2011 Monte Carlo Rally
The 79th Monte Carlo Rally, officially 79ème Rallye Automobile de Monte- Carlo, was held from 19 to 22 January 2011. She was the first running of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2011 and took place exactly 100 years after the Erstaustragung the Monte Carlo Rally.
- 4.1 Ranking
- 4.2 stages
Route
In the Monte Carlo Rally in 2011 were completed within 13 stages 337.06 timed kilometers. The total distance was 1341.75 km. Was started on the morning of January 19 in Valence in the Rhône -Alpes. The 60 top-ranked riders in the overall classification, the organizers were only allowed to start to the sophisticated, last four stages in the evening of the 21st, and on the night of 22 January, since renounced the use of SupeRally regulations. The paths of these tests began at the foot of a mountain and ran a mountain pass along these up and down again. Among them was the famous Col de Turini, which was crossed twice.
The streets of the Monte Carlo Rally in 2011 were paved, but the soil because of the low temperatures during a stage could change, so snowy and icy sections had to be crossed. Tyre choice played therefore as usual at the Rallye Monte Carlo a crucial role.
Participant
To participate in the Rallye Monte Carlo 2011, competed 300 driver pairings. The Automobile Club of Monaco, therefore, decided to to forgive not as originally planned 100, but 120 starting places.
In the more sophisticated Super 2000 vehicles 32 riders took to the start. Among the pilots of the Škoda Fabia S2000 was a favorite for the overall victory, the reigning IRC champions Juho Hänninen, who in the S -WRC goes into the 2011 season at the start and at the Rallye Monte Carlo only a guest appearance in the IRC completed. More Škoda drivers included the vice champion Jan Kopecký, Freddy Loix and Nicolas Vouilloz. Andreas Mikkelsen went for Škoda UK at the start, and Škoda Germany also set a vehicle for Mark Wall wine, making his debut in the IRC was at the Monte Carlo Rally. The former Formula 1 driver Alex Caffi brought a private Škoda Fabia S2000 at the start.
A Peugeot 207 S2000 piloted among other things, Stéphane Sarrazin, who usually participates as Peugeot works driver in sports car racing, Bryan Bouffier, Guy Wilks, Toni Gardemeister, Giandomenico Basso, Bruno Magalhães and Thierry Neuville. To favorites counted also the former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg, the 2011 took part as a guest at the Monte Carlo Rally and his first rally with the Peugeot 207 S2000 completed. Another prominent participant was François Delecour, the winner of the Monte Carlo Rally in 1994, who made his comeback in international rallying at the age of 48 years, after eight years of absence. In a Ford Fiesta S2000 Henning Solberg, Petter Solberg took brother, on the ride. The Malaysian carmaker Proton Proton Satria Neo S2000 brought two of Christopher Atkinson and Per- Gunnar Andersson at the start.
In the other classes some well-known participants were reported. The Austrian Andreas Aigner established a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Group N. Adrien Tambay, the former Formula 1 driver Patrick Tambay son, attended with a Citroën DS3. Daniel Elena, who usually travels as co-pilot on the side of Sébastien Loeb in the WRC, the rally now graduated himself behind the wheel of a Citroën DS3. The oldest rider was 66 -year-old Maurizio Verini, the four reached already in the 1970s, the second place in the Rallye San Remo.
Course of the rally
Day 1
On the first day of the rally, the weather was still sunny and the roads dry. Stéphane Sarrazin decided the first special stage for himself, but had subsequently loss of grip with the soft tire chosen by him and fell back. Juho Hänninen took the lead after the second test, on which he set the fastest time. This also went to the third test at Hänninen, Freddy Loix decided the fourth special stage by a narrow margin against Hänninen for themselves. After the first day Hänninen was 44.5 seconds ahead of Loix in the lead. In third place Petter Solberg followed 55.3 seconds behind, Sarrazin was just 0.2 seconds behind him in fourth place.
Already at first trials, there were some other favorites failures recorded. Thierry Neuville had on the first stage an accident, Andreas Mikkelsen collided with a wall and damaged his suspension, as well as Henning Solberg verification that. All three drivers then had to abandon the rally. Proton had no more early vehicle after Christopher Atkinson after 700 meters remained lying with electronic problems and Per- Gunnar Andersson on the second test in a collision with a stone at his car ripped off a wheel in the race.
Day 2
The first two stages of the rally on the second won Juho Hänninen and Bryan Bouffier. Around noon, sat in the higher areas of a light snowfall, which was always stronger during the day. Before the two stages in the afternoon therefore developed a tire gamble, which was decisive for the course of the subsequent stages. Most favorites went with shaved Intermediates at the start, however, offered this on the now heavily -covered roads no longer sufficient grip. Hänninen lost on the two tests in the afternoon a total of nearly five minutes, and then just lay with over two and a half minutes behind in sixth place. Petter Solberg was preparing an additional tire damage as a result of a mishap difficulties. He fell back to seventh place and had already almost four minutes behind.
The tires you met the two Peugeot drivers Bouffier and François Delecour. While Bouffier opted for pure winter tires, Delecour even put on spike -studded snow tires. Both pilots were thus Under increasing snowfall drive faster than the competitors and secured succession the best times of the special stages seven and eight. The extreme especially on the eighth special stage weather conditions also illustrates the low average speed of the fastest, Delecour, of only 68 kilometers per hour. Despite two spin on the eighth examination Bouffier was after the second day in the lead and had 28 seconds lead over Delecour. Freddy Loix was already 65.5 seconds behind in third place, followed by Guy Wilks and Stéphane Sarrazin.
Day 3
The ninth special stage on the morning of the third day rally decided Stéphane Sarrazin for themselves. The best times for the two tests in the evening went to Nicolas Vouilloz and Giandomenico Basso. Freddy Loix also completed fast times and was able to reduce the gap to Bryan Bouffier to 47.7 seconds. He pushed François Delecour to third place, the motor is no longer able to develop the full power and thus on the uphills cost him much time. On the eleventh test the transmission of Sarrazin's Peugeot in fourth gear became stuck, which prevented a good time and it threw some back.
With a comfortable margin the leading Bouffier took the crucial last two stages in the Night of the Long Knives in attack. He took a lead of 32.5 seconds to finish Loix and achieved his first win in the IRC. Fastest on the two tests was again Sarrazin, whose car was equipped with a new transmission, which could exchange his mechanics within the prescribed time frame for repairs. He worked his way up until the third place in the overall standings, but received the team order to show up late to the service park and thereby collect a 30 -second penalty. This brought his team-mate Guy Wilks up to third place. This was established by the team leader in that Wilks could use better than a regular starter in the IRC points for third place as Sarrazin, who will drive sports car race again after his guest appearance at the Rallye Monte Carlo. On the other points standings followed Delecour, Hänninen, Vouilloz, Kopecký, Basso and Guard Master. Mark Wallenwein finished the rally on 21st place Petter Solberg had to retire on the last special stage due to a defective alternator. 54 participants reached the goal.
Results
Appreciation
Stages
Reporting
The television Euro Sport on contributed 12 hours live from the Monte Carlo Rally in 2011. Transfer was followed by 14 million viewers. In comparison to the Monte Carlo Rally 2010, the station was able to increase its number of audience by two million or 16.5 percent.