Manu Guigou on his way to his first real Monte-Carlo

As surprising as it may seem, Manu guigou will be aligned this year for the first time with the Rally Monte Carlo, at the wheel of theAlpine A110 RGT operated by Team Joffroy. A first, however, preceded by two editions as opener (last year on a Alpine A110 series), which will constitute a major challenge for the Montpellier resident.

“This will be my first “real” Monte-Carlo and I am extremely motivated by the idea of ​​doing it with a Alpine, but we must remain humble in the face of the complexity of the ordeal, highlights the 2020 French Two-Wheel Drive Champion.

I want to reach the finish line while trying to achieve the best possible performance with an emblematic brand that has built its track record and its legend around this legendary event. We will have to use all our experience since the Monte-Carlo is a rally with many more unknowns than other events.

Beyond the weather and the diversity of road profiles, we must constantly think about combinations of settings and tires. There is a large part of strategy and calculation. A lot of people talk about tradeoffs, but it goes even further since we have to think about the percentages of dry, wet, and snowy areas across the entire loop…

Sometimes, only the pass is snow-covered, forcing us to use an atypical tire climb. Let's not forget either that the land will be polluted by the passage of around thirty four-wheel drives which leave in front of us. We will therefore need to read the route carefully at the moment and the objective will be to put all the chances on our side to reach the finish on Sunday afternoon. »

For the occasion, Guigou will swap the Pirelli tires used last year in the French Championship for the new range of compounds offered by Michelin. “I discovered the contact, slick and studded tires that we will use at Monte-Carlo during a test session organized in December on mixed terrain, describes the A110 RGT pilot.

I immediately took great pleasure in finding sensations similar to those I experienced on land: a lot of movement, drift and amplitude on the road. This gave theAlpine even more playful behavior. »

The organization of the Monte-Carlo Rally remains planned to date according to the latest plans of the Automobile Club of Monaco and the FIA, despite the strengthening of measures in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, with the establishment of the curfew in the Gap area.