The 2005 Junior World Rally Championship gets underway with the Monte Carlo Rally from January 20-23: the oldest and most prestigious event on the calendar.

Suzuki drivers are ready to attack the JWRC season 2005

Fresh from winning the championship in 2004, Suzuki driver P-G Andersson is looking forward to the first event of his title defence. But Monte Carlo is well-known for its constant unpredictability and P-G will face a lot of tough opposition - especially from his team mate Guy Wilks. Both Monster Sport Europe drivers will start the season in the tried-and-trusted Suzuki Ignis, before switching to the brand new Swift during the second half of the year.

The Monte Carlo Rally is based high up in the mountains above the famous principality, and the route consists of twisty asphalt roads that are normally covered in ice and snow. However a change to the usual itinerary means that the rally runs further south this year, and there is consequently a smaller chance of extreme weather. This year's Monte Carlo Rally is the most compact in the event's history. Just four stages make up the first day's action, with five stages on leg two and six on the final day - which contains the legendary Col de Turini.

None of the drivers have driven the Ignis since the Catalunya Rally three months ago, so they will undertake one short test near Monte Carlo next Monday in order to reacquaint themselves with their championship-winning car. The Ignis starts the season in 2004 asphalt specification, with one or two small additional developments.

P-G Andersson said: "We will only do about 50 kilometres in our pre-event test but that is enough. It's like riding a bike: you never forget! I'm hoping that this year's Monte Carlo will be a little easier than it was for me last time. I feel a lot calmer, and I have one year's more experience. Being champion gives me confidence, but I'm not thinking about that much: it's already history. The weather conditions in Monte should be more predictable this year as the route is further south, so in theory we should be able to go flat-out. If there is ice and snow, you have to be a lot more careful. We'll make our final plans after the recce, when we have seen the conditions. It's going to be a tough challenge: the front-running cars and drivers are the same as last year, and I remember only too well how hard they pushed me!"

Guy Wilks commented: "Christmas and New Year have been very difficult as they have got in the way of what I really want to do, which is go rallying! I think we have to approach Monte Carlo with a very open mind, as we have absolutely no idea of the conditions. There could be snow or dry asphalt or even fog - which is just as difficult as ice. I reckon that for the most part we will end up using slick tyres rather than studs, but we just have to wait and see. I'd like to use our pre-event test in order to assess some tyres that we might use in these slightly different conditions, but it's so hard to make any predictions. Personally, I feel fitter and stronger than ever and I can't wait to get started!"

Monster Sport Europe team manager Risto Laine commented: "I think we will be better prepared for Monte Carlo than we were last year, when it was a last-minute rush to get the cars ready in time. I also think that we will see a very different Monte Carlo Rally compared to those in the past. The more southerly route means that there might not be any snow at all over the three days. Alternatively, it could still be very icy - you just never know. Monte Carlo remains unpredictable - but I've always said that you make your own luck! With the drivers and car we have at our disposal, our target has got to be victory. It's realistic to feel confident, but we can never underestimate our rivals."

In addition to the two Monster Sport Europe cars, Suzuki Sport Europe will run a pair of Ignis Super 1600 cars for Kosti Katajamaki and Urmo Aava - who also drove an Ignis last year. Czech team JM Engineering will also run two new Ignis entries: for Italian Alan Scorcioni and Czech Pavel Valousek. Finally, there will be another Ignis run by Czech team Jipocar for Martin Prokop.

Kosti Katajamaki, from Finland, said: "Monte Carlo has always been a good event for me - in the past I've led and finished on the podium. The Ignis is a winning car, so we have to aim for the top."

Estonian Urmo Aava commented: "I was second last year in Monte Carlo, so there is only one way to improve on that result! My target is to try and win."

The Monte Carlo Rally gets underway with a ceremonial start from the Place du Casino in Monaco at 18:30 CET on Thursday evening (January 20). The action proper begins at 07:00 CET on Friday morning, when crews set off to tackle the first of 15 challenging special stages. The finish ceremony takes place back in Monaco at 14:30 CET on Sunday 23 January.