlo starts in Valence on Wednesday 19 January. Day one features four demanding stages in the Ardeche and Haute Loire regions, including the longest two tests of the rally, the 22.9 mile (36.87km) Le Moulinon-Antraigues stage and the 25.51 mile (41.06km) Burzet-St Martial run, which are separated by a tyre change halt in Vals les Bains.
Thursday’s action features two loops of mountainous stages run twice north-east of Valence and separated by a service stop in the city. Following a final service halt in Valence on Friday morning, crews begin the 242 mile (390km) journey to Monaco via the last Drome stage, Montauban sur l’Ouveze-Eygalayes.
Upon arrival in Monaco, cars enter parc ferme for a short rest before the four concluding night stages in the Alpes Maritimes – which includes two runs of the famous Col de Turini.
After a total of 209.43 miles (337.06km) of competition, the winner is likely to be known at approximately 00.30 on Saturday 22 January with the prize-giving taking place in the Place du Palais at 11.00.
Eurosport will broadcast 12 out of the 13 stages live from the event, beginning on Wednesday 19 January with SS1 (10.00-11.00), SS2 (11.30-12.45), SS3 (16.00-17.15) and SS4 (19.45-20.15) transmitted as it happens on Eurosport 2. SS5/6 (12.15-14.00), SS7/8 (16.00-17.45) will be live the following day, while the final two stages, SS12/13, will be broadcast live on Friday 21 January (23.00-01.00). In addition, recorded highlights will be show on Eurosport, with a round up on Sunday 23 January (19.45-20.15) – giving more than 14 hours of coverage from the IRC season-opener.
– Credit: Skoda UK Motorsport.