Stellar line-up for WRC finale at Monza
MONZA: Next week’s FIA World Rally Championship showdown at ACI Rally Monza Dec.3-6 has atracted the largest entry for a WRC round in 20 months.
Ninety-five crews were on a high-quality list published by organisers on Thursday, with world titles in four categories at stake at the season finale in Italy. That number is one fewer than the Tour de Corse in March 2019.
In the Word Rally Car category, where Elfyn Evans is bidding to secure a maiden drivers’ title and Hyundai Motorsport aims to retain the manufacturers’ crown, 11 cars are listed from four teams.
Evans is joined by title rival Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta in Toyota Racing Gazoo’s Yaris cars, while Hyundai Motorsport fields reigning champion Ot Tänak and Thierry Neuville, both of whom can still win the title.
The Korean manufacturer has also entered Dani Sordo, winner of the previous round at Rally Italia Sardegna. All three drive i20 cars.
Teemu Suninen, Esapekka Lappi and Gus Greensmith will start for M-sport Ford in Fiestas, with Ole Christian Veiby making his top level debut in a 2C Compétition-entered i20.
In WRC 2, title-chasing duo Pontus Tidemand, driving Toksport’s Skoda Fabia Evo, and Mads Østberg, in a Citroën C3 R5, are the top names. Toksport has also entered Jan Kopecký to boost Tidemand’s championship push, with M-sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux also registered.
WRC 3 title challengers Marco Bulacia, Jari Hutunen and Kajetan Kajetanowicz head the class entries, which also include Oliver Solberg, Emil Lindholm, home hero Umberto Scandola, Grégoire Munster and Andreas Mikkelsen.
Norwegian Mikkelsen, a three-time WRC rally winner, will drive a Fabia Evo for the Hungarian Eurosol Racing team and is aiming to make his mark against the category regulars.
“It’s a good opportunity to show that when I’m in a car that does what I want it to do, we can be super quick,” Mikkelsen told wrc.com. “Many people had doubts about my asphalt speed ater the last couple of years, but I hope to show my speed again in a car we like.”
In the Junior WRC, title protagonists Martins Sesks, Tom Kristensson and Sama Pajari line-up in Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars.
Guest entries include World Rallycross leading light Niclas Grönholm (Fabia), son of double WRC champion Marcus, 2020 Motogp runnerup Franco Morbidelli (i20 R5) and Maro Engel (Fabia), one of GT racing’s top drivers. Former Hyundai works driver Kevin Abbring (Volkswagen Polo GTI) and ex-citroen factory pilot Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën C3 R5) are also listed.
Meanwhile, preparations for next week’s exciting FIA World Rally Championship title decider at ACI Rally Monza have stepped up a gear with teams arriving in northern Italy to complete their pre-event tests.
Hyundai Motorsport and Toyota Gazoo Racing have elected to test on roads similar to the mountain special stages which will be used on the Saturday of the Monza-based WRC finale.