1973 Monte Carlo Rally

The 1973 Monte Carlo Rally (formally the 42ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo), run in late January and hosted in the principality of Monaco, was the first rally on the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA) new World Rally Championship (WRC) inaugural season, making it the first ever WRC event to be held.

1973 Monte Carlo Rally 42ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo
Round 1 of the 1973 World Rally Championship season Next event →
Host country	Monaco
Dates run	January 19, 1973 – January 29, 1973
Start location	Various cities
Finish location	Monte Carlo
Stages	18 (420 km; 260 miles)
Stage surface	Tarmac
Overall distance	4,800 km (3,000 miles)
Statistics
Crews	278 at start, 44 at finish
Overall results
Overall winner	Jean-Claude Andruet Michèle Petit Alpine Renault Alpine Renault A110 1800

Report

At this time, the Monte-Carlo rally was structured as a concentration rally, with teams beginning competition in some nine different cities, with the first objective of the rally being to reach Monte Carlo, followed by two legs of competitive special stages around Monaco and southeastern France. Traditionally run on tarmac roads commonly covered in snow and ice, especially at higher altitudes, bad weather did force cancellation of two special stages in 1973.

In 1973, and for several years afterward, only manufacturers were given points for finishes in WRC events. Alpine Renault dominated the event, a portent of their further success during the season with their Alpine-Renault A110 1800 car. They would take all three podium positions and five of the top six places.

Results

1973 Monte Carlo Rally results

Finish		Total time	Group	Car #	Driver	Car	Mfr. points
Overall	In group
1	1	5:42.04	4	18	Jean-Claude Andruet	Alpine-Renault A110 1800	20
2	2	5:42.30	4	15	Ove Andersson	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
3	3	5:43.39	4	21	Jean-Pierre Nicolas	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
4	1	5:44.29	2	20	Hannu Mikkola	Ford Escort RS1600	10
5	4	5:46.01	4	4	Jean-Luc Thérier	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
6	5	5:46.02	4	23	Jean-Francois Piot	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
7	6	5:52.14	4	5	Raffaele Pinto	Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye	4
8	7	5:52.15	4	16	Harry Källström	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF	3
9	8	5:55.47	4	17	Tony Fall	Datsun 240Z	2
10	9	5:57.08	4	1	Bernard Darniche	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
11	2	5:57.51	2	3	Timo Mäkinen	Ford Escort RS1600
12	3	6:02.36	2	30	Lillebror Nasenius	Opel Ascona A
13	4	6:05.37	2	44	Anders Kulläng	Opel Ascona A
14	10	6:06.37	4	36	Bob Wollek	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
15	5	6:10.57	2	7	Jean Ragnotti	Renault 12 Gordini
16	6	6:11.20	2	12	Chris Sclater	Ford Escort RS1600
17	7	6:11.31	2	46	Reinhard Hainbach	BMW 2002 TI
18	11	6:14.43	4	10	Rauno Aaltonen	Datsun 240Z
19	1	6:15.33	1	24	Gérard Larrousse	Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
20	8	6:18.22	2	79	Patrick Tambay	Renault 12 Gordini
21	9	6:19.08	2	34	Bernard Fiorentino	Simca Rallye 2
22	1	6:21.25	3	33	Jacques Henry	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
23	12	6:23.33	4	39	Claude Ballot-Léna	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
24	2	6:29.17	2	27	Gye Chasseuil	BMW 2002 TI
25	3	6:30.19	1	31	Henri Gréder	Opel Ascona SR
26	4	6:32.31	1	43	Jean-Claude Lagniez	Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
27	13	6:32.40	4	211	Klaus Russling	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
28	10	6:34.26	2	52	Sylvia Österberg	Opel Ascona A
29	11	6:47.18	2	83	Bert Dolk	Opel Ascona
30	12	6:48.27	2	32	Claude Laurent	DAF 66
31	13	6:57.36	2	51	Jovica Palikovic	Renault 12 Gordini
32	2	6:58.58	3	49	Alex Vineis	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
33	14	7:05.59	2	54	Joachim Springer	Opel Ascona
34	3	7:07.42	3	69	Marianne Hoepfner	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
35	15	7:14.57	2	41	Robert Mucha	Polski Fiat 125p
36	16	7:17.39	2	76	Aloyse Kridel	BMW 2002 TI
37	17	7:18.00	2	91	Anders Sigurdsson	Saab 96 V4
38	18	7:24.55	2	25	Peter Hommel	Wartburg 353
39	19	7:39.12	2	53	Adam Smorawiński	BMW 2002
40	14	7:41.06	4	14	Franco Perazio	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
41	20	8:17.38	2	81	Marian Bień	Polski Fiat 125p
42	4	8:18.14	3	63	Serena Pittoni	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
43	5	8:58.54	1	65	Depnic	Simca 1100S
44	21	9:09.14	2	74	Bertil Johansson	Opel Ascona
45	22	Retired*	2	22	Walter Röhrl	Opel Commodore GS/E
46	5	Retired*	3	75	Manfred Gudladt	Porsche 911S
47	15	Retired*	4	29	Pat Moss-Carlsson	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
48	16	Retired*	4	37	Hans-Joachim Walter	Porsche 911S
49	6	Retired*	1	72	Friedrich-Karl Tuschy	Fiat 128 Coupé
50	7	Retired*	1	66	Giorgio Pianta	Opel Ascona
51	23	Retired*	2	60	Michel Robini	Audi 80
Retired			4	2	Björn Waldegård	Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye
Retired			4	6	Simo Lampinen	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
Retired			4	8	Alcide Paganelli	Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye
Retired			4	11	Sandro Munari	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
Retired			4	14	Sergio Barbasio	Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye
Retired			4	19	Amilcare Ballestrieri	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
Retired			2	28	Marie-Claude Beaumont	Opel Ascona
Retired			3	40	Christine Dacremont	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			4	42	Dieter Kern	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
Retired			2	45	Klaus Fritzinger	Ford Capri 2600
Retired			2	48	Chris Teulinckx	Opel Ascona
Retired			3	55	Michel Jullien	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			3	57	Jean-Charles Sévelinge	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			3	62	Thierry Sabine	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			2	70	Hans Schüller	Renault 12 Gordini
Retired			2	77	Andrzej Jaroszewicz	Polski Fiat 125p
Retired			1	78	Alberto Brambilla	Opel Ascona SR
Retired			2	81	Maciej Stawowiak	Polski Fiat 125p
Retired			1	95	Leo Pittoni	Fiat 124
Retired			3	109	Christian Dorche	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			3	127	Horst Rack	Porsche 911S
Retired				128	Ronald Hancock	Ford Escort
Retired			2	147	Klaus Miersch	Opel Ascona
Retired			2	149	Bruno Saby	Renault 12 Gordini
Retired			1	153	Jean Taibi	Peugeot 304S
Retired			4	173	Georges Develay	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
Retired				195	Mike Dodds	BMC Mini Cooper
Retired				202	Mike Clarke	Ford Escort
Retired			2	203	Eckhard Schimpf	Germany
Retired				212	Tony Maslen	Ford Escort
Retired			4	215	Jean-Claude Lefèbvre	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			2	229	Salvador Servià	SEAT 127
Retired				230	Clive Roberts	Ford Escort
Retired			2	255	Wolfgang Stiller	BMW 2002
Retired				265	Wolf Giese	Opel Ascona SR
Retired			1	274	Friedhelm Gaupp	Opel Kadett Rallye
Retired			2	277	Jochi Kleint	Ford Capri 2600
Retired			3	310	Christian Lorang	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
* - Note: 7 teams retired during the final leg, but were still officially included in the final race classifications.

