Adrien Fourmaux has been one of the best drivers to start the 2024 WRC season. This has been a surprise.
Fourmaux Surprises In Monte
Adrien Fourmaux kicked off the 2024 season with a top-five finish. The 2023 British Rally Champion was probably the biggest surprise of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Fourmaux showed a lot of growth during the season’s opening event. Fourmaux didn’t take home any stage wins, nor did any major drivers retire. Other than Fourmaux’s strong finishing position nothing really stood out about his run. It was a good start to the season nonetheless, and it showed what the 28-year-old is capable of.
Shining In Sweden
In Fourmaux’s second full event back at the top level he achieved his first-ever career podium. This comes as a slight surprise. A lot of people, myself included, predicted one of Fourmaux or Munster would podium this season. However, nobody realistically expected it at the second event of the season, Rally Sweden. Fourmaux sat second overall at the end of the third day. However, the French star quickly fell to third overall. As he decided to lay off and relax a bit on the third day. Taking no risks to ensure he finished on the podium. Fourmaux showed a lot of maturity on the final two days of the event. This is a completely different Fourmaux than what we saw in 2022 during his last run at the top level. It’s a nice change for one of the WRC’s better young drivers.
Heading Into Kenya
The next event on the 2024 World Rally Championship calendar is Safari Rally Kenya at the end of next month. Fourmaux holds third in the championship heading into the most difficult event on the calendar. He is expected to drop from the championship top three after the event. As a lack of experience at the event will likely hamper his hopes of remaining top three. However, Fourmaux has done nothing but shock everyone to start the season and beat all expectations.
The second round of the 2024 WRC season has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi took home his second career win at Rally Sweden.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville retained the championship lead after the second round. Neuville now holds a three-point lead over Elfyn Evans heading into Safari Rally Kenya next month. Adrien Fourmaux sits third in the championship after a strong first two events of the season. Fourmaux sits 16 points behind Evans. Sebastien Ogier moves down to fourth in the championship after Rally Sweden. This isn’t a surprise as the 8-time World Rally Champion didn’t contest Rally Sweden. Ogier sits five points behind fellow countryman Fourmaux. Ott Tänak rounds out the top five in the championship. With the Estonian sitting just three points behind Ogier.
Rally Sweden Day One
Kalle Rovanperä was right back into shape on the opening stage of Rally Sweden. Rovanperä who missed Rallye Monte-Carlo took the stage win on the first days lone stage. Rovanperä set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the stage. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top three after the day, sitting 0.6 seconds behind Katsuta.
Rally Sweden Day Two
The second day of Rally Sweden saw drivers contest 107.9 km across seven stages. Esapekka Lappi took the event lead on the day. After both Rovanperä and Tänak crashed out. Lappi was able to take a 3.2-second lead over Takamoto Katsuta into the third day. Oliver Solberg sat third overall, a minute and 17.5 seconds behind Katsuta after the day. Lappi took home the most stage wins on the day, winning four of the seven stages.
Rally Sweden Day Three
The third and longest day of Rally Sweden saw drivers contest 124.96 km across 7 stages. Esapekka Lappi retained his lead on the day after his largest competitor Takamoto Katsuta crashed out on SS10. Lappi ended the day with a minute and 6.3-second lead over Adrien Fourmaux. Elfyn Evans sat third overall at the end of the day, 16.7 seconds behind Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville won the most stages on the day, winning three out of the seven stages.
Rally Sweden Day Four
The fourth and final day of Rally Sweden saw drivers contest 61.08 km across three stages. Esapekka Lappi held out to take home the win. Lappi ended the day with a 29.6-second lead over Elfyn Evans. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the podium, finishing 18.3 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä won the most stages on the day. As the Finnish driver won two of the three stages. However, Elfyn Evans was the fastest on Super Sunday. Claiming 11 additional points on the day to up his event total to 24 points.
Lappi Wins His Second
It has been 2,394 days since Esapekka Lappi took home his first rally win. As Lappi won the 2017 running of his home event Rally Finland. Lappi came close to taking his second win nearly a year ago at Rally Mexico. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as a power pole ended Lappi’s event early. Lappi’s win also means Hyundai has a 100% win rate this season. As Thierry Neuville took home the season-opening win at the Rallye Monte-Carlo last month.
