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

The main driver 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 Worl꧂d Rally champion Norwegian Petter Solberg.

Citroen, the cu♊rrent Manufacturers Champion, will have rising French star Sebastien Loeb w🌠ho finished the 2003 championship just one point behind Solberg.

He will be partneꦆred by the evergreen Spaniard Carlos Sainz who beat off a challenge from Colin McRae for the second seat at C𒆙itroen.

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

Ford has managed to retain the services of Estonian Markko Martin and Belgium Francois Du﷽v🍷al.

Mitsubishi will make a return to the Championsh꧅ip 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 tw𝄹o driver on various rounds - for Monte Carlo, Gianluigi Galli will pilot the second car.

Both Skoda and Hyundai have withdrawn fr🃏om the 2004 Championship, although Skoda will t𒁏ake part in selected events this season.

In addition to the raft 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 toꩲ the championship have💞 come about from changes proposed by the FIA on the sporting regulations.

These include the i𓂃ntroduction 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.