There was no time for the 250 competitors to check out the exhibits, crammed as they were two or three to a car and wrapped up in duffle coats, leather jackets, scarves, gloves, flat caps and deerstalkers for this gruelling winter event. Worse is almost certainly to come when they head off into the Alpine mountains that separate France, Switzerland and Italy. This event, first run in 1990, was called the Monte Carlo Challenge until the Automobile Club de Monaco, organisers of the original Monte Carlo Rally, decided to run its own event. Three brave Norwegian cars set off from Oslo, Norway, on Saturday. Others take the slightly less strenuous Marathon route, allowing them a decent rest most nights, but still providing plenty of challenging mountain roads and pretty much a certainty of ice and snow to contend with.
Every car is well stacked with snow tires, chains, shovels and ropes.
This is one event where the big, heavy but powerful saloons often do better than sports cars, their weight cutting through the snow to grip on the road below, while lighter cars skate around on the surface. Ewing has invested in more detailed maps than ever before of the toughest sections, hoping that this will give him the same edge as the most experienced opposition. Of course, car problems and adverse weather can destroy the chances of the most experienced crews, while a dose of luck and good planning can give a chance to the newest. Only time will tell, but there's little doubt they will all have exciting tales to tell by the time the survivors reach Cannes on Thursday morning.