Rough Conditions
Rally1 drivers had less-than-desirable conditions pretty much all weekend. As on the second day’s afternoon loop, heavy snow left Neuville and Evans clearing about 10 cm of snow off the road. Day three wasn’t much different. As Tänak and Rovanperä both struggled in the road-sweeping positions. Even without additional snow. There wasn’t nearly enough ice for the tire studs to work as intended. This left drivers with constantly changing conditions. In one corner they could’ve had near-perfect grip, on the next they had none. This is Rally Sweden’s largest challenge, however.
The fourth and final day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi held on to claim the win.
SS16, Västervik 1
Kalle Rovanperä kicked off the first stage of the final day with a stage win. As the reigning champion set a time 6.3 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 7.3 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.5 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS17, Västervik 2
Elfyn Evans took home the stage win on the penultimate stage of Rally Sweden. As Evans posted a time 4.1 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Adrien Fourmaux finished fourth fastest on the stage, five seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS18, Umeá 2
Kalle Rovanperä took home the final stage win of the weekend. As the 2022 winner set a time 0.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans on the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Tänak.
Rally Sweden Final Classification
Esapekka Lappi held onto his lead despite a push from Elfyn Evans on the final day. Lappi ended the event with a 29.6-second lead over Evans. Adrien Fourmaux finished third overall, 18.3 seconds slower than Evans. Thierry Neuville ends Rally Sweden fourth overall, 58.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Oliver Solberg rounds out the top five at the event, three minutes and 17.9 seconds behind Neuville.
The third day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi held on to his lead after the days seven stages.
SS9, Vännäs 1
Ott Tänak kicked off the penultimate day with a stage win. As the 2023 Rally Sweden winner posted a time 0.3 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Kalle Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.3 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS10, Sarsjöliden 1
Kalle Rovanperä claimed the stage win on the second stage of the day. Setting a time 2.8 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to top the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, one second slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux posted the fourth fastest time, 0.4 seconds slower than Evans. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing two seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS11, Bygdsiljum 1
Adrien Fourmaux took home his first stage win of the season on the eleventh stage of Rally Sweden. As Fourmaux posted a time 1.5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest, 3.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä posted the fourth fastest time, 0.4 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS12, Vännas 2
Elfyn Evans claimed the first stage win of the afternoon loop. As Evans set a time 1.5 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux. Esapekka Lappi finished third fastest on the stage, 7.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Kalle Rovanperä posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS13, Sarsjöliden 2
Thierry Neuville joined in on the stage wins on the third day of Rally Sweden. As he claimed his first stage win of the day by posting a time 0.2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans on the stage. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.5 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS14, Bygdsiljum 2
Thierry Neuville also took the stage win on the penultimate stage of the penultimate day. As he set a time one second faster than Elfyn Evans on the stage. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 5.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS15, Umeá 1
Thierry Neuville capped off the third day of Rally Sweden with another stage win. As Neuville posted a time 0.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to win his third consecutive stage. Kalle Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, one second slower than Tänak. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.3 seconds slower than Lappi.
Overall After Rally Sweden Day Three
Esapekka Lappi held onto his lead over the course of the third day. Lappi now holds a minute and 6.3-second lead over Adrien Fourmaux who sits second. Elfyn Evans heads into the final day third overall, 16.7 seconds behind Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville sits fourth, 59.1 seconds behind Evans. Oliver Solberg rounds out the top five, ending the day a minute and 39 seconds behind Neuville. Evans and Fourmaux will battle for second overall on the final day’s three stages. Other than that nothing should really change unless somebody retires.
Katsuta Out
Takamoto Katsuta’s chances of winning his first event came to an end early into the third day. As Katsuta crashed out and got his car stuck on a snowbank on SS10. Katsuta sat just 0.9 seconds behind leader Esapekka Lappi heading into stage 10. It’s a disappointing finish for Katsuta who had looked good up until that point.
