# 2003 Monte Carlo Rally

The 2003 Monte Carlo Rally (formally the 71st Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo) was the first round of the 2003 World Rally Championship. The race was held over three days between 24 and 26 January 2003, and was won by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb, his 2nd win in the World Rally Championship.

## Background
### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
| World Rally Championship manufacturer entries ||||||
| 1 | Marcus Grönholm | Timo Rautiainen | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 2 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 3 | Gilles Panizzi | Hervé Panizzi | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 4 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | M |
| 5 | François Duval | Jean-Marc Fortin | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | M |
| 6 | Mikko Hirvonen | Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | M |
| 7 | Petter Solberg | Phil Mills | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | P |
| 8 | Tommi Mäkinen | Kaj Lindström | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | P |
| 10 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer | Hyundai World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | M |
| 11 | Freddy Loix | Sven Smeets | Hyundai World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | M |
| 14 | Didier Auriol | Denis Giraudet | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 | M |
| 15 | Toni Gardemeister | Paavo Lukander | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 | M |
| 17 | Colin McRae | Derek Ringer | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | M |
| 18 | Sébastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | M |
| 19 | Carlos Sainz | Marc Martí | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | M |
| World Rally Championship entries ||||||
| 20 | Cédric Robert | Gérald Bedon | Equipe de France FFSA | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 21 | Antony Warmbold | Gemma Price | AW Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | M |
| 22 | Roman Kresta | Jan Tománek | Bozian Racing | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 23 | Eamonn Boland | Francis Regan | Eamonn Boland | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '99 | P |
| 101 | Olivier Burri | Christophe Hofmann | Olivier Burri | Toyota Corolla WRC | P |
| 102 | Riccardo Errani | Stefano Casadio | Riccardo Errani | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | P |
| 103 | Philippe Roux | Paul Corthay | Philppe Roux | Ford Focus RS WRC'01 | P |
| 104 | Gergely Szabó | Zoltán Köhler | Gergely Szabó | Toyota Corolla WRC | P |
| 105 | Serge Bernardin | Frédéric Deziré | Serge Bernardin | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| JWRC entries ||||||
| 51 | Mirco Baldacci | Giovanni Bernacchini | Purity Auto | Fiat Punto S1600 | M |
| 52 | Daniel Carlsson | Matthias Andersson | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | M |
| 54 | Kosti Katajamäki | Miikka Anttila | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | M |
| 55 | Martin Stenshorne | Clive Jenkins | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Puma S1600 | M |
| 57 | Dimitar Iliev | Petar Sivov | Auto Sport Italia | Peugeot 206 S1600 | M |
| 58 | Marcos Ligato | Rubén Garcia | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | M |
| 59 | Beppo Harrach | Michael Kölbach | Astra Racing | Ford Puma S1600 | M |
| 61 | Brice Tirabassi | Jacques-Julien Renucci | Renault Sport | Renault Clio S1600 | M |
| 62 | Oscar Svedlund | Björn Nilsson | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | M |
| 63 | Massimo Ceccato | Mitia Dotta | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | M |
| 64 | Ville-Pertti Teuronen | Harri Kaapro | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | M |
| 65 | Abdo Feghali | Joseph Matar | Astra Racing | Ford Puma S1600 | M |
| 66 | Sébastien Ceccone | Julien Giroux | Citroën Total | Citroën Saxo S1600 | M |
| 67 | Alessandro Broccoli | Simona Girelli | Sab Motorsport | Opel Corsa S1600 | M |
| 68 | Juraj Šebalj | Toni Klinc | Renault Croatia | Renault Clio S1600 | M |
| 69 | Salvador Cañellas Jr. | Xavier Amigó | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | M |
| 70 | Guy Wilks | Phil Pugh | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Puma S1600 | M |
| 71 | Urmo Aava | Kuldar Sikk | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | M |
| 73 | Krum Donchev | Ruman Manolov | Auto Sport Italia | Opel Corsa S1600 | M |
| 74 | Kris Meeke | Chris Patterson | Opel Motorsport | Opel Corsa S1600 | M |
| 76 | Luca Cecchettini | Nicola Arena | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | M |
| 78 | Vladan Vasiljevic | Sebastian Geipel | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | M |
| Source: ||||||

