With exactly a month to go until the reborn Abarth marque faces its biggest rally challenge to date, winning the 77th Rallye Monte Carlo, the Italian team is busy testing its comprehensively revised car in the French Alps. The squad has been facing unseasonably cold and snowy conditions at Saint-Cirgues-en-Montagne, in the Rhône-Alpes, France, over the last week where the new-specification machine is being run in the hands of its bolstered driver line-up in preparation for the opening round of the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

Just two days ago reigning Italian and European Rally Champion Luca Rossetti was officially added to the Abarth driver roster for the Rallye Monte Carlo, joining 2006 IRC Champion Giandomenico Basso, and the brands two young protégés Finn Anton Alén and Italian Umberto Scandola at the wheel of the upgraded Super2000 Grande Punto Abarth.

High in the icy Alps Abarth over the week has been testing its newest and most potent weapon, a totally revised 'evo' version of the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 that it hopes will take the fight for honours back to Peugeot and kick off the new year with nothing short of victory on the most important and prestigious rally in the world, the Rallye Monte Carlo.

The Grande Punto Abarth S2000 was first launched in anger in early 2006, taking a debut win when it appeared on the opening round of the Italian Rally Championship. It was the first car to be factory built to the new S2000 regulations which call for normally aspirated 2.0-litre engines, stock transmission systems, and a drastic reduction in driver-assisting electronic aids. The car went on to claim the IRC and European titles in 2006 in the hands of Basso, as well as the Italian championship in 2006 (Paolo Andreucci) and 2007 (Basso).

The Sadev supplied stock transmission system has since proved to have some reliability issues, although Abarth seems to have been affected this season more so than Peugeot. A second FIA appointed transmission supplier, X-Trac, was approved this year and the 2009-specification Grande Punto Abarth will be fitted with this new alternative which has proved very competitive in testing by the Italian team.

As well as the X-Trac transmission the Grande Punto Abarth Evo will see improvements made to other all the key parts under the skin of the rally car, including new suspension arms to address an area that has been troublesome for Abarth this year. Other changes come with a brand new rear axle, new power steering system, and a new exhaust. By contrast Peugeot will only incorporate only detail changes to the 207 S2000 for Monte Carlo, but a new homologation is expected from the French carmaker during 2009.

The 77th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo will be the opening round of the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the international series launched by Eurosport Events last year and authorised by the FIA. The 2009 Rallye Monte Carlo presents a fresh challenge, a new format, and a very different itinerary to the 2008 event. It gets underway on Tuesday 20 January and will run until Saturday 24 January 2009 with a route made up of three legs and significantly it features a return to night stages, with four stages to held in the dark, including two runs over the famous "Col de Turini". One hundred competitors will be allowed to take the start, but only the top sixty cars will be allowed to start the final night. Prize-giving is set to take place on Saturday 24 January, Place du Palais Princier, Monaco.

> Test Video (19/12/2008)