Monte Carlo Rally 1991

The 1991 World Rally Championship was set to be one of the most competitive in recent years, and as the cars lined up for the opening round in Monte-Carlo the scene was set for a battle royal between the best drivers, and the top manufacturers.

Reigning World Champion Carlos Sainz in his Toyota Celica GT-4 would face competition not only from the five-strong Lancia Delta Integrale line-up, featuring Miki Biasion, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol, but also Timo Salonen, making his Mitsubishi debut, Hannu Mikkola, who remained with the Mazda 323, and the determined Ford team.

Sensational Sainz snatched an early lead, an advantage he would hold for three days in what looked like being a dominant performance.

The Deltas, starting to show their age, could not mount a genuine challenge to the Spaniard, leaving the Ford Sierra Cosworth of Francois Delecour as the only serious threat. On the final day Delecour produced a stunning performance to snatch the lead and took a 42 second advantage into the final 14 miles. Then cruel fate intervened.