As the Monte Carlo Rally rally celebrates its Centenary this week 120 cars from in excess of 300 applicants will line up to take the start.

Whilst the aims and ambitions of those competitors will vary wildly; from outright victory to simply surviving one of the world’s toughest rallies; one thing is the same for all, the inconsistent conditions.

The Monte is notorious for its changeable conditions, with a multitude of surface changes combined with unpredictable mountain weather. What lies in wait is perhaps one of the greatest unknowns: ice, snow, tarmac, mud, etc.? That is of course until the information is received from the Ice Note crews.

These are the hidden heroes of the rally, providing vital last minute reports about the stages such as where mud has been dragged onto the road or ice formed around dawn. Essentially the difference in the road since it was recced several days before.

The safety crews, as they are sometimes known, will drive the stage between 2 hours and an hour in advance of the competitors reading through and amending the pace notes. They give feedback to the driver & engineers in the team with regards tyre choice for the loop of stages. The adjustments to the pacenotes, adding or removing hazards, will be relayed to the co-driver just prior to the stage.

The information is essential to the performance and survival of anyone competing on the Monte. It can make the difference between setting a fastest time and dropping minutes with the wrong tyre choice, or even worse going off the road on the ice.

Of course the information is only a guide and even the greatest drivers have suffered from a poor tyre selection, or fallen foul of the conditions that changed in the period between their safety crew and themselves driving through.

It’s therefore a job which carries great responsibility and requires a calm, coordinated approach. Incredibly early starts in the morning and long road sections don’t exactly add to the glamour. When it does work out though, the sense of satisfaction for the Ice Note crew is almost as great as for the driver and co-driver themselves, making it an extremely rewarding job.

So next week when you’re watching the competitors charging over the famous Col de Turini, spare a thought for the ice note crew, without whom it wouldn’t be possible to go at such a speed!

Seb Marshall