| 1999 Monte Carlo Rally | |
| Native Name: | 67th Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo |
| Round: | 1 |
| Season No: | 14 |
| Championship: | 1999 World Rally Championship |
| Previous Round: | 1998 Rally GB |
| Next Round: | 1999 Swedish Rally |
| Rallybase: | Monte Carlo |
| Startdate: | 18 |
| Enddate: | 20 January 1999 |
| Stages: | 14 |
| Stagekm: | 424.69 |
| Stagekm Note: | [1] |
| Transportkm: | 1,188.51 |
| Overallkm: | 1,613.20 |
| Surface: | Tarmac, Snow |
| Driver1: |  Tommi Makinen |
| Codriver1: | Risto Mannisenmaki |
| Team1: |  Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart |
| Time1: | 5:16:50.6 |
| Crewsreg: | 86 |
| Teamsstart: | 86 |
| Teamsfinish: | 46 |
The 1999 Monte Carlo Rally (formally known as the Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1999) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over three days between 18 and 20 January 1999. It marked the 67th running of the Monte Carlo Rally, and was the first round of the 1999 World Rally Championship season.[2] The 1999 event was based in the city-state of Monaco and was contested over fourteen special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 424.69km (263.89 miles).
Tommi Makinen was the defending world rally champion, as was Team Mitsubishi Ralliart. Peugeot Esso would not compete in the event. The Ford Motor Co Ltd entries would be excluded from the final results after an illegal water pump was discovered.
Makinen, along with co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki won the rally, their first win since the 1998 Rally Australia, putting them in the lead of the championship.[3]
The following crews were set to enter the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, as well as privateer entries that were not registered to score points in the manufacturer's championship. Twelve were entered under Group A regulations to compete in the World Rally Championship's Manufacturers' Championship.[4]
| 1 | Tommi Makinen | Risto Mannisenmaki | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | |
| 2 |  Freddy Loix | Sven Smeets | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz Sr. | Luis Moya | Toyota Castrol Team | Toyota Corolla WRC | |
| 4 |  Didier Auriol | Denis Giraudet | Toyota Castrol Team | Toyota Corolla WRC | |
| 5 |  Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 99 | |
| 6 | Juha Kankkunen | Juha Repo | Subaru World Rally Team | Impreza WRC 2006 | |
| 7 | Colin McRae | Nicky Grist | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Focus WRC 99 | |
| 8 | Simon Jean-Joseph | Fred Gallagher | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Focus WRC 99 | |
| 9 | Harri Rovanpera | Risto Pietilainen | SEAT Sport | SEAT Cordoba WRC | |
| 10 |  Piero Liatti | Carlo Cassina | SEAT Sport | SEAT Cordoba WRC | |
| 11 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer |  Skoda Motorsport | Skoda Octavia WRC | |
| 12 | Pavel Sibera | Petr Gross | Skoda Motorsport | Skoda Octavia WRC | |
All dates and times are CET (UTC+1).
| Date | No. | Time span | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 January | 14:20 | Service A, La Scoperta | ||
| 18:40 | Service B, Tallard | |||
| 18 January | 8:00 | Service C, Tallard | ||
| SS1 | 8:30 | Plan de Vitrolles - Faye | 48.28 km | |
| 9:41 | Service D, Laragne | |||
| SS2 | 10:41 | L'Epine - Rosans | 31.15 km | |
| 12:20 | Service E, Buis-les-Baronnies | |||
| SS3 | 13:16 | Ruissas - Eygalayes | 27.56 km | |
| 15:12 | Service F, Tallard | |||
| SS4 | 16:18 | Prunieres - Embrun | 33.82 km | |
| SS5 | 17:20 | St. Clement - St. Saveur | 20.35 km | |
| 18:47 | Service G, Tallard | |||
| 19 January | 7:30 | Service H, Tallard | ||
| SS6 | 8:21 | BIF. C1/D1 - Bayons | 32.52 km | |
| 9:52 | Service I, Tallard | |||
| SS7 | 11:05 | Sisteron - Thoard | 36.72 km | |
| 13:19 | Service J, St Andre les Alpes | |||
| SS8 | 14:26 | Entrevaux - St. Pierre | 30.73 km | |
| 16:36 | Service K, La Scoperta | |||
| SS9 | 17:46 | Sospel - La Bollene 1 | 33.65 km | |
| SS10 | 18:37 | Lantosque - Luceram 1 | 20.87 km | |
| 19:39 | Service L, La Scoperta | |||
| 20 January | 7:20 | Service M, La Scoperta | ||
| SS11 | 8:20 | Sospel - La Bollene 2 | 33.65 km | |
| SS12 | 9:11 | Lantosque - Luceram 2 | 20.87 km | |
| 10:28 | Service N, La Scoperta | |||
| SS13 | 11:23 | Sospel - La Bollene 3 | 33.65 km | |
| SS14 | 12:14 | Lantosque - Luceram 3 | 20.87 km | |
| 13:16 | Service O, La Scoperta | |||
| Source:[5] | ||||
The drama began before the first stage, as Schwarz' Skoda suffered clutch issues before even making it to the ceremonial start ramp. As a result, Skoda pulled out both of their cars before the event began.
