1976 Monte Carlo Rally

September 2025 1976 Monte Carlo Rally 44ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1 1976 World Rally Championship 1976 Swedish Rally Monaco 17 24 January 1976 23 530.5 Mixed: Tarmac, Snow ITA Sandro Munari Lancia Stratos HF 148 48 (84 classified) The 1976 Monte Carlo Rally was the 44th Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo. It was won by Sandro Munari in a Lancia Stratos, with two more Stratoses finishing second and third. Background The Monte Carlo Rally is traditionally the first one on the World Rally Championship calendar, not far behind the RAC Rally which closes out the season. Ten rallies were scheduled in 1976. Lancia, who entered three Stratos (along with Bernard Darniche's private entry) were the favorites, along with Fiat who were still depending on the 124 Abarth as the new 131 was not yet ready. After a notable lack of success with the A310, Alpine-Renault's new Competition Director Gérard Larrousse opted to not enter the 1976 Monte Carlo Rally prior to merging Alpine and Gordini into Renault Sport at the end of the year, much to the dismay of local fans. Homme N°1 Sport-Auto 44ᵉ Rallye de Monte-Carlo: le guide du spectateur 44th Monte Carlo Rally: Spectators' Guide fr 125 Paris January 1976 168 SA168 The company still provided unofficial support for seven entries by the works drivers (six of them A310s and one A110) and numerous privateers also joined. Opel sent three four-valve, Group 4 Kadett GT/E and Ford sent two Escorts. Polski-Fiat sent three of their new, 1756 cc-engined 125p's (although the car was not yet officially homologated at the start of the rally) and SEAT made their first factory entry in a rally outside of Spain with two 1.8-litre 1430 Especials.Sport-Auto January 1976, p. 126. In the 1970s, all World Rally Championship entries were Production Cars (Category A). Production minimums had to be reached within 12 months, although for Group 4 manufacturers had 24 months to reach the required number. For 1976, the Group 4 minimum was lowered from 500 to 400 cars. Group 1: Series-production touring cars with a minimum production of 5,000; replaced by Group N in 1982. Group 2: Touring cars with a minimum production of 1,000; replaced by Group A in 1982. Group 3: GT cars with a minimum production of 1,000. Group 4: GT cars with a minimum production of 400 in 24 months; replaced by Group B in 1982. Format As was traditional for the Monte Carlo Rally until 1997, teams were given the choice of several cities as starting points. This year's race was broken up in four major sections: Parcours de concentration ("Concentration Stage") Teams were given a choice of nine cities to start from, but Lisbon and Thessaloniki were dropped, leaving seven cities. Paris was the most popular, with 76 cars choosing it as the departure point, while only four cars started from London. Fog in France and snow in Italy meant that a number of the teams from Paris and Rome did not reach the second stage. Parcours de classement ("Ranking Stage") 135 teams reached Monaco on Monday, 19 January, heading to San Remo for two special stages. With mostly dry roads, the powerful Lancia Stratos had an advantage, as did those drivers who had opted for "Racing" tyres. To minimize the factory teams' financial advantage, all crews were forced to choose their tyre type before starting the Ranking Stage and stick with that tyre to the end of the race - a risky decision at Monte Carlo, with very varied and unpredictable weather. Jean-Claude Andruet on the Alpine A310 took second in spite of using snow tyres, followed by the Stratoses of Björn Waldegård and Raffaele Pinto. Parcours commun ("Common Stage") The main part of the event, the Common Stage