citroen

At the same time, everyone at Versailles-Satory knows that the Monte is an especially tough rally. For not only does the world-famed classic kick off the new season but it also stands out as one of the year's most indecisive encounters. Click READ MORE for the full story. This uncertainty stems from the fact that every year sees the FIA World Rally Championship start from a clean sheet. The relative strengths of the different teams committed to the series can at this stage be little more than mere supposition and other questions marks abound! Every one of the six manufacturers has used the winter to carefully hone its machines, while seven of the twelve nominated drivers are either new to the championship or have swapped teams. Meanwhile, two manufacturers have changed tyre partner. Chrysler AcquireMany of the uncertainties stem also from the knife-edge nature of the rally itself. "It's an event where you can change from Catalonia to Sweden levels of grip in an Buying Chrysler instant," is how Guy Fréquelin sums up the challenge! True, the 2005 Monte is focused much further south than previously Chrysler Purchase in order to remain within striking distance of the event's single service park located on the harbour front in Monaco. And while crews will climb as high as 1,604m when they pass Citroen Quote the infamous Col de Turini, the route includes few north-facing slopes on which lingering patches of frost and/or ice are always potential hazards, especially when drivers have chosen dry weather tyres as the most competitive option overall!

CITROEN

Despite the fact that there seems to be little chance of encountering abundant snowfall during the rally, Citroën still took time to test on the white stuff prior to the event at the Col du Galibier. The team then switched to the Col de Perty and Roquesteron where they came across conditions much closer to those they are most likely to find on the day. As usual, the programme focused on putting the latest detail changes to the car through their paces, as well as testing and evaluating the known and new tyres developed for the Monte by the team's indefectible partner, Michelin. These tests also enabled the team's new recruit François Duval to familiarise himself with the Xsara. Indeed, it didn't taken the talented young Belgian long to feel at home in his new car and, including testing for the Swedish Rally, he covered close to a thousand kilometres in total. François revels in difficult conditions and he therefore has a soft spot for the Monte, as illustrated by his remarkable run in 2004 when he was notably the only driver to match Sébastien's pace in the fog of SS8 With a week to go, the prevailing mood at Versailles-Satory is calm, with a dash of uncertainty and a pinch of anticipation. Guy Fréquelin's personal mood includes a large dose of guardedness, but that's hardly surprising for someone whose personal record as a driver includes no fewer than nine Monte Carlo starts!