Monday's stages would be covered by an overcast and scattered rain showers would permeate the day. Makinen would start the day with the lead despite some minor brake issues experienced in the first stage. Sainz would go off the road in the first corner, damaging his car and causing a retirement later in the stage. Auriol and Burns would also suffer damage in the first stage, but would make it through. Mitsubishi driver Loix would also retire in the first stage, bringing the Mitsubishi and Toyota's numbers down to one each. McRae suffered from a fire in the first stage, but was able to continue. He would later suffer from a broken windscreen when he hit a group of spectators. Meanwhile, it was privateer Panizzi who was challenging Makinen for the lead, and he would take it by stage 4 and end the day with it, while McRae would take the win in the final two stages of the day.
Saturday would be a battle of tyre choice, as Makinen claimed Panizzi had made a better choice than him. But on stage 8, Panizzi would run into both mechanical and driving issues, while Makinen got the tyre choice right, leading to Makinen taking the lead back on the stage. The final two stages of the day would be run at night, atop the famous Col de Turini. Multiple drivers, especially non-French drivers, complained about spectators throwing snow on the road. Makinen would lead at the end of the day.
Sunday would start with Panizzi retiring from the event on the first stage after sliding on black ice and flipping the car; the damage was too severe to continue. McRae would get a stage win, but the progress would be undone by transmission issues rendering his Subaru front-wheel drive for stage 11. Didier Auriol would take two stage wins on the day, moving him up the order. Stage 13 would be the first ever stage win for SEAT, taken by Rovanpera. But in the end, it would be Makinen with the win. The Fords would later be disqualified from the event due to an illegal water pump, promoting Auriol to third.
| Position | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tommi Makinen | Risto Mannisenmaki | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | 5:16:50.6 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Juha Kankkunen | Juha Repo | Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 99 | 5:18:35.3 | +1:44.7 | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Didier Auriol | Denis Giraudet | Toyota Castrol Team | Toyota Corolla WRC | 5:20:43.4 | +3:52.8 | 4 |
| 4 | 19 | Francois Delecour | Dominique Savignoni | Francois Delecour | Ford Escort WRC | 5:20:51.8 | +4:01.2 | 3 |
| 5 | 16 | Bruno Thiry | Stephane Prevot | Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 99 | 5:20:53.1 | +4:02.5 | 2 |
| 6 | 10 | Piero Liatti | Carlo Cassina | SEAT Sport | SEAT Cordoba WRC | 5:23:48.7 | +6:58.1 | 1 |
| 7 | 9 | Harri Rovanpera | Risto Pietilainen | SEAT Sport | SEAT Cordoba WRC | 5:23:52.9 | +7:02.3 | 0 |
| 8 | 5 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 99 | 5:26:15.2 | +9:24.6 | 0 |
| 9 | 21 | Henrik Luundgaard | Freddy Pedersen | Henrik Luundgaard | Toyota Corolla WRC | 5:30:56.8 | +14:06.2 | 0 |
| 10 | 27 | Marc Duez | Philippe Dupuy | Team Gamma | Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo V | 5:43:31.2 | +26:40.6 | 0 |
| 11 | 31 | Luca Pedersoli | Nadia Mazzon | Luca Pedersoli | Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST205) | 5:46:49.1 | +29:58.5 | 0 |
| 12 | 18 | Gustavo Trelles |  Martin Christie | Ralliart Italia | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | 5:51:07.7 | +34:17.1 | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | Isolde Holderied | Catherine Fracois | Toyota Castrol Team | Toyota Corolla WRC | 5:53:09.9 | +36:19.3 | 0 |
