WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
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2024
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24-11-24 Neuville Celebrates Historic WRC Title as Toyota Takes Manufacturers' Glory in Japan
Belgian crowned champion of the world as 2024 season delivers one final twist.
After years of near-misses and countless heartbreaks, Thierry Neuville can finally bask in the glory of his maiden FIA World Rally Championship title at FORUM8 Rally Japan, where Toyota GAZOO Racing sealed the manufacturers’ crown after a gripping final day packed with drama.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaghe’s championship was secured in dramatic fashion early on Sunday when team-mate Ott Tänak - the only driver who could challenge him - crashed his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID out of the rally lead on the day’s opening stage. With a 25-point cushion heading into the season finale, Neuville’s title was guaranteed with four stages to spare.
"I am feeling great to be honest, we worked so long for this,” said Neuville, who has led the championship since his round one victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo.
“I don't have the words, but I want to thank everybody who was part of it, who fought for us and all of the team as well. We were many times very close; we always give it our all, but this year we have been rewarded for it.”
The late drama capped off a rollercoaster week for the Belgian, who battled back from 15th place after a turbocharger failure on Friday to finish sixth overall. His historic win is a first not only for him and Wydaeghe, but also their home country of Belgium and the Hyundai Motorsport team after a decade in the WRC.
While Neuville savoured his long-awaited triumph, Tänak’s crash delivered a cruel twist to Hyundai’s manufacturers’ title aspirations. The Korean marque had the upper hand heading into the final day, but the pendulum swung back to Toyota after a tense showdown on the Wolf Power Stage. Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta delivered clutch performances when it mattered most, helping the Toyota brand snatch its eighth WRC manufacturers’ title by a razor-thin margin of three points – the closest since Lancia captured the crown by two points in 1983.
Evans enjoyed a double celebration, inheriting the victory after Tänak’s retirement and becoming the sixth different rally winner in a highly competitive season. The Welshman’s triumph also secured him second place in the drivers’ championship — a bittersweet milestone he’s now achieved for the fourth time.
“It wasn't looking so good at one point, but we’re very happy with the result and for the team,” he said. “Thank you to my team-mates also, they did a great job. We're sorry we couldn't deliver [the drivers] championship, but we'll try again next year.
Ogier rounded off a Toyota 1-2, finishing 1min 27.3sec behind his team-mate. The eight-time champion’s rally was marred by a costly wheel change on Friday that dropped him out of contention for the win, but his recovery drive ensured vital points for Toyota in their title fight.
Adrien Fourmaux capped a breakthrough season by completing the podium in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally HYBRID. The Frenchman’s consistent form has earned him five podium finishes in 2024 and fifth place in the drivers’ championship — his best season to date.
Fourmaux reached the finish just 7.1sec ahead of Toyota’s Katsuta, who delighted the home crowd by finishing fourth, while Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five in another M-Sport entry.
In WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin stormed to a dominant category victory and an impressive seventh place overall, but it wasn’t enough to deny Sami Pajari the championship. The Finn’s second-place finish in Japan secured both the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger titles, capping off a remarkable year for the rising star and co-driver Enni Mälkönen.
The FIA World Rally Championship is poised to deliver more excitement in 2025 with an expanded calendar that includes all-new events in Saudi Arabia, Paraguay and Spain. The action restarts at Rallye Monte-Carlo which takes place from 23 – 26 January.
Rally Classification:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 3h 23m 41.0s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +1m 27.3
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 55.5s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris 2m 2.6s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +3m 11.5s
6. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +6m 54.1s
Drivers' Championship Standings (After Round 13 of 13):
1. T Neuville 242pts
2. E Evans 210pts
3. O Tänak 200pts
Manufacturers' Championship Standings (After Round 13 of 13):
1. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 561pts
2. Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 558pts
3. M-Sport Ford WRT 295pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-11-23 Saturday Charge Leaves Neuville on the Cusp of World Glory
Belgian driver on the brink of maiden WRC title at FORUM8 Rally Japan.
Ott Tänak extended his FORUM8 Rally Japan lead on Saturday, but all eyes were on team-mate Thierry Neuville as he charged up the leaderboard to put himself within touching distance of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship crown.
