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  • Home
  • The Rally Minis
    • WNR 904S Rallies
    • PVW 885D Rallies >
      • 1966 >
        • 1966 events
        • Beginings
        • 1966 Rally of the Vales
        • 1966 International Welsh Rally
      • 1967 >
        • 1967 events
        • 1967 Clover Leaf Rally
        • 1967 Mercury Rally
        • 1967 Rally of the Vales
      • 1968 >
        • 1968 events
        • 1968 Circuit of Ireland
        • 1968 Rally of the Vales
      • 1969 >
        • 1969 events
        • 1969 Cloudy Skies Rally
        • 1969 Rally of the Vales
      • 1970 >
        • 1970 events
      • 1992 >
        • PVW 1992 events >
          • PVW Illuminations Rally 1992
      • PVW events 1996
      • PVW events 1997
      • PVW 1998 events >
        • PVW Dash to Marrakech
      • PVW 1999 events >
        • PVW Monte Winter Challenge
      • PVW 2000 events >
        • PVW Le-Jog 2000
      • PVW 2001 events
      • PVW 2002/3 >
        • PVW Tulpen Rallye 2002
      • PVW 2018 >
        • PVW St Wilfrids Rally
        • PVW Devils Own Rally
        • PVW Northumberland Borders Rally
      • 2019 PVW Ilkley Jubilee
    • Contact
  • 1994
  • 1995
    • Winter Rally
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    • Horiba D' Isis Rally
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    • Track Rod Rally
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    • Rally of Finland 1995
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    • Enterprise Forest Rally
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    • Kerridge Rally
    • Enterprise Forest
    • Viking Tour
    • Network Q rally 1998
    • South Swedish Rally 1998
  • 1999
    • Sunseeker Winter rally
    • Kerridge rally
    • Dukeries
    • The Woodpecker rally
    • Enterprise forest rally
    • Mid Wales Stages
    • Silverstone Rally Sprint
    • Car Spares Ditton
    • Patriot Stages
    • Hunsruck Rally 1999
    • Network Q 1999
  • 2000
    • Dukeries Rally
    • Mid Wales Stages
    • MBA Racing Ditton
    • Car Spares Ditton
    • Finland Rally 2000
  • 2003
    • Quinton Horiba Stages
    • Agbo Stages
    • Malton Forrest Rally
    • Grizedale Stages
  • 2005
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    • Midland Rally
    • Essex Charity Stages
    • Bill Gwynne Stages
    • Ditton Priors Rally
    • Wilbarston stages
  • 2006
    • Midland Rally
    • Agbo Stage Rally
  • 2019
    • St Wilfrids Rally
    • Northumberland Borders rally
    • Friends re-united
  • 2020
    • Ross Traders Rally
​The Coventry Automotive Monte Carlo Rally Minis of 1997
In 1996 Trevor and his team at Coventry Automotive would build two ‘works’ Group N Minis ordered by Rover France and Rover Japan for the 1997 Monte Carlo Rally.  Five Minis were entered on the event, two Group A and three Group N Minis. The concentrations runs were simple road sections but over 1000 km in length. Then there would be 9 legs with 18 Special Stages covering 1,700km over five days. 

As with the previous year, the rally was very wet meaning that the asphalt stages were snow & ice, wet slush or wet tarmac and often all three. Tyres could not be changed prior to each stage so tyre choice would always be a compromise and decide the rally. Piero Liatti & Fabrizia Pons would win in the works Subaru, Carlos Sainz second and Tommi Makinen third. Colin McRae would go off and Tommi would have three punctures on one stage due to nails thrown on the road causing him to lose the lead and finish third.

The red & white Rover France car, (Car 223, registration 572 BTX 95) driven by Frederic Vie/ Lionel Currat would finish the highest placed Mini and 52nd overall but the  blue & white Rover Japan car (Car 219, registration 757 BVV 95) driven by Yasuo Kvsakabe/ Osam Morikawa, would survive the concentration run but would go off on SS6, sliding into a bridge causing terminal suspension damage and retirement from the event. Their choice of studded tyres on what became a wet tarmac stage being their downfall.

Photographs kindly provided by the Coventry Automotive team, Mark Writtle, Simon Clarke, Tony Large, Phil James, M&H Photography Ltd, Pro-Rally Photographt Ltd  and others ​- the intellectual property rights reside with them - so please seek their permission if you want to use an image 

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