French aces confirm Monte entries

Former Rallye Monte-Carlo winners Francois Delecour and Bryan Bouffier will both drive world rally cars on next month’s event, the entry list for which was published today.

Both Frenchmen will drive Ford Fiesta RS WRC cars prepared by M-Sport.

Delecour [pictured] is a former Ford works team driver and won in 1994 at the wheel of a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. He made a WRC comeback in 2012, when he was sixth in a Fiesta RS WRC.

Bouffier, the Monte winner in 2011, was one of Hyundai’s test drivers in 2013 but missed out on a place in its 2014 WRC line-up.

As well as the main Citroen, Volkswagen, M-Sport and Hyundai entries, the 71-strong list confirms the return of Robert Kubica in an RK M-Sport World Rally Team Fiesta RS, however there is no co-driver listed on his entry.

Mikko Hirvonen and Elfyn Evans are entered under the M-Sport World Rally Team name, but the FIA has advised that this entrant name may change.

Martin Prokop is back with the Jipocar Czech National Team and, as reported earlier on wrc.com, his team will run a second Ford Fiesta RS WRC for Jaroslav Melicharek, under the Slovakia World Rally Team banner.

There are six drivers registered in the WRC 2 category. 2013 regulars Yurii Protasov and Armin Kremer will return in Ford Fiesta R5 cars, Jourdan Serderidis and Lorenzo Bertelli will drive similar cars. Italian Massimiliano Rendina will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, while local hopes will ride in the Fiesta RRC of France’s Julien Maurin.

Rallye Monte-Carlo is the opening round of the 2014 World Rally Championship and gets underway on 14 January with a ceremonial start at the Place du Casino in Monaco.