Neuville, often referred to as the WRC’s “nearly-man,” is finally within reach of shaking off that label and claiming his first-ever WRC drivers’ title - a triumph that would also be the first for a Belgian driver in WRC. After a remarkable recovery from 15th to seventh overall in just seven stages on this penultimate day, Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe provisionally banked four crucial points.
Following a turbocharger issue that heavily disrupted his Friday, Neuville’s stunning comeback has left him needing just two more points from Super Sunday to seal the deal. With up to 12 points available, the 36-year-old is within striking distance of breaking his five-time runner-up streak and cementing his place as world champion.
"We need to be satisfied with our performance today and being able to get back to P7, which didn't seem very realistic this morning," Neuville said. "Obviously tomorrow could be a big day, so we'll cross our fingers and try to have a good sleep.
"I have had enough setbacks during my career," he continued, "so I have learned to stay calm and just deal with it. The best thing you can do in that situation is fight back, and I think we have done that in the proper way today."
While Tänak’s aspirations for a second drivers’ title now look slim, he is carrying Hyundai’s hopes for the manufacturers’ championship. The Estonian began Saturday with a 20.9sec lead over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, but that margin had decreased to 15.3sec after the morning’s loop. However, a strong afternoon performance on Aichi’s asphalt roads allowed Tänak to re-extend his lead to 38.0sec with five stages remaining.
As things stand, Hyundai heads Toyota by 11 points in the manufacturers’ standings, with everything still to play for as the season nears its conclusion.
"It's been tough but, especially in the second loop, we have been stronger than Elfyn," Tänak said. "We've been on it so far and we will continue to be on it. [The manufacturers' championship] is our big target and we want to achieve it."
Like Neuville, eight-time champion Sébastien Ogier was also making moves. A two-minute wheel change on Friday had put the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID driver on the back foot, but he bounced back with a brace of stage wins and three second-fastest times today, climbing from fifth to third.
Ogier passed Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta, who spun on SS12, as well as Adrien Fourmaux, to trail team-mate Evans by 1min 32.9sec overnight.
After overtaking Katsuta following the Japanese driver’s mistake, Fourmaux was under constant pressure from the local hero and brought his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID to the overnight halt just 6.1sec ahead.
Also showing impressive pace was Puma youngster Grégoire Munster, who described the day as his “best-ever” on Tarmac after clocking a third-fastest time on SS10. Neuville, meanwhile, was more than four minutes behind.
Nikolay Gryazin held eighth overall and extended his WRC2 lead to 1min 25.3sec over Sami Pajari. Pajari, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, is poised to clinch both the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger titles on Sunday, while Hiroki Arai completed the top 10.
Saturday Classification:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N 2h 39m 48.0s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +38.0s
3. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +2m 10.0s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 19.1s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris 2m 25.2s
6. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +3m 07.1s
Category Leaders:
WRC: O Tänak / M Järveoja
WRC2: N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov
WRC3: D Dominguez / R Peñate
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-11-22 Tänak sparks title drama as Friday frustrates Neuville in Japan
Championship fight on a knife-edge after captivating opening day at WRC's final round.
The battle for this year’s FIA World Rally Championship title is set for a nail-biting climax as Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak leads FORUM8 Rally Japan overnight, with team-mate Thierry Neuville enduring a disastrous Friday that leaves his championship hopes on a knife-edge.
The day began with Hyundai on top as Tänak and championship leader Neuville claimed a commanding 1-2 through the opening pair of stages. However, while Tänak’s speed kept Hyundai's spirits high, Neuville’s fortunes took a dramatic turn on the third stage when his i20 N Rally1 HYBRID suffered turbo pressure issue, severely reducing its power.
With no midday service and limited spare parts available, Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe faced the gruelling task of nursing their car through five more asphalt stages, haemorrhaging over seven minutes and plunging to 15th overall. Now, with a mountain to climb to return to a point-scoring position, their hopes of securing the six points needed to guarantee themselves a maiden world title rest firmly on Super Sunday.
"It has definitely been tough," Neuville admitted. “I can't really find any positives from the day. When the car was working the feeling was good, that's the only positive.”
