Strong Irish contingent head to world's oldest rally in Monte Carlo

The rally has its ceremonial start in Monaco today before it departs to hills in south-west France.

Strong Irish contingent head to world's oldest rally in Monte Carlo

The unique atmosphere of Rally Monte Carlo and the debut of the new more powerful and spectacular cars make for one of the most eagerly awaited seasons in the World Rally Championship, writes Martin Walsh.

The oldest rally in the world has its ceremonial start in Monaco today before it departs to hills in south-west France for tonight’s opening pair of stages in Gap.

Citroen took a year out to develop its new WRC3 with Irish drivers Kris Meeke from Dungannon and his Killarney Paul Nagle putting in thousands of miles in the development of the car while Waterford’s Craig Breen also played a role within the French team. Meeke/ Nagle along with Stephane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau will drive the new car in Monte Carlo and are eligible to score points in the Manufacturers’ championship, Breen and his co-driver Scott Martin will use last year’s car and are only eligible to score points in the Drivers’ championship on this occasion.

The introduction of the new cars has ramped up interest in the series. So too has the presence of reigning champion Sebastien Ogier, who signed for M-Sport after Volkswagen opted out of the series. The performance of the four-time World champion in the Ford Fiesta WRC adds more intrigue. Monte Carlo may not provide the answers to all the questions in relation to performance and reliability but it will provide a strong guide to the season ahead, the first stage times will be awaited with anxiety.

Meeke has to be one of the favourites, he was battling for the lead before he retired form last year’s rally. “We're getting close to the point where we should be ready to start a rally in the best possible conditions. After our last test sessions, I can't wait to move onto the next stage. I have the feeling that we'll be in the spotlight here, but I hope I can concentrate on my driving. It's never easy to compete at Monte-Carlo. People have no idea of the mountains of work done during test sessions to acquire data and then work out whether a given option is the right one. My aim is pretty simple, stay relaxed and enjoy myself in the car. They say, and rightly so, that anything can happen at Monte-Carlo."

Ott Tanak and Welsh ace Elfyn Evans complete the M-Sport team; Toyota bring a seventeen year absence from the WRC to an end as Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hanninen give the Toyota Yaris WRC its debut and the Hyundai team of Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo are unchanged from last season. Elsewhere, Wexford’s Eamonn Boland and his Waterford co-driver Mickey Joe Morrissey compete in a Ford Fiesta R5.

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