"Hoccy" (Hoccy)
01/15/2014 at 16:00 • Filed to: Rally Flashback, Rally, Monte Carlo, Tommi Mäkinen, Mitsubishi, Carlos Sainz, Marcus Grönholm, Ford, Peugeot, Colin McRae, Petter Solberg, Markko Märtin, Gilles Panizzi, Francois Delecour, Skoda, Hyundai, Subaru |  1
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Before each round of the WRC I'll find a classic clip for you to enjoy. Monte Carlo is one of the great classics in the WRC calendar, and this time I'll take you back to 2001.
Monte Carlo is one of the hardest events on the calendar. The varying conditions often favors stability instead of pure speed, though there are some exceptions now and then. Tires are also critical here. Some drivers also face their first major race in a new car. Tommi Mäkinen had already won the two previous editions of the Monte Carlo, and the flying Finn was looking for another win with his aging Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5. Challenging him was the 2000 World Champion Marcus Grönholm in the agile Peugeot 206, and Carlos Sainz seemed to be Fords best card.
Other drivers include Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Petter Solberg, Toni Gardemeister, Markko Märtin, Gilles Panizzi, Gigi Galli, Didier Auriol, Armin Schwartz and François Delecour who also enters the 2014 edition. The challenging, narrow and icy roads set the scene for a spectacular race.
nestanj
> Hoccy
01/15/2014 at 16:27 |
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The Evo looks like a boat out there compared to the 206 and Focus. Is it me or is the width of those snowies much more narrow than current day? They look no wider than two mountain bike tires side-by-side! The talent pool was THICK in 01! How many World Champions where driving? Marcus, Burns, Makkinen, McCrae? And Petter won a couple years later.
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Hoccy
> nestanj
01/15/2014 at 16:41 |
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I'm pretty sure they use wider tires for the Monte now, but I imagine the tires for Sweden are the same size as back then. It's always interesting to see how things have evolved through the years. Certainly a huge performance by Mäkinen in the old Lancer.
That's part of the reason for doing these posts, remembering all the old heroes. It's easy to forget drivers like Panizzi, Delecour and Märtin, which all had a impressive way of driving. And don't forget Sainz, one of the best drivers ever. I love how they describe Solberg in this one, "Wild Child" haha.
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nestanj
> Hoccy
01/16/2014 at 09:20 |
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Agreed Carlos was fantastic. He almost beat Petter the championship the following year. I think Carlos is a HUGE reason why the PoloR had such a strong showing one year ago this week. It is unheard of for a brand new car in the series to win the first stage of the season — and then go on to take the constructors and drivers titles.