The Abarth factory team (above, in the Monte Carlo service park) will be capably represented by a rapid trio, Giandomenico Basso (top, in the official press conference yesterday), Anton Alén and Luca Rossetti, behind the wheel of the newly-revised Grande Punto Abarth S2000. Providing very strong support for the Abarth factory's efforts to win this classic event will be Monte Carlo Rally 'specialist' Toni Gardemeister, in an Astra Racing run Grande Punto Abarth.

Abarth's 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season gets underway this morning with the unique Monte Carlo Rally: the oldest, best-known and most prestigious event in the history of the sport. The Italian factory team will be capably represented by a rapid trio, Giandomenico Basso, Anton Alén and Luca Rossetti, behind the wheel of the newly-revised Grande Punto Abarth S2000. Providing strong support for the factory's efforts to win this classic event will be Monte Carlo 'specialist' Toni Gardemeister in an Astra Racing run Grande Punto Abarth.

Running for the 77th time this year, Monte Carlo is a legendary event to be ranked alongside the Le Mans 24 Hours, Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 in the pantheon of world motorsport. The event contains a number of epic challenges and some of the world’s most classic stages. Chief of these is the legendary Col de Turini, which forms the climax of the event on Friday night. Only the top 60 classified crews will go through to the final four stages held in Turini, before returning to Monte Carlo in the early hours of Saturday morning. This year’s Monte Carlo Rally goes back to the future, recapturing the traditional values of the sport’s golden age within a thoroughly modern format. Thanks to Eurosport’s innovative television package, viewers all over the world will be able to see the action live from the stages.

Today and tomorrow the bulk of the action takes place in the Ardeche region, with the service park in the city of Valence. The crews then make their way through the Maritime Alps, as they gradually head back to Monaco. The rally route consists mainly of narrow and bumpy mountain tracks, often with some steep drops on either side. However, the biggest challenge in Monte Carlo is traditionally the weather. With regional temperatures in mid-January dipping well below freezing, there is always a high possibility of ice, snow and black ice. To make matters even more complicated, each individual stage can contain a wide range of conditions within a reasonably short distance, starting off with bright sunshine for example, and ending in heavy snow. Tyre choice becomes a crucial factor, and to find some grip in the snow and ice, the teams use studded tyres to bite through the layer of slush into the surface below. Often, the best compromise choice for a stage or loop of stages is the most effective – although drivers willing to gamble can gain huge chunks of time if luck is on their side. So far the conditions are expected to be largely dry, although there will be some snow and ice in high areas. With a few days still left to go before the start, anything is possible.

Even without snow, the roads offer a wide variety of different grip levels, due to the varying nature of the surfaces. Some of the stages are run on very rough and bumpy roads while others have been treated to newer and smoother asphalt. Even within the same stage, the amount of traction can differ greatly. Monte Carlo is a rally where experience definitely helps, as drivers learn to look out for things such as patches of ice at the exits of tunnels – where melting snow often re-freezes.

The Monte Carlo Rally gets underway at 07:30 today (Wednesday 21 January) from Monaco, when the first of 64 competitors is flagged off the start ramp. The finish is scheduled for 11:30 on Saturday 24 January, after 14 special stages and 362.25 thrilling competitive kilometres.