The second day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi took the lead after the most chaotic day ever.
SS2, #42 Brattby 1
Kalle Rovanperä kicked off the second day with a stage win. Posting a time 3.2 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak who tied for second fastest. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi and Tänak. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time, 2.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.1 seconds slower than Evans.
SS3, Norrby 1
Esapekka Lappi claimed his first stage win of the season on the third stage of Rally Sweden. With the Finnish driver setting a time 1.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.8 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS4, Floda 1
Takamoto Katsuta took home his first stage win on SS4. Posting a time 0.7 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to claim the stage win. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 7.3 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 9.9 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS5, #42 Brattby 2
WRC2 driver Georg Linnamäe took home his first career stage win on the fifth stage of Rally Sweden. No, you didn’t read that wrong, a WRC2 driver legitimately won the stage, but hold on it gets crazier. Linnamäe set a time 2.4 seconds faster than fellow WRC2 driver Oliver Solberg to claim the stage victory. WRC2 driver Mikko Heikklä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Solberg. WRC2 driver Lauri Joona posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Heikklä. If you guessed a WRC2 driver rounded out the top five on the stage, you’d be correct. As Fabrizio Zaldivar rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Joona. The top Rally1 driver finished sixth fastest on the stage. That driver being Esapekka Lappi who finished 1.2 seconds slower than Zaldivar.
SS6, Norrby 2
Esapekka Lappi topped the sixth stage of the weekend. Posting a time 2.6 seconds faster than WRC2 driver Georg Linnamäe. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Linnamäe. WRC2 driver Fabrizio Zaldivar set the fourth fastest time, 2.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. WRC2 driver Roope Korhonen rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Zaldivar.
SS7, Floda 2
Esapekka Lappi claimed his third stage win on the day with a win on the penultimate stage of Rally Sweden day two. As Lappi set a time 2.1 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the stage. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Katsuta. Mikko Heikklä posted the fourth fastest time, 6.1 seconds slower than Solberg. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.5 seconds slower than Heikklä.
SS8, Umeá Sprint 2
Esapekka Lappi capped the day off with a stage win. Posting a time 1.4 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta on the days final stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
Overall After Rally Sweden Day Two
Esapekka Lappi leads Rally Sweden after the first full day of stages. Lappi holds a 3.2-second lead over Takamoto Katsuta heading into the penultimate day. Oliver Solberg sits third overall, a minute and 17.5 seconds behind Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux ends the day fourth overall, 5.6 seconds behind Solberg. While Elfyn Evans rounds out the top five overall, sitting 23.7 seconds behind Fourmaux.
Tough Conditions
If you’re wondering how on earth five WRC2 cars finished a stage faster than Rally1 cars, well the answer is simple. On the afternoon loop conditions were less than desirable for the Rally1 drivers. With Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville having to sweep a reported 10 cm of snow. This put the Rally1 drivers at a huge disadvantage. WRC2 drivers got optimal road conditions which paired with their lower overall speed gave them an advantage. This advantage was big enough for them to finish with top five times on all but one of the afternoon stages.
Tänak And Rovanperä Retire
Ott Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä were the first Rally1 drivers to retire from Rally Sweden. Tänak crashed into a snowbank. He tried to continue on but had to stop due to the engine overheating. Kalle Rovanperä also went off the road, which forced him to retire from the day. Both drivers will be back for day three. Nevertheless, this is still a massive blow for the two. As both were considered favorites to win the event.
The first day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads after the days lone stage.
Rally Sweden Shakedown
Esapekka Lappi was right back into form. As the Finnish drivers topped the Rally Sweden shakedown. Lappi posted a time 0.6 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux. Ott Tänak finished third fastest, 0.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time, 0.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Championship leader Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the shakedown, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SSS1, Umeá Sprint 1
Kalle Rovanperä was right back to his winning ways on the Rally Sweden opener. As Rovanperä set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the SuperSpecial stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest, 0.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux tied for fourth fastest on the stage. With both drivers posting a time 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux, despite some difficulties for Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Tänak and Fourmaux.