Tänak, meanwhile, delivered a masterclass of speed and precision. With nothing to lose, the Estonian adopted a flat-out approach that not only kept his championship chances alive but also bolstered Hyundai’s bid to fend off Toyota GAZOO Racing in the fight for the manufacturers’ crown. His performance became even more critical after Andreas Mikkelsen crashed his i20 N into a tree on SS5.
The 2019 champion initially faced pressure from Welsh pilot Elfyn Evans, who claimed a slender 0.7sec lead at the halfway point. But after a commanding afternoon from Tänak, including a time 14.4sec faster than Evans’ on Isegami’s Tunnel 2, the Estonian reclaimed the lead and stretched his overnight margin to 20.9sec.
"The stages were quite okay,” said Tänak. “There are two stages [tomorrow] that we know, but one is new. I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
Mikkelsen’s off caused a delay and forced the Shinshiro (SS7) test to run under fading light. This played into the hands of Adrien Fourmaux, whose foresight to fit auxiliary lights on his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID paid dividends.
Fourmaux capitalised on Takamoto Katsuta’s visibility struggles to snatch third overall, finishing the day a single tenth ahead of the Japanese driver but trailing Evans by over 1min 30sec.
Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier ended a challenging day in fifth after losing nearly two minutes to a wheel change on SS2. Grégoire Munster followed in sixth with his M-Sport Puma, while WRC2 leader Nikolay Gryazin occupied seventh.
Sami Pajari’s standing of eighth overall and second in WRC2 puts the young Finn on course to seal the WRC2 title, while Josh McErlean and Hiroki Arai completed the top 10 after almost 130km of intense competition.
Saturday’s penultimate leg features three stages, each run twice, before concluding with another run through the Toyota Stadium super special.
Friday Classification:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N 1h 26m 17.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +20.9s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 53.9s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 54.0s
5. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +2m 15.6s
6. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +2m 37.4s
Category Leaders:
WRC: S Ogier / V Landais
WRC2: N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov
WRC3: D Dominguez / R Peñate
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-11-20 Neuville and Tänak go head-to-head in WRC title showdown
Hyundai team-mates face off as FORUM8 Rally Japan hosts high-stakes season finale.
The 2024 FIA World Rally Championship reaches its climax this week, with Hyundai Motorsport team-mates Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak battling head-to-head for the coveted crown at FORUM8 Rally Japan (21 – 24 November).
Following a gripping season which has delivered five different winners across 12 rallies so far, Neuville arrives in Toyota City holding a 25-point advantage over his Estonian colleague.
For Neuville, a maiden WRC title for both him and Belgium is tantalisingly close after five runner-up finishes in previous campaigns. Tänak, the 2019 champion, faces a tougher challenge – requiring a flawless weekend and for Neuville to falter if he is to secure a second crown.
Neuville has led the series since his round one triumph at Rallye Monte-Carlo in January and can clinch the title by scoring six points in Japan, regardless of Tänak’s result. While he holds the upper hand in the drivers’ series battle, the manufacturers’ championship remains fiercely contested. Hyundai leads by just 15 points from defending champions Toyota GAZOO Racing, but a strong home performance could see the Japanese team overturn that deficit.
“In Japan, the weather and the roads make the biggest difference,” said Neuville, winner of this round in 2022. “They are super dirty when it’s cold, and the leaves on the road make grip very challenging. There are also some new stages, so altogether it’s going to be a very challenging event.
“We have [had] no testing for Japan, so all of our information has been carried over from Central European Rally. We have plenty of the feedback from previous years here, so we can predict the starting set-up now before doing the fine tuning when we arrive in Japan.”
Hyundai fields three i20 N Rally1 HYBRID cars for Neuville, Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen, while Toyota’s GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID line-up includes eight-time WRC champion Sébastien Ogier, local star Takamoto Katsuta and last year’s Japan winner Elfyn Evans.
“As one of our home events, Rally Japan is very important for our team and I think it’s going to be a really exciting rally for everyone to follow,” said Toyota’s team principal Jari-Matti Latvala. “We still have a chance in the manufacturers’ championship, and we are very motivated and determined to try and win it in Japan.”
British outfit M-Sport Ford will also be in action with two Puma Rally1 HYBRIDs driven by Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, as speculation swirls around Fourmaux’s future amid rumours of a potential team switch for 2025.
