One of Rallye Monte-Carlo’s great traditions is a final night of action in the mountains of the Alpes-Maritimes, high above Monaco. Huge crowds, a crackling atmosphere, banks of powerful headlights piercing the darkness - and snow.
The big question as cars prepare to leave for the fourth and final leg is just how much snow there will be in the mountains, and what tyres will prove the best choice.
There are little clues to be had from the conditions in Monaco, which started rainy and show little signs of improving. But we can reveal it’s a very different picture out on stages.
The surface of the opening Moulinet – La Bollene Vesubie test (SS14/16/17) is 75 per cent packed snow, 20 percent patchy snow and five percent wet tarmac. It starts slushy, but from the 3km point it’s hard packed snow for the climb to the 1606 metre summit of the Col de Turini and for five kilometres of the descent. From there it’s a mixed bag, with patchy snow, black ice and wet tarmac.
Saturday’s other stage, the Lantosque – Luceram (SS15/18) is predominantly slush covered, with patches of hard packed snow and ice. The opening and closing sections are the wettest, with the road getting progressively more snow and ice covered as it climbs over the 1058 metre summit of the Col de la Porte.
The first of the day’s stages, SS14, gets underway at 1511hrs local time.