McRae: Monte is wide open

The 1995 world champion has never won on the icy roads of the Principality, but if last year's event is anything to go by his Xsara should be among the fastest cars through the mountainous stages.

In 2002, McRae's new team-mate Sebastien Loeb won the Monte on the road, but dropped back to second after incurring penalties for a servicing offence and McRae back the Frenchman to challenge for victory this weekend.

"Sebastien will be one of the drivers who can definitely win Monte," McRae told WRC.com. "It's a funny rally, there are lots of drivers who can win, it just depends a lot on the conditions, and whether you get your tyre choices right. It also helps if you can carry a wee bit of luck in the right places. Sebastien is a serious competitor in Monte Carlo after last year."

Tommi Makinen has taken four straight wins on the Monte over recent years, but McRae feels there are plenty of successors waiting in the wings.

"Marcus [Gronholm] for sure, Richard [Burns], Petter [Solberg] definitely," he said. "I think even Markko [Martin], and Francois Duval could be very good. I think it's the type of rally where all the drivers have got a fair chance at it. You could have said in the past that Petter might make a mistake if he's going very quickly, but now maybe not. Gilles Panizzi has a chance as well."