Preview: 2022 WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo
17th January 2022Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool
Preview: 2022 WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo
The World Rally Championship is set to start its season off in style this week as the sport ventures to the opening Rallye Monte-Carlo round.
Reigning eight-time world champion, Sebastian Ogier, may have hung up his rally helmet on a full-time basis. However, he is set to return to one of his favourite rallies as he faces off against the legendary, nine-time WRC champion, Sebastian Loeb.
Similar to Formula One, and FIA’s stance on reducing its carbon footprint, the WRC is set to host its first season with brand new hardware. In the latest regulation change of the sport, the WRC cars will use hybrid technology with designated zones for electrical mode’s only.
Sebastian Loeb vs Sebastian Ogier
While Ogier retired from being a full-time rally driver after he secured his eighth WRC title last year, he will return for the opening round to reignite old rivalries with Loeb. Monte-Carlo one of a few selected events the eight-time champion will participate in this season.
Ogier will remain at Toyota while Loeb partners up with M-Ford as the sport embarks on this new chapter. At the ripe age of 47, Loeb might be a bit rusty after taking a year out of the sport but with nine championships under his belt: you cannot underestimate him.
In their last encounter, Monte-Carlo didn’t favour the nine-time world champion as Ogier walked away with a second place finish which also included a second place finish in the power stage. However, Loeb only managed to walk away with sixth place.
It will no doubt be an entertaining sight to see as the two French rally drivers blitz the, potentially, ice roads of southern France.
Rally1
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new championship and it’s a brand new car. While 2022 will reintroduce Loeb to the championship, the latest set of regulation changes will bring an entirely new type of powertrain to the sport; a hybrid.
Named Rally1, the cars will remain roughly the same as their previous generation, in regards to their aggressive nature and aerodynamic styling but there will be some changes in engine modes. The teams and drivers will be obliged to travel in selected zones, close to ceremonial starting areas and service parks, in electric mode across the season.
This is to help the sport venture towards its goal to be ‘carbon net-zero’ by 2030.
Rallye Monte-Carlo
Set in the southern area of France, north of the Principality of Monaco, the opening rally of 2022 will be set in usual place: the French Alps – with the service park within Monaco itself.
It will start on Thursday with a night-time run through the Alps, at the Alpes Maritimes with the Lucéram/Lantosque and La Bollène-Vésubie/Moulinet stages, as the drivers face 38.45km of treacherous roads. This will be followed by two hefty days of rallying which equals 190.32km over Friday and Saturday.
On Sunday, the WRC will return to the Alpes Maritimes mountains to complete the four last stages, which will also include the Wolf Power Stage, which will equal 67.26km over the final day.
In total, all 17 stages of the rally will cover a colossal 296.03km over the four-day weekend.
That’s it for the article: ‘Preview: 2022 WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo!’ Who do you think will win between Ogier and Loeb? Let us know in the comments!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.