The FIA WRC2 and FIA WRC2 Challenger titles are also up for grabs in Japan, further raising the prospects of a hugely exciting final event of the season. Sami Pajari, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, is currently the favourite to claim both.
The rally begins bat Toyota Stadium on Thursday before tackling 21 special stages covering more than 300km. The action concludes on Sunday afternoon, with the championship battles set to deliver high drama until the very final stage.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-11-14 WRC Promoter commitment extended with three-year deal for Croatia
Croatia will rejoin the WRC in 2026 and 2027, with an ERC round set for 2025.
Croatia will return to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2026 and 2027, following the signing of a three-year agreement that will also see the country host an FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) round in 2025*.
The agreement reaffirms the commitment that started when Croatia first joined the WRC in 2021 and underscores the country's ongoing role as a key destination for world-class motorsport events. The contract was announced by Simon Larkin, Senior Director of Events for WRC Promoter GmbH, and Daniel Šaškin, President of the Croatia Rally Organising Committee, in the presence of Croatia’s Ministry of Sports and Tourism State Secretary, Josip Pavic, and Croatian Automobile and Karting Federation President, Robert Markt.
Since debuting in the WRC in 2021, Croatia Rally has quickly established itself as a standout fixture, with high-speed stages that challenge crews on asphalt surfaces ranging from smooth to badly broken. The event’s inclusion in the 2026 and 2027 WRC calendars further cements its position as a key Tarmac rally in the future mix of the WRC.
Looking ahead to 2025, the experience gained from Croatia's four successful WRC editions will play a vital role in setting a new benchmark for organisational excellence within the ERC. Croatia Rally has already been lauded for its sporting, promotional, and entertainment achievements in the WRC, and the 2025 ERC edition will benefit from this proven track record.
“When Croatia Rally joined the WRC in 2021, we knew it would become an instant classic, and it hasn’t disappointed in each of the last four editions,” enthused Simon Larkin. “We are delighted to continue this adventure for the next three years across both our championships. It will definitely add a new sporting challenge to the ERC, and we think it will appeal to not just our regular ERC competitors, but likely some WRC teams as well.
“We’d like to thank the Croatian Government at all levels – led by Sports Minister Tonci Glavina – as well as Daniel Šaškin, the President of the Organising Committee, for their unwavering support of this project,” he added.
Daniel Šaškin expressed his thanks to the Croatian Government and all stakeholders, saying: “With the support of the Croatian government and our partners, Croatia will host the ERC next year and welcome the WRC back in subsequent years. I also thank WRC Promoter for recognising the quality of our organisation and choosing to continue hosting these motorsport competitions in Croatia. Through our experience and successful organisation, we continue to position Croatia as a motorsport hub.”
Robert Markt also highlighted the lasting impact of the partnership: “This agreement and these events are crucial for Croatian motorsports and have lasting benefits for the economy and Croatia’s reputation as a premier sports destination.”
“As a former athlete, I am extremely proud to be part of a government that recognises and supports sports, including major events like the WRC Croatia Rally. This is indeed a major event, not only due to its significance for motorsports in Croatia but also due to its economic impact on the host destinations. WRC Croatia Rally brilliantly combines sport and tourism to the satisfaction of all stakeholders,” added Josip Pavic.
*Subject to World Motor Sport Council approval
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It showcases high-performance hybrid-powered cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden’s freezing winter to Kenya’s heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles at 13 rallies. More information can be found at wrc.com.
24-10-21 Oliver Solberg dominerade rallyts sista dag
Rallyföraren Oliver Solberg avrundade ett starkt centraleuropeiskt rally med att vinna alla fyra sträckorna den sista dagen bland Rally2-bilarna.
23-åringen slutade tvåa totalt i WRC2-klassen, endast slagen av Nikolay Gryszin med 16,5 sekunder. Solberg vann elva av 18 specialsträckor under hela tävlingen.
Säsongens näst sista VM-tävling startade i Prag på torsdagseftermiddagen. Rallyt kördes på asfalt i Tjeckien, Österrike och Tyskland.
– Vi har ett fantastiskt team med kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson, notecrewet Bryan Bouffier och Jack Morton och alla på Skoda och Toksport. Att jobba ihop på det här sättet gör det möjligt för oss att vinna så många sträckor och tre VM tävlingar, sa Oliver Solberg.
