The MOST famous rally of all is, by far, the Monte Carlo Rally and this year's event - the 66th running - will be contested from Monday through to Wednesday of next week. As the first round of the 1998 World Rally Championship the major works teams from Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi and Toyota have entered their top drivers.
Double World champion Tommi Makinen (Finland) and Britain's Richard Burns are seeded one and two, driving Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV and Mitsubishi Carisma GTs respectively. Scotsman Colin McRae and last year's winner Piero Latti (Italy) are seeded three and four in the World Championship-winning (manufacturers) Subaru Impreza WRC98s, ahead of the Toyota Celica WRCs of Carlos Sainz (Spain) and Didier Auriol (France).
Finland's Juha Kankkunen, four times World Champion, spearheads the Ford attack driving an Escort WRC. Bruno Thiry (Belgium) will drive the second Ford, while Uwe Nittel (Germany) in a Carisma GT completes the top 10.
If McRae can keep it all together he will be hard to beat. Makkinen missed all recent testing due to pneumonia and may not be quite on the pace. Much is expected of Sainz and Auriol in the latest Celica WRCs, but the one to watch is Kankkunen. At 38, Kankkunen is hoping to making a serious assault on the World Championship.
Meanwhile, Dublin driver Michael Cullen will not race at home this year as he is concentrating on the 1998 Ford Fiesta Championship in Britain. The 15race series commences at Thruxton at Easter and concludes with a double-header on the Silverstone International Circuit on September 19th-20th.
Cullen, 34, has competed successfully in British racing, notably in the Metro series. His Irish record includes five Dunlop Touring Car championships, three Fiat Uno and Peugeot 205GTi titles and the coveted Dunlop Sexton Trophy. His father Des Cullen is a real veteran of Irish motor sport - on two and four wheels. At 60-plus he continues to be competitive at the wheel of a Fiat Ritmo, winning his class in the 1997 Dunlop Hillclimb Championship.
Damien Faulkner, 22, of Moville, Co Donegal is set to compete in the inaugural Formula Palmer Audi series in Britain - the brainchild of former Formula One driver and Grand Prix commentator Jonathan Palmer. Faulkner was third in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship last year, contesting the British races on a shoestring budget. He finished the 1997 season on a high note with a debut victory in the Formula Renault Sport Winter Trophy at Brands Hatch.
The new 1.8-litre Audi-powered cars, built for Palmer by Van Diemen, are expected to be very quick and a real challenge for up and coming drivers.