What To Expect From Rally Sweden Day Two
The second day of Rally Sweden will see drivers contest 107.9 km across 7 special stages. Drivers will look to make the most of the less-than-favorable conditions. As the snow and ice aren’t as good as usual for the event. This will have an effect on how the drivers attack the stages. It will also slightly favor the later-running cars, including Kalle Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville will have the worst conditions on the first pass as he’s on sweeping duty. Elfyn Evans is second on the road while 2023 Rally Sweden winner Ott Tänak is third. Kalle Rovanperä starts seventh on the road.
Rally Sweden is one of the most magical events on the World Rally Championship calendar, but why? Find out below.
Unique Event Conditions
Rally Sweden is the most unique event on the World Rally Championship schedule. Sure every event is unique in its own way. However, Rally Sweden is the only event to take place on full snow and ice-covered roads. This provides the drivers with a unique challenge. Snow and ice is already a difficult and different challenge. The roads themselves make it even more of a challenge. As the roads are often fast and flowing like Rally Finland. However, these roads don’t feature nearly as many jumps.
Different Challenges
Every World Rally Championship has different challenges. Monte has jagged rock faces, Finland has fast-flowing jumps, and Rally Sweden is no different. Sweden’s unique challenge comes mainly in the form of snowbanks. Snowbanks are extremely unforgiving. As it’s pretty easy to get the car beached on them. Just ask Andreas Mikkelsen, he lost an event after getting his car beached on a snowbank on the final stage some years ago. Drivers use tire studs to help with traction on the slick roads. However, at times the roads are still extremely slick. This can cause a driver to go straight into the previously mentioned snowbanks. The more experienced drivers can use the banks to their advantage. As some have used the banks to help braking when needed. However, that’s only on rare occasions as it is a massive risk.
Night Stages
Rally Sweden is also one of the only events on the calendar to feature night stages outside of the SuperSpecial. This provides drivers with yet another unique challenge. This pushes almost every driver to their limit. Some more experienced drivers find this easier, while others don’t. For some, this will be the only nighttime rallying they do in their career. While some grew up doing nighttime rallying.
Earlier this week the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team unveiled a new livery for the 2024 season.
Another One
Hyundai are changing their livery after just one event, but why? The team wants the livery used for Rallye Monte-Carlo to maintain its 100% win rate. With Hyundai team principal Cyril Abitaboul stating “Starting the 2024 season with a win at one of the most iconic events in WRC history was an incredible moment, ten years after our first-ever Rallye Monte-Carlo, and it is fitting that Thierry and Martijn’s Monte-Carlo colours are memorialised in the history books.” This isn’t the only reason Hyundai changed their livery, however, as the team was going to regardless if Neuville won Rallye Monte-Carlo.
The Other Reason Hyundai Changed Liveries
The 2024 season marks 10 years since the team re-entered the WRC. With Abitaboul stating the main reasons for the livery change were as follows “As some of our colleagues celebrate the Lunar New Year, we are also marking a fresh beginning with an all-new livery for the remainder of the FIA WRC season,” said Hyundai Motorsport president and team principal Cyril Abiteboul. “The design was created to pay tribute to our close working relationship with Hyundai N and Hyundai Motor Company and complements their celebrations of ten years in the pinnacle of rallying.”
Livery For The Rest Of The Season
Hyundai has confirmed they will use this new livery for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. Hyundai will look to add more wins this season. As the team chases not only the manufacturers’ championship but also the drivers’ championship. With Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak both being favorites alongside Elfyn Evans to win the championship this season. Andreas Mikkelsen, Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo will look to help achieve these goals in a part-time manner. However, achieving these goals won’t be easy for the Korean team.
The second round of the 2024 World Rally Championship takes place this weekend with Rally Sweden. Find out more below.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville tops the championship after winning Rallye Monte-Carlo last month. Neuville holds a six-point lead over Sebastien Ogier. However, Ogier won’t be competing at Rally Sweden. 2023 vice-champion Elfyn Evans is third in the championship, three points behind Ogier and nine behind Neuville. 2023 Rally Sweden winner Ott Tänak heads into the snowy event fourth in the championship, six points behind Evans and 15 behind Neuville. Adrien Forumaux rounds out the top five in the championship, sitting four points behind Tänak and 19 behind Neuville.