took two days and stretched for 1800 km mi 0, including road sections and special stages. The weather started out dry, with minimal icy patches, but soon rain and eventually snow set in. Munari briefly lost the lead to Andruet after having selected the wrong tyre but was soon back in first again. At the end of this section, Stratoses held the first three places: Munari in the lead, followed by Waldegård and Bernard Darniche. Heavy snow at the end of the final stage pushed some late starters out of the rally, while the entire Polski-Fiat team was disqualified as their 1756 cc-engined 125p's had not yet received their homologation. All 84 teams that completed this stage were classified at the end of the rally, even if they did not complete the final, night stage. http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=348 https://web.archive.org/web/20070430051807/http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=348 2007-04-30 Tjeerd van der Zee 44ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo Rallybase.nl Parcours complémentaire ("Additional Stage") Sixty of the 84 teams which completed the Common Stage started the final, night time stage. The weather was dry, once again favoring the more powerful cars and those who had selected Racing tyres at the beginning of the rally. The Alpine-Renault crews had bad luck, dropping out one by one, and by the end of the fourth final stage (SS18) none of the semi-official entries were still in the race. Munari seemed secure in his position, until at the penultimate stage, he finished with his gearbox stuck in third. The Lancia mechanics managed to drain the gearbox, free the gears, and reassemble the gearbox in precisely ten minutes to make the start of the final stage with no penalty. Munari achieved a record time on the final stage and Lancia occupied the three medal places, ahead of Walter Röhrl in his much less powerful Kadett GT/E. Results Final standings: https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/11997-rallye-automobile-monte-carlo-1976/ 44. Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo 1976 André Oliveira https://web.archive.org/web/20250909030558/https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/11997-rallye-automobile-monte-carlo-1976/ 2025-09-09 eWRC-results.com 2013-08-14 Pos. Driver Co-driver Car Group Starting no./Registration Time Difference Mfr.Points Place ofdeparture 1976 Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo results 1. ITA Sandro Munari ITA Silvio Maiga Lancia Stratos HF 4 10 / TO M54374 6:25:10 0.0 20 Rome 2. SWE Björn Waldegård SWE Hans Thorszelius Lancia Stratos HF 4 6 / TO N12661 6:26:37 1:27 Rome 3. FRA Bernard Darniche FRA Alain Mahé Lancia Stratos HF 4 12 / TO N14329 6:31:23 6:13 Rome 4. GER Walter Röhrl GER Jochen Berger Opel Kadett GT/E 16V 4 16 / GG-DU 403 6:34:32 9:22 10 Copenhagen 5. UK Roger Clark UK Jim Porter Ford Escort RS 1800 MkII 4 11 / KHK 983N 6:37:07 11:57 8 London 6. FIN Markku Alén FIN Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 124 Abarth Rallye 4 7 / TO M46459 6:42:31 17:21 6 Rome 7. FRA Guy Fréquelin FRA Jacques Delaval Porsche 911 Carrera 3 23 / 2444 DK 93 6:44:19 19:09 4 Paris 8. ITA Roberto Cambiaghi ITA Bruno Scabini Fiat 124 Abarth Rallye 4 5 / TO M46460 7:05:27 40:17 Rome 9. LUX Nicolas Koob LUX Nico Demuth Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 4 33 / 865 7:07:19 42:09 Frankfurt 10. FRA Bernard Béguin FRA Jean-François Fauchille Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1 45 / 9578 QG 64 7:13:47 48:37 1 Paris 11. FRA Michèle Mouton FRA Françoise Conconi Alpine-Renault A110 1600 SC 3 19 / 1453 SM 06 7:14:25 49:15 Paris 12. ESP António Zanini ESP Juan José Petisco SEAT 1430/1800 4 27 / B-4597-AH 