Gap, January 25, 2024. The first stage of the 92nd Rallye Monte-Carlo kicked off in the late afternoon from the iconic Place du Casino. The initial 46.20 km of timed sections were all faced at night by the drivers. After the first two stages of Thoard-Saint Geniez (21.01 km) and Bayons-Bréziers (25.19 km), the ACI Team Italia duo made by Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti, in the Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo of Delta Rally, secured the 8th fastest time at Thoard and the 9th at Bayons. Consequently, they are in the 9th position among WRC2 competitors at the end of the first leg of the Monaco competition.

"We had fun on this first day," commented the 22-year-old driver from Trentino-Alto Adige, "even though the stages were much dirtier than during the recce. There was a lot of mud and gravel, especially in the first stage. The second one was dirtier, and we tried to be cautious and not take risks. I'm very happy, and I think it's an immense fortune to have the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious championship. Now, we focus on continuing like this, having fun, and improving step by step."

THE RACE. The 92nd edition of the Rallye Monte-Carlo includes the second leg, Gap-Gap, with 105.72 km of timed sections divided into six special stages, repeated twice: Saint Léger les Mélèzes-La Bâtie-Neuve (16.68 km), Champcella-Saint Clément su Durance (17.87 km), and La Bréole-Selonnet (18.31 km). On Saturday, another leg, Gap-Gap, covers 120.40 km of timed sections, featuring three specials repeated twice: Esparron-Oze (18.79 km), Les Nonières-Chichilianne (20.04 km), and Pellafol-Agnières en Dévoluy (21.37 km). Finally, on Sunday, the final leg Gap-Monaco includes only 52.12 km of timed sections divided into three special stages: La Bréole-Selonnet (18.31 km), Digne les Bains-Chaudon Norante (19.01 km), and the power stage of La Bollène Vésubie-Col de Turini (14.80 km) at 12:15. The final award ceremony will take place in Place du Casino at 16:15.

After the Rallye Monte-Carlo, Roberto Daprà's schedule includes six more events: Croatia in April, Portugal in May, Sardinia between late May and early June, Poland at the end of June, Latvia in mid-July, and the Central European Rally in October.