| 14 | 24 | Toni Gardemeister | Paavo Lukander | Toni Gardemeister | SEAT Ibiza Kit Car Evo2 | 5:53:50.3 | +36:59.7 | 0 |
| 15 | 29 | Christophe Spiliotis | Herve Thibaud | Christophe Spiliotis | Subaru Impreza WRX | 5:54:59.7 | +38:09.1 | 0 |
| 16 | 64 | Christophe Arnaud | Stephane Arnaud | Christophe Arnaud | Subaru Impreza WRX | 5:55:41.5 | +38:50.9 | 0 |
| 17 | 38 | Andrea Maselli | Nicola Arena | Andrea Maselli | Renault Clio Maxi | 5:58:30.9 | +41:40.3 | 0 |
| 18 | 34 | Richard Frau | Dominique Le Corre | Richard Frau | Mazda 323 GT-R | 6:02:23.9 | +45:33.3 | 0 |
| 19 | 67 |  Ferran Font | Joan Sureda | Ferran Font | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | 6:03:22.8 | +46:32.2 | 0 |
| 20 | 84 | David Truphemus | Pascal Saivre | David Truphemus | Peugeot 306 S16 | 6:13:16.3 | +56:25.7 | 0 |
| 21 | 80 | Horst Rotter | Volker Schmidt | Horst Rotter | Opel Astra GSi 16V | 6:14:36.0 | +57:45.4 | 0 |
| 22 | 39 | Patrice Rouit | Dominique Lamy | Patrice Rouit | Citroen ZX 16V | 6:14:43.1 | +57:45.4 | 0 |
| 23 | 54 | Giandomenico Basso | Flavio Guglielmini | Giandomenico Basso | Fiat Seicento | 6:15:43.2 | +58:52.6 | 0 |
| 24 | 78 | Frederic Maniccia | Richard Thaon | Frederic Maniccia | Renault Clio Williams | 6:20:30.4 | +1:03:39.8 | 0 |
| 25 | 51 | Peter Zehetmaier | Bernd Marx | Peter Zehetmaier | Fiat Seicento | 6:21:30.0 | +1:04:39.4 | 0 |
| 26 | 58 | "Iaveris Jr." | Konstantinos Stefanis | "Iaveris Jr." | Fiat Seicento | 6:21:59.7 | +1:05:09.1 | 0 |
| 27 | 65 | Raffaello Fidanza | Flavio Guglielmini | Raffaello Fidanza | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | 6:26:00.7 | +1:09:10.1 | 0 |
| 28 | 87 | Jurgen Barth | Jean-Claude Perramond | Jurgen Barth | Subaru Vivio RX-R | 6:26:11.3 | +1:09:20.7 | 0 |
| 29 | 87 | Pieter Tsjoen | Steven Vergalle | Pieter Tsjoen | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | 6:26:18.3 | +1:09:27.7 | 0 |
| 30 | 52 |  Jader Vagnini | Silvio Stefanelli | Jader Vagnini | Fiat Seicento | 6:27:22.8 | +1:10:32.2 | 0 |
| 31 | 79 | Christian Grillerer | Stephane Cambou | Christian Grillerer | Honda Integra Type-R | 6:27:35.9 | +1:10:45.3 | 0 |
| 32 | 72 | Marco Menegatto | Enrico Brazzoli | Marco Menegatto | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | 6:31:28.1 | +1:14:37.5 | 0 |
| 33 | 36 | Bernard Jaussaud | Alain Bertrand | Bernard Jaussaud | Renault Clio Williams | 6:34:21.7 | +1:17:31.1 | 0 |
| 34 | 55 |  Roel Fassbender | Bart Hissink | Roel Fassbender | Fiat Seicento | 6:35:08.6 | +1:18:18.0 | 0 |
| 35 | 47 | Jerome Vergerpion | Frederic Mlynarczyk | Jerome Vergerpion | Citroen Saxo VTS | 6:35:10.8 | +1:18:20.2 | 0 |
| 36 | 71 | Bob Colsoul | Tom Colsoul | Bob Colsoul | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | 6:38:19.7 | +1:21:29.1 | 0 |
| 37 | 49 | Massimo Caccato | Andrea Signorotto | Massimo Caccato | Fiat Seicento | 6:38:22.9 | +1:21:32.3 | 0 |
| 38 | 77 | Jean-Pierre Roche | Christophe Preve | Jean-Pierre Roche | Renault Clio 16S | 6:43:46.9 | +1:26:56.3 | 0 |
| 39 | 37 | Peter Bosse | Andreas von Skopnik | Peter Bosse | Opel Astra GSi 16V | 6:48:07.5 | +1:31:16.9 | 0 |
| 40 | 85 | Jacques Molbert | Christophe Sonnois | Jacques Molbert | Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 | 6:53:46.9 | +1:36:56.3 | 0 |
| 41 | 83 | Gerard Mosson | Jean-Luc Pomi | Gerard Mosson | Renault Clio Williams | 6:54:11.9 | +1:37:21.3 | 0 |
| 42 | 89 | Pascal Allemand | Eric Barthelemy | Pascal Allemand | Citroen AX GTI | 6:58:31.4 | +1:41:40.8 | 0 |
| 43 | 57 | Giusy Tocco | Ingrid Salton | Giusy Tocco | Fiat Seicento | 7:01:56.7 | +1:45:06.1 | 0 |
| 44 | 41 | Mickael De Castelli | Michel Robinet | Mickael De Castelli | Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 | 7:04:53.6 | +1:48:03.0 | 0 |
