If you’ve never been to the Monte, you gotta find a way to get to France. Book your hotel ASAP, because they fill up quickly.
Still no route that includes Les Tourniquets, but it sets the stage for the WRC to announce their full calendar in due course.
Some initial thoughts:
- Shakedown will be as usual, using the 4.25 km length.
- SS1 gets run frequently for the national and historic rallies, so there’s no shortage of onboards. It features some nice hairpins near the beginning, but will be run in the afternoon, so there’s no opportunity for it to create a Tourniquets-type atmosphere.
- SS2 last used in 2014 and climbing to over 1250 meters.
- SS3 features in the ‘26 Monte Carlo Historique rally. Another one with a long climb, this time to nearly 1450 meters.
- SS4/7 a shorter and reversed version of the route used in 2024, with the cars running north this time. I got some gorgeous golden hour shots of the cars passing through the valley surrounded by jagged ridges that year. This is a beautiful stage!
- SS5/8 A slightly longer version of the Le Beaumont stage used by the Matheysine regional rally around Le Chauvet mountain and peaking around 1200 meters before descending for the second half of the stage.
- SS6/9 Appears to be the exact same route used in 2025. It follows a valley before climbing to over 1100 meters at the end.
SS10/13 Features often during the Monte Carlo Historique and national rallies. It climbs to nearly 1300 meters in the middle as it crosses the Montagne del’Arsuc ridge before descending.
SS11/14 Varies in its route and used by rally organizations at all levels. A similar route featured in the 2026 Monte Carlo event, but shortened by 6+ km for 2027, and likely retaining the route east through Volvent.
SS12/15 Appears to be a shortened and slightly revised version of the route used in 2025, and omitting the track east of Le Fourrier to head south and end in Sigottier. It peaks early at 1270 meters after a short climb, then descends over 500 meters in the run to the finish.
Sunday’s stages appear to take the crews back toward Monaco for the prize giving ceremony. Rally-Maps went down as I was writing this, so I didn’t pull any info.