### Itinerary

All dates and times are CET (UTC+1).
| Date | Time | No. | Stage name | Distance |
| Leg 1 — 196.30 km |||||
| 24 January | 07:48 | SS1 | Prunières — Embrun 1 | 28.36 km |
| 24 January | 09:21 | SS2 | Selonnet — Bréziers 1 | 22.52 km |
| 24 January | 11:24 | SS3 | Prunières — Embrun 2 | 28.36 km |
| 24 January | 12:57 | SS4 | Selonnet — Bréziers 2 | 22.52 km |
| 24 January | 14:30 | SS5 | Plan de Vitrolles — Faye 1 | 47.27 km |
| 24 January | 17:09 | SS6 | Plan de Vitrolles — Faye 2 | 47.27 km |
| Leg 2 — 114.52 km |||||
| 25 January | 08:33 | SS7 | Les 4 Chemins — Sigale 1 | 32.11 km |
| 25 January | 09:31 | SS8 | St Antonin — Tourette du Château 1 | 25.15 km |
| 25 January | 13:19 | SS9 | Les 4 Chemins — Sigale 2 | 32.11 km |
| 25 January | 14:17 | SS10 | St Antonin — Tourette du Château 2 | 25.15 km |
| Leg 3 — 104.20 km |||||
| 26 January | 09:15 | SS11 | Sospel — Turini — La Bollène 1 | 32.58 km |
| 26 January | 10:08 | SS12 | Lantosque — Lucéram 1 | 19.52 km |
| 26 January | 12:35 | SS13 | Sospel — Turini — La Bollène 2 | 32.58 km |
| 26 January | 13:28 | SS14 | Lantosque — Lucéram 2 | 19.52 km |
| Source: |||||

## Report
### Overall

| Pos. | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Team | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 1 | 18 | Sébastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:29:11.4 | | 10 |
| 2 | 17 | Colin McRae | Derek Ringer | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:29:49.5 | +38.1 | 8 |
| 3 | 19 | Carlos Sainz | Marc Martí | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:30:03.6 | +52.2 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 4:30:06.9 | +55.5 | 5 |
| 5 | 2 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 4:32:27.9 | +3:16.5 | 4 |
| 6 | 20 | Cédric Robert | Gérald Bedon | Equipe de France FFSA | Peugeot 206 WRC | 4:34:28.1 | +5:16.7 | 3 |
| 7 | 5 | François Duval | Jean-Marc Fortin | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 4:34:28.5 | +5:17.1 | 2 |
| 8 | 10 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer | Hyundai World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | 4:35:53.7 | +6:42.3 | 1 |

### World Rally Cars
#### Classification

| Position | Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| Event | Class | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 18 | Sébastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:29:11.4 | | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 17 | Colin McRae | Derek Ringer | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:29:49.5 | +38.1 | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | 19 | Carlos Sainz | Marc Martí | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:30:03.6 | +52.2 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 4:30:06.9 | +55.5 | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | 2 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 4:32:27.9 | +3:16.5 | 4 |
| 7 | 6 | 5 | François Duval | Jean-Marc Fortin | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 4:34:28.5 | +5:17.1 | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | 10 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer | Hyundai World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | 4:35:53.7 | +6:42.3 | 1 |
| 9 | 8 | 14 | Didier Auriol | Denis Giraudet | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 | 4:36:25.2 | +7:13.8 | 0 |
| 13 | 9 | 1 | Marcus Grönholm | Timo Rautiainen | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 5:02:43.2 | +33:31.8 | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 3 | Gilles Panizzi | Hervé Panizzi | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | Driver ill | Driver ill | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 6 | Mikko Hirvonen | Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 11 | Freddy Loix | Sven Smeets | Hyundai World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS5 | Retired SS5 | 7 | Petter Solberg | Phil Mills | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS5 | Retired SS5 | 8 | Tommi Mäkinen | Kaj Lindström | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS2 | Retired SS2 | 15 | Toni Gardemeister | Paavo Lukander | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 | Engine | Engine | 0 |

