Tributes, novelties, continuity and versatility!

The 13th Edition of Grand Prix de Monaco Historique will look a lot like its predecessors, with a few exceptions somehow, and priority will be given, one more time, to Formula One single-seaters which wrote the greatest pages of the legend of this mythical event, in keeping with the guidelines set by the Organizing and Selection Committee of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM). In 2022, around 200 cars will fight in 8 series and races set on an authentic and majestic stage, the famous circuit of the Principality…

This 13th edition will be marked by the first outing, at GP de Monaco Historique, of a more recent generation of Formula 1 single-seaters (Race G) which, between 1981 and 1985, were powered by the very last versions of the iconic Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine, born in 1967. In the history books, Italia’s Michele Alboreto, in a Tyrrell 011, won the last two Grands Prix, in 1982 and 1983, of a long series for Cosworth, the robust English engine faced with the growing challenge of turbo engines, an era started by Renault in 1977.

This « 1981-85 » period was also when Alain Prost won the first two of his four Monaco wins, and the first of his four world titles. And it was also the moment when a young Brazilian by the name of Ayrton Senna burst on the Formula 1 scene, especially in 1984, driving a Toleman in the rain. This race made him famous almost instantly and opened the doors of the Lotus-Renault Team to him, leading to his first two F1 wins in 1985.

In addition to the presence of 14 Formula 1 single-seaters having won at least one World Championship Grand Prix, and 120 other F1 cars (including 90 powered by a 3-liter engine between 1966 and 1985), this 2022 edition will also be a great opportunity to celebrate two anniversaries:

The 40th anniversary of the death of Colin Chapman, the amazing founder and manager of Lotus, will be the first thing to celebrate at the 13th edition of Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, with over 35 Lotus cars despatched in seventh out of eight racing series:

Race A2: 4 « Type 16 »
Race B: 17 cars, including 10 « Type 18 », one of them victorious in Monaco when driven by Stirling Moss in 1961, as well as 2 « Type 21 », one of them having won in Belgium driven by Innes Ireland also in 1961, and 5 « Type 24 ».
Race C: 2 « Type 10 »
Race D: 2 « Type 72 » identical to the cars driven by Jochen Rindt in 1970 and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972 when they became World Champions.
Race E: 1 « Type 72 E », 1 « Type 76 » and 3 « Type 77 » including the winning car at the Japanese Grand Prix 1976 in the hands of Mario Andretti.
Race F: 1 « Type 81 » and 1 of the famous « Type 78 » which introduced ground effect in Formula 1, a very innovative feature that all teams and all single-seater categories adopted then.
Race G: 2 « Type 87 », 1 famous 88B with a double chassis which was ruled illegal and barred from racing at the time, 3 « Type 91 » including the winning car driven by Elio de Angelis at Austrian Grand Prix 1982, 1 « Type 92 » marking the end of the Cosworth DFV era for Lotus as well as being the last car of the Chapman era.

2022 also marks the 70th anniversary of the one and only Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco organized off-championship because it was entered by sportscars instead of single-seaters. Among the cars entered in this 1952 edition, the Frazer Nash « Le Mans Replica Mk2 » was driven by Tony Crook who took the 3rd place in this unique “Prix de Monte-Carlo” among a field of sportscars powered by a 2-liter maximum engine.

As a whole, the outstanding rarity of the field will have everything to please spectators during three days, with eight very different starting grids. Competitors will be able to share with the public their passion for competition at the highest level of motor racing, in authentic racing situations. In addition to the smell and noise characteristic of ancient racing cars, on a track which was set up in the heart of the Principality of Monaco, in 1929, and of which 80% remains the same, used every year at the end of May by the ultimate modern cars entered in the Formula 1 FIA World Championship…

Articolo tratto da: www.acm.mc