The registration deadline for the 85th Monte-Carlo Rally passed on Friday, December 16, and the list of participants will be made public by the Automobile Club de Monaco on January 6.

The rally runs from January 16 until January 22 and according to sources close to the event, 75 crews will take part in the opening stage between Monaco and Gap. A total of 89 crews took part in January 2016.

With the sudden withdrawal of VW, Sebastien Ogier, four times winner, will be driving for the UK team M-Sport as drivers set out from the Rock on the first stage.

The Monte-Carlo Rally was inaugurated by Prince Albert I in 1911 as a showcase for innovations in motor cars. In the early days, contestants started out from several European cities to converge on Monte-Carlo. Since 2009, the Monte-Carlo Rally has been the opening event of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.