Source: Independent WRC archive

Special stages

Stages of the 42ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo

Leg	Stage	Start time	Stage name	Distance	Winning driver	Time	Avg. Speed	Rally leader
1 (21 Jan)	SS1	15:00	Col du Corobin	17.00 km	Sandro Munari Hannu Mikkola	13 m : 29 s	75.65 km/h	Sandro Munari
2 (23 Jan)	SS2	10:36	Pont des Miolans	26.00 km	Jean-Claude Andruet Jean-Luc Therier	19 m : 13 s	81.18 km/h	Hannu Mikkola
	SS3	13:49	Laborel	20.00 km	Hannu Mikkola	15 m : 45 s	76.19 km/h
	SS4	17:11	Burzet	50.00 km	Jean-Claude Andruet	38 m : 10 s	78.60 km/h	Jean-Claude Andruet
	SS5	19:22	Le Moulinon	38.00 km	Bernard Darniche	27 m : 46 s	82.11 km/h
	SS6	21:46	St. Bonnet le Froid	20.00 km	Sandro Munari	14 m : 51 s	80.81 km/h
	SS7	23:55	St. Jean-en-Royan	36.00 km	Jean-Claude Andruet	27 m : 37 s	78.21 km/h
2 (24 Jan)	SS8	03:28	St. Barthelemy	40.00 km	Bernard Darniche	30 m : 55 s	77.63 km/h
	SS9	06:14	Savines	20.00 km	Bernard Darniche	14 m : 43 s	81.54 km/h
	SS10	11:10	Col de la Porte	18.25 km	Cancelled
	SS11	11:31	La Cabanette	18.25 km	Cancelled
3 (25 Jan)	SS12	19:00	Col de la Madone - Col Banquettes	18.00 km	Ove Andersson	15 m : 22 s	70.28 km/h
	SS13	20:13	Le Moulinet - La Bollene	23.00 km	Harry Kallstrom	21 m : 50 s	63.21 km/h
	SS14	21:27	St. Sauveur - Beuil 1	24.00 km	Timo Mäkinen	18 m : 40 s	77.14 km/h
	SS15	23:56	La Bollene - Le Moulinet 1	23.00 km	Jean-François Piot	21 m : 34 s	63.99 km/h	Ove Andersson
3 (26 Jan)	SS16	02:33	St. Sauveur - Beuil 2	24.00 km	Jean-Claude Andruet Jean-Pierre Nicolas	18 m : 24 s	78.26 km/h
	SS17	05:02	La Bollene - Le Moulinet 2	23.00 km	Timo Mäkinen	21 m : 26 s	64.39 km/h	Jean-Claude Andruet
	SS18	06:20	Col Banquettes - Col de la Modene	18.00 km	Jean-Claude Andruet	15 m : 11 s	71.13 km/h

Championship standings after the event

1973 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers points standings after round 1

After round 1		Team	Season end
Position	Points		Position	Points
1	20	Alpine Renault	1	147
2	10	Ford	3	76
3	4	Fiat	2	84
4	3	Lancia	13	17
5	2	Datsun	6	34

External links

• Official website of the World Rally Championship
• 1973 Rally Monte Carlo Archived 2007-05-04 at the Wayback Machine at Rallye-info Archived 2020-06-27 at the Wayback Machine