After seven years, Turin once again gets the better of Milan and hosts the start of the 25th edition of the Montecarlo Historique. The rally dedicated to the cars that have made the history of the Monegasque race, organized by the Turin automobile club, sponsored by the city and the Piedmont region.
Just tonight, Thursday 26 January, from Piazza San Carlo, at 7 pm, 284 crews out of 132 cars, coming from 5 European cities.
A big comeback
For a few years, the designated city at the start of this prestigious race was Milan, but in this 2023 Automobile Club Torino is celebrating its 125th anniversary and strongly wanted the appointment to return to the Mole. Turin is thus once again the protagonist together with Oslo, London, Bad Hamburg and Reims, the other starting cities of the prologue.
Since this morning, in the square, it is possible to observe the registered cars and the punching operations. The race is held according to the medium regularity formula, on a route over 2500 km long, which the winter weather conditions will help make more challenging.
Path
The competing cars will travel along 1via Roma, Piazza Castello, via Po, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, via Bonafous, corso Cairoli, right side street of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Massimo d’Azeglio, Michele Lanza underpass, Corso Unità d’Italia, Corso Maroncelli , Corso Traiano, Corso Unionesoviet, Corso Settembrini and then leaving the city, the Turin-Pinerolo motorway link, towards Sestriere.
In Perosa Argentina, Piazza III° Alpini there will be a transit control, then you will reach Sestriere, Cesana Torinese and Colle del Monginevro, until the reorganization of Valence. The Rallye Monte Carlo Historique will conclude in Monaco in the early hours of Wednesday 1st February.
The participants
Among the participants also the former European rally champion Maurizio Verini, together with Carlo Merenda, at the wheel of a Fiat X1/9, without forgetting many Italians such as Schon-Gianmarino (Austin Mini Cooper S), Aiolfi-Merenda (Lancia Beta Coupé) , Canella-Berzero (Renault 12 Gordini) and De Angelis-Arena (Fiat Ritmo).
Also at the start was the president of the Automobile Club of Italy, Angelo Sticchi Damiani competing with his son Francesco at the wheel of a Fiat 124 Abarth Rally. Among the foreigners registered was the Frenchman Bruno Saby, a former Lancia official driver who won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1988 driving a Lancia Delta Integrale.