7:21:46 56:36 Almería 13. FRA Christian Dorche FRA Bernard Richaud BMW 2002 Ti 1 54 / 13 DU 05 7:29:17 1:04:07 Paris 14. FRA Christian Gardavot FRA Jacqueline Roger Porsche 911 Carrera 3 49 / 7700 SN 06 7:30:28 1:05:18 Rome 15. ITA Maurizio Verini ITA Francesco Rossetti Fiat 124 Abarth Rallye 4 2 / TO M46458 7:32:02 1:06:52 Rome 16. LUX Aly Kridel Sr. LUX Leon Linden Ford Escort RS 2000 (Mk I) 1 67 / 9636 7:32:15 2:49:18 Warsaw 17. ITA Agustino Turnani ("Tchine") FRA Jean-Claude Salles Opel Commodore GS/E 1 70 / 1461 7:32:21 1:07:11 Rome 18. FRA Jean-Paul Barin FRA Jean-Pierre Barin Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1 149 / 419 TW 38 7:36:43 1:11:33 Paris 19. GER Friedrich von der Leyen GER Peter Diekmann Alpine-Renault A110 1800 3 55 / MO-VN 35 7:43:27 1:18:17 Copenhagen 20. FRA Raymond Chianéa FRA Jean Chianéa Opel Ascona A 2 110 / 9869 SE 06 7:44:39 1:19:29 Paris 21. FRA Christian Nahon FRA Jean Louis Afric Renault 12 Gordini 2 135 / 7:46:02 1:20:52 Paris 22. FRA Jean-Pierre Malcher FRA Pierre Pagani Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 50 / 5006 DG 93 7:48:19 1:23:09 Paris 23. FRA Christine Dacremont FRA Delphine Denard Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 61 / 5004 DG 93 7:48:19 1:23:09 Paris 24. ITA Giorgio Pianta ITA Roberto Colucci Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 71 / TO N11455 7:48:33 1:23:23 Rome 25. FRA Marianne Hoepfner FRA Michèle Espinos-Petit ("Biche") Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 58 / 5001 DG 93 7:50:25 1:25:15 Paris 26. FRA Leo Garin FRA Giorgio Rossi Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF 4 29 / AO 74282 7:50:42 1:25:32 Rome 27. FRA Alain Coppier FRA Jacques Hénuset Audi 80 S 1 42 / 671 KZ 73 7:51:47 1:26:37 Paris 28. NOR Tore Bratlie NOR Monty Karlan Simca Rallye 2 1 78 / DC 4169 7:54:26 1:29:16 Copenhagen 29. ITA Maurizio Ambrogetti ITA Paolo Roasenda Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 59 / MI X15680 7:55:02 1:29:52 Rome 30. ESP Benigno "Beny" Fernández ESP Rafael Cid ("Cid") BMW 2002 Tii 1 125 / PO 0100 C 7:56:00 1:30:50 Almería 31. ITA Giorgio Schön ITA Emilio Baj Macario Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 118 / FI 32482 7:58:22 1:33:12 Rome 32. FRA Roger Vallet FRA Michele Vallet Alpine-Renault A110 1600 S 3 140 / 3838 QY 25 8:00:46 1:35:36 Paris 33. FRA Dominique Gerard FRA Jean-Jacques Vanoutryve ("Nuche") Simca Rallye 2 1 106 / 8:01:42 1:36:32 Paris 34. GER Peter Rumpfkeil GER Horst Buchholz Porsche 911 Carrera 4 150 / DH-X 8 8:03:44 1:38:34 Paris 35. GER Joachim Springer GER Hans-Christoph Mehmel Volkswagen Golf Mk1 1 74 / H-PE 231 8:06:53 1:41:43 Copenhagen 36. FRA Claude Laurent FRA Jacques Marché Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 47 / 5633 UA 38 8:07:16 1:42:06 Paris 37. FRA Gérard Guillaume FRA Gérard Biocchini Simca Rallye 2 1 165 / 9881 SH 06 8:13:01 1:47:51 Rome 38. FRA François Perret FRA Willy Bregnard Opel Ascona A 4 87 / 8:14:36 1:49:26 Paris 39. FRA Henri Trautmann FRA Daniel Monchal Fiat 128 3P 160 / 7941 TZ 38 8:16:12 1:51:02 Paris 40. FRA Bernard Pons FRA Pierre Toujan Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 72 / 909 UA 38 8:18:36 1:53:26 Paris 41. AND Ramón Surribas-Garcia AND Amédée Rottier Castello Simca Rallye 2 2 37 / 8:20:30 1:55:20 Paris 42. FRA Corinne Koppenhague-Tarnaud FRA Marie-Dominique Cousin ("Marido") Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 62 / 5005 DG 93 8:21:05 1:55:55 Paris 43. DEN Jens Winther DEN Ebbe Lous BMW 320i (E21) 153 / 8:22:44 1:57:34 Copenhagen 44. SUI Philippe Schaer SUI Pierre-Michel Fiorina Renault 17 Gordini 1 123 / 8:23:25 1:58:15 Paris 45. FRA Bernard Decure FRA Jean-Michel Lefevre Alpine-Renault A110 142 / 