Monte’s 81st gets 84

More than 80 crews will contest the opening round of next year’s FIA World Rally Championship, the 81st running of Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Event organisers, the Automobile Club de Monaco, have received 84 entries for the showcase event, which starts in Valence on Tuesday 15 January 2013 and finishes in the principality five days later on Sunday 20 January following 18 all-asphalt stages.

The last four winners of the event - Sebastien Ogier, Mikko Hirvonen, Bryan Bouffier and Sebastien Loeb - will all be taking part with the latter trio competing in Citroen DS3 WRCs.

Other standout names in action include Dani Sordo, Qatar M-Sport quartet Juho Hanninen, Thierry Neuville, Evgeny Novikov and Mads Ostberg, Ford Fiesta RS WRC privateer Martin Prokop, plus Production Car world championship graduate Michal Kosciuszko, who will pilot a MINI John Cooper Works WRC for the first time.

Jari-Matti Latvala is entered in Volkswagen Motorsport’s second Polo R WRC alongside team-mate Ogier. Rallye Monte-Carlo marks the Polo’s world championship debut.

Among those in contention for WRC 2 honours are Skoda Fabia rising stars Esapekka Lappi and Sepp Wiegand. German veteran Armin Kremer, in a Stohl Racing Subaru Impreza, will contest the Group N Cup within WRC 2 against rivals such as Yuriy Protasov and Ricardo Trivino.