The 2004 World Rally Championship commences next week with the Monte Carlo Rally [Ja🌺nuary 23-25] and a host of driver changes, the addition of two extra rounds, as well as unprecedented changes to the regulations.

The main dr🔜iver change involves 2001 World Rally Champion Richard Burns, who due to a brain tumour has given up his seat at Subaru to former Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen from Finland, who will be partnered at Subaru by the 2003 World Rally champion Norwegian Petter Solberg.

Citroen, the current Manufacturers Champion, will have rising French star Sebastien Loeb who🔴 fi🙈nished the 2003 championship just one point behind Solberg.

He will be partnered by the everg🐟reen💦 Spaniard Carlos Sainz who beat off a challenge from Colin McRae for the second seat at Citroen.

Peugeot will again hꦍave the services of double World Champion Finland's Marcus Gronholm who will have Belgium Freddy Loix as a new team-mate for 2004 - Harri Rovanpera has been axed.

Ford has mana🎃ged to retain the services of Estonian Markko Martin and Belgium Francois Duval.

Mitsubishi will make a return to the Championship with a new car and driver line-up of Gilles Panizzi as number 1 driver and a selection of thre other drivers who will alternate as the number two driver on various rounds - for Monte Carlo, Gianluigi Ga🔜lli will pilot the second car.

Both Skoda and 🤡Hyundai have withdrawn from the 2004 Championship, although Skoda will take part in selecꦑted events this season.

In addition to the rಞaft of driver changes that have taken place there has also been several calendar changes with events moving to more favourable dates, plus the inclusion of rounds in Mexico and Japan, making a 16 round championship.

The major changes to the championship have come about from changes๊ proposed by the FIA on the sporting regulations.

These include the introduction of the 'Mille Piste' system that will see competitors make a reconnaissance pass of the stages on the morning prior to competing on the stages later that afternoon. This change has deleted the need for Gravel cars whose job it was to check🍸 the condition of the stages prior to competition.