8:24:23 1:59:13 Paris 46. FRA Didier Sutton FRA Patrice Le Bonner Peugeot 504 Ti 1 88 / 9447 CZ 93 8:48:22 2:23:12 Paris 47. GER Jutta Fellbaum GER Hermann Schäfer Volkswagen Golf Mk1 1 96 / 8:49:04 2:23:54 Frankfurt 48. DEN Hans-Michael Jelsdorf DEN Jorgen Rasmussen Volkswagen Golf Mk1 1 113 / 8:55:25 2:30:15 Copenhagen Retired after Parcours commun (Common Stage); still classified 49. FRA Jean-Pierre Nicolas FRA Vincent Laverne Alpine-Renault A310 4 4 / 6722 JB 76 :: Differential Paris 50. FRA Jean Ragnotti FRA Jean-Marc Andrié Alpine-Renault A110 1800 4 31 / 1475 JB 76 Engine Paris 51. FRA Bruno Saby FRA Jean-Christian Court-Payen Autobianchi A112 Abarth 4 53 / 6332 UA 38 Transmission Paris 52. LUX Nobert Huberty LUX Jos Brandenburger Fiat 128 3P 1 46 / N 4000 Paris 53. FRA Raymond Richard FRA Claudin Vigneau Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1 138 / Rome 54. SUI Claudio Mosconi ITA Angelo Torriani Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 143 / Rome 55. FRA Bernard Donguès FRA Marika Fiat 127 1 147 / 468 RU 91 Paris 56. FRA Claude Handjian FRA Michel Richtarch Simca Rallye 2 1 115 / Paris 57. FRA Christian Boeri MON Jean Clugnac Simca Rallye 2 1 76 / 7697 SM 08 :: :: Rome 58. FRA Francis Orlandini FRA Jean-Claude Dechambenoy BMW 2002 Tii 1 154 / :: :: Paris 59. GER Reiner Altenheimer GER Gerd Blankenhagen Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3 48 / LM-X 911 :: :: Frankfurt 60. GER Wilhelm Lyding GER Otto Karl Klemenz Opel Commodore GS/E 1 104 / M-DE 133 :: :: Frankfurt 61. FRA Jean Pallanca FRA Christian Audibert Simca Rallye 2 2 108 / :: :: Rome 62. FRA Marie-Odile Desvignes FRA J. Perrin Autobianchi A112 Abarth 1 57 / 5003 DG 93 :: :: Paris 63. FRA Alain Weiser FRA Jacques Michallet DAF 66 1 134 / :: :: Paris 64. ITA Giubar ITA Alam Volkswagen Golf GTi 2 161 / MS 100600 Rome 65. ITA Renato Bonora ITA Riccardo Renna Opel Ascona 1.9 SR 1 156 / CN 290762 Rome 66. FRA Margo FRA René Colleon Simca Rallye 2 1 163 / Paris 67. FRA Jean Konig FRA Christiane Apparcel Simca 1100 2 158 / Paris 68. GER Hans Schüller GER Jochi Kleint Nissan 1 83 / Frankfurt 69. FRA Gilbert Lunardon FRA Patrice Cravero Renault 17 Gordini 2 39 / Almería 70. MON Joseph Cirillo MON Raphaël Cirillo Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce 1 112 / E911 Rome 71. MON René Ambrosini MON Roger Ambrosini Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 1 99 / Rome 72. ESP Salvador Cañellas Gual ESP Daniel Ferrater SEAT 1430/1800 4 36 / B 5607 Z Accident Almería 73. GER Wolf-Dieter Giese GER Peter Kleffel Opel Ascona A 1 157 / Copenhagen 74. FRA Gérard Swaton FRA Bernard Cordesse Alpine-Renault A110 1600 S 3 103 / :: :: Paris 75. FRA Jean-Pierre Turco FRA Noël Herben Opel Ascona A 2 32 / :: :: Paris 76. FRA Alain Grandsard FRA Francis Lamarque Ford Escort RS 1 93 / :: :: Paris 77. SWE Emil Gernandt SWE Fergus Sager Opel Ascona A 2 25 / CPZ 343 :: :: Warsaw 78. FRA Albert Braida FRA Alain Boniface Simca Rallye 2 2 144 / :: :: Paris 79. GER Heinz Gellert GER Karl-Heinz Hufstadt Toyota Celica 1 89 / :: :: Frankfurt 80. MON Michel Peyret MON Cornelli Jean-Jacques Citroën Dyane 6 1 102 / 9584 :: :: Paris 81. FRA Christian Gillet FRA Jean Moutel Opel Commodore GS/E 1 137 / :: :: Almería 82. ITA Antonio Bemelli ITA Fabio Orzali Opel Ascona A 2 167 / :: :: Rome 83. GER Peter Feustel GER Gunter Schmidt Opel Ascona 1.6 SR 2 129 / :: :: Copenhagen 84. FRA Marie-Claude Charmasson ("Beaumont") FRA Christine Giganot Alpine-Renault A310 4 15 / 6721 JB 76 :: :: Paris References External links Category:Monte Carlo Rally Category:1976 in French motorsport Category:1976 in Monégasque sport Category:1976 World Rally Championship season Category:Long stubs with short prose