The organizers of the WRC season opener in Monte Carlo announced the entry list on Monday, featuring 70 crews. The rally’s competitor limit was specifically set to this number.
Several rally drivers who submitted their applications experienced a bitter disappointment when they did not secure a spot in the event. For instance, French driver Thibaut Poizot previously expressed his frustration with his fate.
“Now I draw a line over this rally, as they don’t want amateurs to participate,” Poizot huffed.
Now, the rally organizers have provided an explanation for why some applicants received an email stating, “unfortunately, we must inform you that your application has not been accepted.”
“We registered 112 applications, of which 93 met the criteria set in our regulations. Unfortunately, we had to reject 23 of them,” explained Eric Barrabino, the boss Rally Monte Carlo.
“As organizers, rejecting participants is not an easy task, believe me! I won’t go into details about how the selections are made, but numerous criteria were considered to ensure that eventually, about twenty national drivers could compete against the international elite.”
This year, Rally Monte Carlo hub is located in the city of Gap. The number of participants had to be limited due to a lack of space.
“Our biggest hope is to find a more than 30,000 square meters area in the long term so that we can increase the service area’s capacity. This would allow us to accept all applications, both professional and amateur,” Barrabino explained.
Rally Monte Carlo will take place from January 25-28.
