49 for Monte

Forty-nine crews are expected to start the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship opening event, Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo (January 24-27).

This year the rally has been extended to four days of competition. Of the six teams registered so far in the championship, only Munchi's Ford World Rally Team will be missing.

Conrad Rautenbach is planning to contest all 15 rounds of the season with a Citroen Xsara WRC. The only other World Rally Car entries come from BP-Ford Abu Dhabi for Khalid Al Qassimi, Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg for Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team, a Skoda Octavia for Riccardo Errani, a Peugeot 206 WRC for Frederic Romeyer and 307 WRCs for Laurent Carbonaro, Jean-Marie Cuoq, Philippe Roux and possibly Francois Delecour.

This is the only event in the world series which does not qualify for either the Junior or the Production car World Rally Championship series.