Return Of The Champ
Kalle Rovanperä will suit up for his first WRC action since Rally Japan. Rovanperä has elected to contest a part-time schedule this year. As the now two-time champion wants a bit of a break to explore other motorsport disciplines. As well as just some time off as he’s been competing in rallies since he was eight. Rovanperä contested the Arctic Rally Lapland in Finland last week. He finished second behind Elfyn Evans.
Honoring Craig Breen
The organizers of Rally Sweden have elected to honor Craig Breen in at least one way this weekend. As they have added Breen’s number 42 to the stage Breen loved, Brattby. Breen won the stage both times it ran last season on his way to finishing second behind Ott Tänak. At what would ultimately be his final event, as he passed during testing for the Croatia Rally. Whether or not anything else will be done to honor the fallen Irish star is unknown.
Rally Sweden Event Rundown
Over the course of the four-day event drivers will contest 300.1 km across 18 stages. Day one will see drivers contest the events shakedown and a SuperSpecial stage to kick off the event. The second day of Rally Sweden will have drivers contest 107.9 km across seven stages. The third and longest day of the event will see drivers contest 125.96 km across seven stages. The fourth and final day of Rally Sweden sees drivers contest 61.08 km across three stages.
The 1999 Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of the more notable additions in recent history. Let’s travel back in time to the event.
The Event
The 1999 running of Rallye Monte-Carlo saw drivers contest 424.69 km of snowy tarmac roads across 14 stages in the French Alps. The shortest stage was the fifth stage of the event, St Clement – St Saveur. Spanning just 20.35 km in length. The longest test was the first stage of the event, Plan De Vitrolles – Faye. Which spanned a total of 48.28 km.
Day One, A Shocking Start
Privateer Gillies Panizzi topped the timesheet after the first day’s five stages. Despite only winning a single stage. Panizzi sat first overall, with a 5.9-second gap over Tommi Makinen. Juha Kankkunen was third to end the day, a minute and 13.7 seconds behind Makinen. Colin McRae won two stages on the day. Despite this, he sat sixth overall after the day, 1 minute and 59.9 seconds behind Panizzi. The first day also caught out a couple of favourites to win the event. As both Carlos Sainz, Freddy Loix and Armin Schwarz retired on just the first stage. Sainz and Loix both crashed out, while Schwarz had a clutch issue.
Day Two, Makinen Takes Lead
Reigning World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen topped the event after the second day. Winning two of the day’s five stages to take a minute and 14.4-second lead over standout Giles Panizzi. Juha Kankkunen ended the day in third, 20.2 seconds behind Panizzi. There were no notable moments on the day. Panizzi continued to be a standout on the day behind the wheel of his Subaru 22B. Colin McRae pushed up to fourth, while François Delecour ended the day in fifth.
Day Three, Makinen Wins
The third and final day of the 1999 Rallye Monte Carlo saw Tommi Makinen hold on to his lead to win the event for the first time in his career. Makinen ended the event with a minute and 44.7-second lead over Juha Kankkunen. Didier Auriol finished the event third overall behind the wheel of his Toyota. Auriol finished a whopping two minutes and 8.1 seconds behind Kankkunen. Unfortunately, the final day did see a couple of notable drivers retire. On the first stage of the day, Giles Panizzi retired due to an accident. While Colin McRae was excluded from the event due to a water pump.
First Of Four Consecutive Wins
Tommi Makinen took his first Rallye Monte-Carlo win in 1999. However, the Finnish star would go on to win the next three editions of the event. Makinen to this day is tied for the third most wins at the event. Being tied with Walter Röhrl, Sandro Munari and Jean Trévoux. Makinen would be the only non-French winner of the event until fellow Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen won the event in 2010. Makinen seemed to like to do things in four. As 1999 would be the last year Makinen won the World Rally Championship. Having won it the three seasons prior.