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Rally Monte Carlo: delight and intoxication with speed

Rally Monte Carlo: delight and intoxication with speed
"Catch up and overtake" in human nature has always been present. And with the advent of the "self-propelled stroller" - a car - this spiritual impulse increased many times over.


Where else to show passion for the "four-wheeled", to demonstrate honed driving skills, where to draw and throw out emotions over the edge?.. Welcome to the Monte Carlo Rally!

Princely fun


This is exactly how it all started. The prince of the dwarf state of Monaco, Albert I, would probably wallow in luxury and bliss, but he was a passionate motorist. At the beginning of the 20th century, “horseless carriages” with steam boilers puffing under the hoods were already traveling around the cities, electric cars with heavy batteries were decorously driving around, and cars on internal combustion engines clattered with valves. There were already Mercedes, Ford, Alfa Romeo, Audi.

Ралли Монте-Карло: восторг и упоение скоростью Rally Monte Carlo 1937. Photo: YouTube.com

Cars appeared and motorsport was born. Naval officer, innovator and inventor, educator and philanthropist Albert I put a lot of effort into the prosperity of his meager but incredibly picturesque state. In order to attract tourists, the prince initiated motor racing along difficult roads along the Côte d'Azur in southeastern France. It is easy to drive along the cobblestone pavement, but show what you are capable of in our natural conditions.

Preparations for the first world automobile race, the development of regulations and strategies began in 1909. First, the Automobile Club of Monaco was created on the basis of the association of cyclists, and in 1911 the event itself took place.

Track and rules


There is nowhere to turn around in the city-state itself: Monte Carlo (administrative district of Monaco) is famous for its extremely narrow and winding streets. Therefore, the first competitions of riders at the beginning of the century looked more like a motor rally through Europe with a finish in Monaco. The rules were as follows: from different cities at a certain time, taking into account the distance, cars left, checking in at checkpoints along the way. It was forbidden to repair the damaged equipment along the road: the best cars must reach the finish line.

Our Volga at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964. Photo: YouTube.com

Later, in 1929, the great racer L. Chiron and the president of the Auto Club of Monaco, E. Noguez, came up with and developed a track through the residential areas of the capital of the dwarf state. The length of the track for 2015 was 3 km, the number of turns - 337. During the event, which gathers tens of thousands of spectators, traffic on the streets is stopped, the police, ambulance, and other city services are on duty.

But there, on the road along the French Riviera, where the first competitions were held, no one prepared the track: there were no curbs, limiters, posts. The car went (and still goes today) through areas with huge differences in altitude and temperature, sharp turns either in snow or on ice. Selective sections may be dry or flooded. The car either presses against the rocks, dives into clouds or fog, or breaks out into the bright sun: the complexity of the route depends on the weather. The night race is considered to be the most interesting “special stage”: many rally drivers experienced a leap from intoxication with speed to real fear for their own lives.

Rally Monte Carlo 2023. Photo: YouTube.com

Traffic on the public road at the time of the Monte Carlo Rally continues as usual: a snowplow blocking the path is a common occurrence. No obstacles justify an athlete who is late to the finish line. There are no cafes, toilets, overnight stays and rest points for pilots on the side of the track: everyday problems fall entirely on the shoulders of the rally drivers. Sometimes the latter do not release the steering wheel for 15 hours in a row.

Rally 1911


The first rally, now a favorite annual automotive event, was scheduled for the end of January. Rumor has it, it is no coincidence that this is the “dead” season for Monte Carlo casinos, and the Monegasque ruler decided to lure moneybags into the country, according to historians.

The nimble Mini Cooper goes through the special stages of the Monte Carlo Rally very well. Photo: YouTube.com

1911 participants from 23 countries registered for participation in the 11 run, 15 reached the cherished line. Henri Louis Rougier, who started from Paris on Turcat-Mery, won. This is a great athlete who rode a bicycle, flew an airplane, but his triumphant entry into Monaco brought him eternal glory. By the way, it was called so in the first year - "Monaco Rally".

"Muscovites" on the "Rally Monte Carlo" were not inferior to classmates. Photo: YouTube.com

In the initial period of the competition's existence, major automakers did not evaluate the event as an advertisement for their product. Therefore, in the first races, crews participated in little popular cars. Later, the situation changed: Renault, Peugeot, Saab and more significant players in the automotive sector began to send their participants to the rally. The challenging track served as a test of innovation and improvement in the automotive industry.

Legends of Rally Monte Carlo


A list of all the participants - and they are all heroes - would take up many pages. Let's name the most famous rally drivers, although their names are heard by anyone, even far from motorsport, a person:

✅ Lucy Shell - American, businesswoman, owner of the team, "finally, just a beauty" won three times in a seemingly purely male sport. These were 1931, 1935 and 1936
✅ Sebastien Ogier - French, 9 times climbed the podium in Monaco
✅ Sebastien Loeb - Frenchman, the most titled race car driver, 8-time winner of the Monte Carlo Rally
✅ Eric Karlsson - in 1961 and 1962, he took the main prizes in the Monaco rally in Saab 96. In total, the Swede has 21 victories in competitions of various levels
✅ Louis Chiron - one of the most famous athletes of the pre-war era, the winner of 1954

These are motorsport stars, idols of millions, desperate guys, in whose ranks female names fit organically. It is important that in 1973, with a short break for 2008-2012, the first stage of the World Rally Championship was held as part of the Montecarlo Rally.

Soviet and Russian cars at the Monte Carlo Rally


The first to bring glory to the Russian state was the nobleman Andrey Nagel with his partner Vadim Mikhailov. On a 55-horsepower Russo-Balt С24/30 car, with incredible adventures and difficulties, they traveled 3 km from St. Petersburg to the Condamine embankment in Monaco. It was 257.

Our Russo-Balt С24/30. Photo: YouTube.com

Through snowstorms and drifts, fogs and rains, navigator V. Mikhailov, with a broken arm on the day of launch (the engine gave a reverse flash), in places just by touch, led the car to victory. They were first at the finish line. Of the 87 teams that applied for participation, 57 reached the finish line.

But our victory was not counted: according to the conditions of the competition, the car was evaluated by its aesthetic appearance, comfort of movement, how much luggage it can take on board, etc. Russo-Balt did not have such “sporting” features. But the Russian crew still received a prize for the reliability of the car and the longest run.

Photo before the start of the first Russians at the Monte Carlo Rally. Photo: YouTube.com

In the middle of the last century, the event on the Cote d'Azur became a kind of "exhibition of achievements." In the 60s, our Moskvich 407 and 408, as well as the Volga GAZ-21M, participated in many rallies. And in 1964 "Moskvich" with the Soviet "rally drivers from taxi drivers" stormed the Alps and reached the finish line in Monaco.

This year the auto show (this is what the chic Rally Monte Carlo looks like now) took place on January 19-22. The Russians N. Gryazin and K. Alexandrov represented the country in the World Rally-2 Championship, passed the track with dignity, but lost the championship to Johan Rossel and Arnaud Dunant due to a five-second penalty. The 2023 Monte Carlo Rally was won by Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais.

Well, for "dessert" - races on historical cars, which are traditionally held after the main rally and the first stage of the World Rally Championship of the same name. This year Russia was represented and won 8 cups by 5 teams. Two of them were on the "Volga" GAZ-M-21 1961 and 1962. But they competed with 265 crews. We applaud you, Russians, who have covered a total of 3 rally kilometers!

Author:

Photos used: youtube.com

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