Published on: 24/01/2019 Updated on: 20/02/2025
From Thursday, January 24 until Sunday, January 27, the World Rally Championship kicks off with the Monte-Carlo Rally, and we just couldn't miss...
We will also be at the World Rally Championship! Yes, you got it right: MAFRA at the Monte-Carlo Rally with the Bernini team, of which we will be sponsors. A race that is not only the test with which the 2019 World Rally Championship opens, but it is also one of those races that have become part of motor racing history, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Monza Grand Prix.
All set to go
On Thursday, January 24 at 6:50 p.m. from Ville de Gap, a French municipality 100 km from the Italian border, the 87th edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally kicks off and MAFRA is present alongside the Team Bernini Rally. A collaboration that is now in its fourth year and, in 2019, our logo will be on the Hyundai i20 New Generation R5. The latter, will appear on the starting line of the Monte-Carlo Rally with the driver Andrea Nucita and, in the right seat, Giuseppe Princiotto... a well-matched pair that has already competed together, achieving excellent results and winning the Italian Rally Championship three times between 2010 and 2014. In recent years, thanks to the collaboration with Team Bernini, we have taken several satisfactions, such as the splendid victory obtained in the past edition at the 102nd edition of the Targa Florio, which saw Andrea Nucita triumph at the wheel of the same car with which he is participating in the Rally this year.
The other Bernini team cars
But Team Bernini will also be at the start of the Monte-Carlo Rally with 2 other cars: a Fiat 124 Abarth with Enrico Brazzoli and a Ford Fiesta R5 piloted by Davide Ricciochira... and the MAFRA logo stands out on both cars! For our company, being at the start of the world's most famous rally is an important milestone, one that fills us with pride and is a testament to how much we care about getting to know fans around the world. A message for Team Bernini Rally and its crews? "Good luck! ... Long live the wolf!"
A step back in history
MAFRA 's pride in the Monte-Carlo Rally has very distant roots: born in 1911 at the behest of Prince Albert I, the Monte-Carlo Rally has always been a very challenging race and winning it means consecrating not only the driver but also the car. Since 1973 it has opened the season of competitions dedicated to rally cars and, being held in January, forces participants to compete in extremely complicated weather conditions. In fact, they often compete on fresh snow and ice, and in conditions that can vary even during the same special stage. Therefore, to tackle this race, it is essential to have a perfectly balanced car, and the driver must be able to adapt to all kinds of surfaces!
The most challenging stage, which often made the difference, started from La Bollène-Vésubie and ended in Sospel, passing through a narrow mountain road all hairpin bends. This is the legendary Col de Turini stage, a pass normally frozen or snow-covered in January. Until a few years ago, the Turini special was run at night and was known as the "Night of the Long Knives" because of the powerful beams of light emitted by the cars as they passed through the night.
The roll of honor of the Monte-Carlo Rally.
The Monte-Carlo Rally 's roll of honor includes drivers who have made rallying history in every era, starting with our own Sandro Munari, who was able to win the race four times between 1972 and 1977. Other great drivers who have linked their names to this legendary race are: Sébastian Loeb (7 wins); Sébastian Ogier (6 wins); Walter Röhrl (4 wins) and Tommi Mäkinen (4 wins). Among the cars that took part in the Rally, one cannot forget the debut of the small Mini Cooper S, which in 1964, thanks to its compact size and extreme handling, surprised everyone by winning the race and then repeated itself in 1965 and 1967. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s it was the Porsche 911,Alpine Renault A10, Lancia Stratos,Audi Quattro, Lancia Delta HF, and Ford Escort that laid down the law at the Monte Carlo Rally, while since 2000 Mitsubishi, Citroën, Ford, and Volkswagen have dominated the race.
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