| 45 | 88 | Gabriele Cadringher | Gianfranco Serembre | Gabriele Cadringher | Subaru Vivio RX-R | 7:41:04.5 | +2:24:13.9 | 0 |
| 46 | 50 | Patrick Robert | Marie-Francoise Pastor | Patrick Robert | Peugeot 106 XSi | 7:41:13.7 | +2:24:23.1 | 0 |
| Retired SS14 | 7 | Colin McRae | Nicky Grist | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Focus WRC 99 | Excluded - Water Pump | 0 | |
| Retired SS14 | 8 | Simon Jean-Joseph | Fred Gallagher | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Focus WRC 99 | Excluded - Water Pump | 0 | |
| Retired SS13 | 60 | Eric Ballaire | Bruno Beillevaire | Eric Ballaire | Fiat Cinquecento Sporting | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS13 | 70 | Richard Hein | Philippe Serval | Richard Hein | Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo V | Engine | 0 | |
| Retired SS13 | 81 | Miguel Baudoin | Eric Mattei | Miguel Baudoin | Renault Clio Williams | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS11 | 17 | Gilles Panizzi | Herve Panizzi | Gilles Panizzi | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 98 | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS11 | 62 | Yves Loubet | Bruno Brissart | Yves Loubet | Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo V | Engine | 0 | |
| Retired SS10 | 61 | Maurizio Verini | Roberto Cancelli | Maurizio Verini | Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo V | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS9 | 30 | Fabrizio Tabaton | Nicola Gullino | Fabrizio Tabaton | Toyota Corolla WRC | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS9 | 33 | Frederic Schmit | Gilles Thimonier | Frederic Schmit | Subaru Impreza 555 | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS9 | 44 | Alain Pellerey | Jose Boyer | Alain Pellerey | Citroen Saxo | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS8 | 35 | Hans-Josef Weber | Ludwing Ruhl | Hans-Josef Weber | Mazda 323 GT-R | Gearbox | 0 | |
| Retired SS8 | 45 | Michel Farnaud | Thierry Giraud | Hans-Josef Weber | Mazda 323 GT-R | Gearbox | 0 | |
| Retired SS7 | 69 | Franck Metiffiot | Christian Caffardo | Franck Metiffiot | Subaru Impreza GT | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS6 | 32 | Franck Phillips | Laurent Gallibert | Franck Phillips | Ford Escort WRC | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS5 | 22 | Andrea Dallavilla | Danilo Fappani | Andrea Dallavilla | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 98 | Clutch | 0 | |
| Retired SS5 | 23 | Philippe Bugalski | Jean-Paul Chiaroni | Automobiles Citroen | Citroen Saxo | Driveshaft | 0 | |
| Retired SS5 | 56 | Romeo Zunino | Mauro Coscia | Romeo Zunino | Peugeot 106 XSi | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS5 | 74 | Jean Forti | Christophe Ponset | Jean Forti | Subaru Impreza WRX | Mechanical | 0 | |
| Retired SS5 | 86 | Jean Vinatier | Georges Houel | Jean Vinatier | Subaru Vivio RX-R | Mechanical | 0 | |
| Retired SS4 | 42 | Nicolas Ressegaire | Regis Ressegaire | Nicolas Ressegaire | Peugeot 306 | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS2 | 82 | Marc Dessi | Vanessa Dessi | Marc Dessi | Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 2 | Freddy Loix | Sven Smeets | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 3 | Carlos Sainz Sr. | Luis Moya | Toyota Castrol Team | Toyota Corolla WRC | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 11 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer | Skoda Motorsport | Skoda Octavia WRC | Clutch | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 12 | Pavel Sibera | Petr Gross | Skoda Motorsport | Skoda Octavia WRC | Driveshaft | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 25 | Jesus Puras | Marc Marti | Automobiles Citroen | Citroen Saxo | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 26 |  Manfred Stohl | Peter Muller | Manfred Stohl | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 28 | Luis Climent Asensio | Alex Romani | Vallencia Terra y Mar | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 40 | Gilles Chevalier | Robert Patti | Gilles Chevalier | Renault Clio Williams | Mechanical | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 43 | Frank Post | Bertram Schwalie | Frank Post | Citroen Saxo | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 46 | Hilde Henry | Christina Hanemann | Hilde Henry | Citroen Saxo | Mechanical | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 48 |  Jacek Sikora | Marek Kaczmarek | Jacek Sikora | Fiat Seicento | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 53 | Daniel Lessantini | Fabrice Roux | Daniel Lessantini | Peugeot 106 XSi | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 59 | Stefano Macaluso | Giovanni Bernacchini | Stefano Macaluso | Fiat Cinquecento | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 63 | Bruno Marcon | Jean-Francois Cavarero | Bruno Marcon | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | Retired | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 68 | Philippe Brun | Pascal Grange | Philippe Brun | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | Excluded | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 73 | Nigel Heath | Chris Patterson | Nigel Heath | Subaru Impreza WRX | Accident | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 75 | Lilian Polge | Alain Bonnet | Lilian Polge | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | Excluded | 0 | |
| Retired SS1 | 76 | Serge Guiramand | Jacques Clavel | Serge Guiramand | Renault Clio Williams | Accident | 0 | |
All dates and times are CET (UTC+1).
| Day | Stage | Time | Name | Length (km) | Winner | Time | Rally leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 18 Jan | SS1 | 8:30 | Plan de Vitrolles - Faye | 48.28 | Tommi Makinen | 34:36.4 | align=left rowspan=3 | Tommi Makinen |
| SS2 | 10:41 | L'Epine - Rosans | 31.15 | Bruno Thiry | 19:59.6 | |||
| SS3 | 13:16 | Ruissas - Eygalayes | 27.56 | Gilles Panizzi | 18:50.3 | |||
| SS4 | 16:18 | Prunieres - Embrun | 33.82 | Colin McRae | 20:50.3 | align=left rowspan=4 | Gilles Panizzi | |
| SS5 | 17:20 | St. Clement - St. Saveur | 20.35 | Colin McRae | 13:58.0 | |||
| 2 19 Jan | SS6 | 8:21 | BIF. C1/D1 - Bayons | 32.52 | Gilles Panizzi | 24:13.1 | ||
| SS7 | 11:05 | Sisteron - Thoard | 36.72 | Tommi Makinen | 25:43.4 | |||
| SS8 | 14:26 | Entrevaux - St. Pierre | 30.73 | Juha Kankkunen | 23:58.4 | align=left rowspan=7 | Tommi Makinen | |
| SS9 | 17:46 | Sospel - La Bollene 1 | 33.65 | Tommi Makinen | 27:20.1 | |||
| SS10 | 18:37 | Lantosque - Luceram 1 | 20.87 | Colin McRae | 15:22.7 | |||
| 3 20 Jan | SS11 | 08:20 | Sospel - La Bollene 2 | 33.65 | Didier Auriol | 28:06.2 | ||
| SS12 | 9:11 | Lantosque - Luceram 2 | 20.87 | Colin McRae | 15:43.2 | |||
| SS13 | 11:23 | Sospel - La Bollene 3 | 33.65 | Harri Rovanpera | 26:53.4 | |||
| SS14 | 12:14 | Lantosque - Luceram 3 | 20.87 | Didier Auriol | 15:19.0 | |||
| Drivers' Championship | Manufacturers' Championship | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | |||
| 1 | Tommi Makinen | 10 | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | 10 | ||||
| 2 | Juha Kankkunen | 6 | Subaru World Rally Team | 7 | ||||
| 3 | Didier Auriol | 4 | SEAT Sport | 5 | ||||
| 4 | Francois Delecour | 3 | Toyota Castrol Team | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Bruno Thiry | 2 | ||||||