Just a few days ago, official Porsche driver, Romain Dumas took part in the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time. The Alès-born driver was at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4,0L, entered by his own team and fitted with shock absorbers specifically developed by PKM Consulting. One of our engineers was there to supervise the car’s operation.

A couple of days only after the Dakar, Romain Dumas was discovering the Monte Carlo Rally, first round of the new FIA RGT Cup. For its first participation in that very famous competition, Romain Dumas has had to face a particularly difficult edition, marked by quickly changing road conditions. In the end, the most recent Pikes Peak winner posted the best time in class on six occasions, finally ranking second behind François Delecour. 26^th overall, he ranked 18^th in the Power Stage.

Just like Romain Dumas, whose objective was to gain as much experience as possible, PKM Consulting has been able to garner as much information as possible. It was indeed the first ice and snow rally for the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4,0L developed by RD Limited, in collaboration with PKM Consulting in terms of its relationships to the ground.

“I was expecting a difficult rally and that’s what it was” Romain Dumas confides. “The many issues encountered by the different contenders confirmed it. Our main objective was not to make a mistake and to go all the way until the end of the rally. Several parameters were new for me and for the team. It was our first Monte Carlo Rally and experience there is key. We were lacking some. We’ve tried to make for it as much as we could. Some special stages were more difficult than others. For the ones similar to what we’re used to, we showed how competitive we can be. Just like everybody else, we’ve encountered all possible road conditions and from that point of view we’ve learnt a lot. It was very important for us to gain that experience in terms of future participations. The overall outcome is satisfying even if I’m still aiming for a win. We know where there’s room for improvement and we’re going to work accordingly. To take part in the Monte Carlo Rally straight after the Dakar was a bold gamble! And to do so with a Porsche made it even bolder. But I don’t regret it. I think that, generally speaking, people have enjoyed seeing Porsche cars returning to the Monte Carlo Rally! I hope it happens again in the future.”