Michel Decremer and Yannick Albert win historic Monte rally
Michel Decremer and Yannick Albert, in a CarCave-entered Opel Ascona 2000, have won the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique 2017.
This famous rally starts in Bad Homburg, Barcelona, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Reims and Stockholm and ends in Monaco.
Decremer came fourth last year but after the sixth stage, he and co-driver Albert took the lead, keeping the lead until the last two stages. In the 13th stage, they lost some time due to engine trouble and it stalled twice, but the stage was completed successfully, and the last stage saw them taking first place.
“This year’s event was more challenging than the last one,” said Decremer. “There was lots of ice and slippery spots on the roads. Less snow, but tough nonetheless. This kind of regularity rally can only be won if every piece of the puzzle falls into place. The preparation, the understanding between driver and co-driver and the support from mechanics and scouts.
“We didn’t really make any mistakes, and were able to deliver a consistent performance. In the last stage we only got 40 penalty points, allowing us to make up for the time lost in stage 13, and keeping our closest rivals at bay.”