1973 Monte Carlo Rally

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)
Results
Overall winner	Jean-Claude Andruet Alpine Renault Alpine Renault A110 1800
Crews	278 at start, 44 at finish

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.

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		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		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		Ford Escort RS1600
17	7	6:11.31	2	46		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		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		BMW 2002 TI
25	3	6:30.19	1	31		Opel Ascona SR
26	4	6:32.31	1	43		Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
27	13	6:32.40	4	211		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
28	10	6:34.26	2	52		Opel Ascona A
29	11	6:47.18	2	83		Opel Ascona
30	12	6:48.27	2	32		DAF 66
31	13	6:57.36	2	51		Renault 12 Gordini
32	2	6:58.58	3	49		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
33	14	7:05.59	2	54		Opel Ascona
34	3	7:07.42	3	69		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
35	15	7:14.57	2	41		Polski Fiat 125p
36	16	7:17.39	2	76		BMW 2002 TI
37	17	7:18.00	2	91		Saab 96 V4
38	18	7:24.55	2	25		Wartburg 353
39	19	7:39.12	2	53		BMW 2002
40	14	7:41.06	4	14		Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
41	20	8:17.38	2	81		Polski Fiat 125p
42	4	8:18.14	3	63		Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
43	5	8:58.54	1	65		Simca 1100S
44	21	9:09.14	2	74		Opel Ascona
45	22	Retired*	2	22	Walter Röhrl	Opel Commodore GS/E
46	5	Retired*	3	75		Porsche 911S
47	15	Retired*	4	29	Pat Moss-Carlsson	Alpine-Renault A110 1800
48	16	Retired*	4	37		Porsche 911S
49	6	Retired*	1	72		Fiat 128 Coupé
50	7	Retired*	1	66		Opel Ascona
51	23	Retired*	2	60		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		Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye
Retired			4	11	Sandro Munari	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
Retired			4	14		Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye
Retired			4	19		Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
Retired			2	28		Opel Ascona
Retired			3	40		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			4	42		Alpine-Renault A110 1800
Retired			2	45		Ford Capri 2600
Retired			2	48		Opel Ascona
Retired			3	55		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			3	57		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			3	62	Thierry Sabine	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			2	70		Renault 12 Gordini
Retired			2	77		Polski Fiat 125p
Retired			1	78		Opel Ascona SR
Retired			2	81		Polski Fiat 125p
Retired			1	95		Fiat 124
Retired			3	109		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			3	127		Porsche 911S
Retired				128		Ford Escort
Retired			2	147		Opel Ascona
Retired			2	149	Bruno Saby	Renault 12 Gordini
Retired			1	153		Peugeot 304S
Retired			4	173		Alpine-Renault A110 1800
Retired				195		BMC Mini Cooper
Retired				202		Ford Escort
Retired			2	203		Germany
Retired				212		Ford Escort
Retired			4	215		Alpine-Renault A110 1600
Retired			2	229		SEAT 127
Retired				230	Clive Roberts	Ford Escort
Retired			2	255		BMW 2002
Retired				265		Opel Ascona SR
Retired			1	274		Opel Kadett Rallye
Retired			2	277		Ford Capri 2600
Retired			3	310		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^[1]

Special stages[]

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

References[]

External links[]

• Official website of the World Rally Championship
• 1973 Rally Monte Carlo at Rallye-info