#### Special stages

| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leaders |
| Leg 1 (24 Jan) | SS1 | Prunières — Embrun 1 | 28.36 km | Marcus Grönholm | Peugeot 206 WRC | 18:07.6 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 1 (24 Jan) | SS2 | Selonnet — Bréziers 1 | 22.52 km | Marcus Grönholm | Peugeot 206 WRC | 16:00.3 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 1 (24 Jan) | SS3 | Prunières — Embrun 2 | 28.36 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 17:54.5 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 1 (24 Jan) | SS4 | Selonnet — Bréziers 2 | 22.52 km | Marcus Grönholm | Peugeot 206 WRC | 15:33.7 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 1 (24 Jan) | SS5 | Plan de Vitrolles — Faye 1 | 47.27 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 28:54.9 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 1 (24 Jan) | SS6 | Plan de Vitrolles — Faye 2 | 47.27 km | Colin McRae Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC Citroën Xsara WRC | 30:04.7 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 2 (25 Jan) | SS7 | Les 4 Chemins — Sigale 1 | 32.11 km | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 2 (25 Jan) | SS8 | St Antonin — Tourette du Château 1 | 25.15 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 18:08.0 | Marcus Grönholm |
| Leg 2 (25 Jan) | SS9 | Les 4 Chemins — Sigale 2 | 32.11 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 24:59.3 | Sébastien Loeb |
| Leg 2 (25 Jan) | SS10 | St Antonin — Tourette du Château 2 | 25.15 km | Carlos Sainz | Citroën Xsara WRC | 17:52.3 | Sébastien Loeb |
| Leg 3 (26 Jan) | SS11 | Sospel — Turini — La Bollène 1 | 32.58 km | Colin McRae | Citroën Xsara WRC | 25:30.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| Leg 3 (26 Jan) | SS12 | Lantosque — Lucéram 1 | 19.52 km | Markko Märtin | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 14:09.4 | Sébastien Loeb |
| Leg 3 (26 Jan) | SS13 | Sospel — Turini — La Bollène 2 | 32.58 km | Carlos Sainz | Citroën Xsara WRC | 24:52.0 | Sébastien Loeb |
| Leg 3 (26 Jan) | SS14 | Lantosque — Lucéram 2 | 19.52 km | Carlos Sainz | Citroën Xsara WRC | 13:46.1 | Sébastien Loeb |

#### Championship standings

| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | Manufacturers' championships |
| Pos. | Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | | Sébastien Loeb | 10 | | Daniel Elena | 10 | | Citroën Total WRT | 18 |
| 2 | | Colin McRae | 8 | | Derek Ringer | 8 | | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | 10 |
| 3 | | Carlos Sainz | 6 | | Marc Martí | 6 | | Marlboro Peugeot Total | 6 |
| 4 | | Markko Märtin | 5 | | Michael Park | 5 | | Hyundai World Rally Team | 3 |
| 5 | | Richard Burns | 4 | | Robert Reid | 4 | | Škoda Motorsport | 2 |

