Brose Motorsport – Participating in the “Rally Monte Carlo Historique"

Only three days after the finale of the modern Monte Carlo Rally, which traditionally marks the start of the new rally season, its historical counterpart – the Rally Monte Carlo Historique – will start on Friday, February 1st. This legendary rally’s 22nd edition will also signal the start of the 2019 season for the Brose Motorsport Team.

A total of 314 teams from 26 nations will start from seven starting points in Europe. In Germany the cars depart from the city of Bad Homburg, which was the starting point for German rally participants from 1977 to 1997. This is where 28 teams will start their 1,165-kilometer journey to Valence, which must be completed during the night between February 1st and 2nd.

15 demanding, special evaluation stages with distances between 20 and 60 kilometers have to be completed, each of which is driven only once. The total length of the stages amounts to 442 kilometers. Only vehicles that took part in the Monte Carlo Rally between 1955 and 1980 are allowed to participate.

Michael Stoschek will be driving his Lancia Stratos Group 4. “The Stratos is undoubtedly the most spectacular and consistent rally car in the past. It also is the concept for the New Stratos that I’ve developed with my son Maximilian,” says the 2006 European Historic Rally Champion: “Although I’ve never driven the Stratos in a competition on snow before, I’m delighted to bring back the car that won the Monte from 1975 to 1977 and in 1979 to this route,” he says.

Michael Stoschek’s copilot is Hanns Werner Wirth, who has extensive experience in regularity rallies and can look back on many successes, including third place at the Mille Miglia 2013 and the German Regularity Rally Champion title in 2008 and 2009. He will also operate the complicated rally computer that helps to maintain the required average speed, which is controlled at unknown measuring points.

During the historic Monte Carlo Rally, an average speed of around 50 km/h must be maintained on every stage. This isn’t an easy task, since the route takes cars over narrow mountain roads and through countless hairpin bends bordering deep chasms of 100 meters and more – and all in the most varied weather and road conditions.

For safety reasons, the modern version of the rally no longer allows driving at night. The historical version still does: drivers have to drive through the whole night on two of the stages. One of them is known as the infamous ‘Night of the Long Knives’ which winds over the ‘Col de Turini’ mountain pass.

Thorough preparation was carried out before the start in Bad Homburg. Michael Stoschek’s team had the car on test routes in France and Austria and on a circuit in Scherneck. On these tests, the team focused on the handling of the Stratos on snow and ice with different tire combinations and spikes.

The 10-strong Brose team leaves for Bad Homburg on Thursday. Two service vans, each with two mechanics, will be standing by before most of the rally stages. Stoschek’s long-time copilot Dieter Hawranke and the German Rally runner-up Dominik Dinkel will drive ahead as “ice spies” and pass on information about the track conditions the team can expect on the individual stages.

“The “Monte” is one of the most exciting rallies in the world. The long distance and extreme conditions place the highest demands on the entire team. I’m really looking forward to this challenge,” says Stoschek.

Keep your fingers crossed for our team!