### Junior World Rally Championship
#### Classification

| Position | Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| Event | Class | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 17 | 1 | 61 | Brice Tirabassi | Jacques-Julien Renucci | Renault Sport | Renault Clio S1600 | 5:12:36.1 | | 10 |
| 18 | 2 | 58 | Marcos Ligato | Rubén Garcia | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | 5:17:52.8 | +5:16.7 | 8 |
| 19 | 3 | 67 | Alessandro Broccoli | Simona Girelli | Sab Motorsport | Opel Corsa S1600 | 5:21:12.9 | +8:36.8 | 6 |
| 20 | 4 | 71 | Urmo Aava | Kuldar Sikk | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 5:21:24.7 | +8:48.6 | 5 |
| 21 | 5 | 63 | Massimo Ceccato | Mitia Dotta | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | 5:21:56.3 | +9:20.2 | 4 |
| 22 | 6 | 68 | Juraj Šebalj | Toni Klinc | Renault Croatia | Renault Clio S1600 | 5:25:00.0 | +12:23.9 | 3 |
| 23 | 7 | 51 | Mirco Baldacci | Giovanni Bernacchini | Purity Auto | Fiat Punto S1600 | 5:27:49.9 | +15:13.8 | 2 |
| 24 | 8 | 59 | Beppo Harrach | Michael Kölbach | Astra Racing | Ford Puma S1600 | 5:31:43.4 | +19:07.3 | 1 |
| 25 | 9 | 76 | Luca Cecchettini | Nicola Arena | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | 5:32:02.4 | +19:26.3 | 0 |
| 26 | 10 | 65 | Abdo Feghali | Joseph Matar | Astra Racing | Ford Puma S1600 | 5:33:17.7 | +20:41.6 | 0 |
| 27 | 11 | 73 | Krum Donchev | Ruman Manolov | Auto Sport Italia | Opel Corsa S1600 | 5:35:25.5 | +22:49.4 | 0 |
| 29 | 12 | 74 | Kris Meeke | Chris Patterson | Opel Motorsport | Opel Corsa S1600 | 5:45:50.2 | +33:14.1 | 0 |
| Retired SS14 | Retired SS14 | 54 | Kosti Katajamäki | Miikka Anttila | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | Excluded - brakes | Excluded - brakes | 0 |
| Retired SS14 | Retired SS14 | 55 | Martin Stenshorne | Clive Jenkins | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Puma S1600 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS14 | Retired SS14 | 62 | Oscar Svedlund | Björn Nilsson | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS13 | Retired SS13 | 64 | Ville-Pertti Teuronen | Harri Kaapro | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS13 | Retired SS13 | 69 | Salvador Cañellas Jr. | Xavier Amigó | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | Driveshaft | Driveshaft | 0 |
| Retired SS12 | Retired SS12 | 70 | Guy Wilks | Phil Pugh | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Puma S1600 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS8 | Retired SS8 | 52 | Daniel Carlsson | Matthias Andersson | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | Excluded | Excluded | 0 |
| Retired SS8 | Retired SS8 | 78 | Vladan Vasiljevic | Sebastian Geipel | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | Excluded | Excluded | 0 |
| Retired SS3 | Retired SS3 | 57 | Dimitar Iliev | Petar Sivov | Auto Sport Italia | Peugeot 206 S1600 | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS1 | Retired SS1 | 66 | Sébastien Ceccone | Julien Giroux | Citroën Total | Citroën Saxo S1600 | Accident | Accident | 0 |

#### Special stages

| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leaders |
| Leg 1 (24 January) | SS1 | Prunières — Embrun 1 | 28.36 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 21:16.2 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 1 (24 January) | SS2 | Selonnet — Bréziers 1 | 22.52 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 18:12.2 | Daniel Carlsson |
| Leg 1 (24 January) | SS3 | Prunières — Embrun 2 | 28.36 km | Mirco Baldacci | Fiat Punto S1600 | 20:26.1 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 1 (24 January) | SS4 | Selonnet — Bréziers 2 | 22.52 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 17:43.2 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 1 (24 January) | SS5 | Plan de Vitrolles — Faye 1 | 47.27 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 33:21.5 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 1 (24 January) | SS6 | Plan de Vitrolles — Faye 2 | 47.27 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 34:51.6 | Daniel Carlsson |
| Leg 2 (25 January) | SS7 | Les 4 Chemins — Sigale 1 | 32.11 km | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | | Daniel Carlsson |
| Leg 2 (25 January) | SS8 | St Antonin — Tourette du Château 1 | 25.15 km | Marcos Ligato | Fiat Punto S1600 | 19:52.5 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 2 (25 January) | SS9 | Les 4 Chemins — Sigale 2 | 32.11 km | Notional stage time | Notional stage time | Notional stage time | | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 2 (25 January) | SS10 | St Antonin — Tourette du Château 2 | 25.15 km | Notional stage time | Notional stage time | Notional stage time | | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 3 (26 January) | SS11 | Sospel — Turini — La Bollène 1 | 32.58 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 28:57.7 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 3 (26 January) | SS12 | Lantosque — Lucéram 1 | 19.52 km | Kosti Katajamäki | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | 15:48.7 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 3 (26 January) | SS13 | Sospel — Turini — La Bollène 2 | 32.58 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 28:01.1 | Brice Tirabassi |
| Leg 3 (26 January) | SS14 | Lantosque — Lucéram 2 | 19.52 km | Mirco Baldacci | Fiat Punto S1600 | 15:42.4 | Brice Tirabassi |

#### Championship standings

| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships |
| Pos. | Move | Driver | Points |
| 1 | | Brice Tirabassi | 10 |
| 2 | | Marcos Ligato | 8 |
| 3 | | Alessandro Broccoli | 6 |
| 4 | | Urmo Aava | 5 |
| 5 | | Massimo Ceccato | 4 |