Duon Solberg och Edmondson är det enda ekipaget som har vunnit en etapp i varje tävling de har startat i år. Tillsammans har de vunnit 42 procent av alla specialsträckor.
– Jag är väldigt stolt över det vi har åstadkommit tillsammans. Det har varit en stark säsong för oss, och jag tycker att vi förtjänar titeln. Nu får vi vänta till sista VM-tävlingen i Japan för att få reda på om det håller hela vägen för oss, men vi har gjort allt vi kunnat.
Det var första gången på nio månader som Solberg startade en tävling på asfalt.
– Det enda jag kämpade med var inställningen av bilen på lördagsmorgonen. Men när vi väl fick ordning på det, kunde vi ösa på och ta fler sträcksegrar, sa 23-åringen.
Tävlingen avslutade säsongen för Oliver Solberg. Han kommer inte att köra Rally Japan om en månad.
Finska Sami Pajari är den enda som kan "stjäla" VM-titeln från Oliver Solberg, som leder mästerskapet efter sju körda tävlingar. Pajari kommer att vinna mästerskapet om han slutar topp två i Japan.
Yohan Rossel från Frankrike missade möjligheten att vinna VM-titeln i helgen.
Foto : Oliver Solberg Rally
24-10-20 Baudet and Schönborn Bound for Sweden after Beyond Rally Tie
Youngsters impress on WRC debut at the Central European Rally.
Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme finalists Lyssia Baudet and Claire Schönborn will both tackle the icy stages of next year’s WRC Rally Sweden, after delivering equally impressive performances at the Central European Rally.
Selected from a pool of 15 talented drivers following an intensive three-day assessment at M-Sport Poland’s Krakow headquarters, Baudet (Belgium), Schönborn (Germany), and Suvi Jyrkiäinen (Finland) were given the chance to showcase their abilities during this week’s penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The rally, which began in Prague on Thursday, saw the drivers navigate 18 tough asphalt stages across Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Each day introduced new and complex challenges, from ever-changing road conditions to the varied nature of the stages themselves.
Although all three demonstrated significant potential aboard their identical Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars, Baudet and Schönborn proved inseparable in the fight for the fully funded 2025 FIA Junior WRC prize drive.
Due to their near-identical performances, both will now compete again at Rally Sweden in February, where a final decision will be made on who will receive the coveted prize drive.
The drivers experienced an emotional rollercoaster during their WRC debut. Schönborn was slowed by a fuel pressure problem on Friday, while Baudet sustained suspension damage on Saturday after clipping a road sign. Jyrkiäinen, despite her promise, was forced to retire from the rally’s final two legs due to a coolant issue.
Sunday’s showdown saw Baudet and Schönborn locked into a thrilling battle, with just 1.1sec separating them across the four stages.
Peter Thul, WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport and Chairman of the Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme, said: “Both Lyssia and Claire delivered exceptional performances in extremely challenging conditions, making it incredibly difficult to choose between them. That’s why we’ve decided to give them both the chance to compete again at Rally Sweden. Given how evenly matched they were, we feel this is the fairest approach.
"Suvi also showed tremendous potential, and despite the setbacks she faced, we’re proud of her efforts. We hope she gained valuable experience from this event and we’re confident it will strengthen her as a driver as she progresses in her career.”
Schönborn, who began her motorsport career in Hillclimb racing, enthused: “I am just speechless at the moment - I am so grateful for this big chance that I have been given. I am a bit nervous about driving on the snow, so I will need to prepare a lot for Sweden!”
Baudet, the youngest of the three finalists at just 21 years of age, said: “Claire and I are going to Sweden and it’s just amazing. I am so happy about that, and so happy for Claire too. This was my first rally in a four-wheel drive car and now I am going to Sweden, on the snow – it’s just unbelievable. This is an opportunity that you have once in your life and I will take it very seriously.”
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-10-20 WRC title fight goes to Japan as Tänak triumphs in Central Europe
Estonian wins penultimate round as Ogier crashes on Sunday.
The fight for this year’s FIA World Rally Championship is set to go down to the wire after Ott Tänak claimed a dramatic victory at Central European Rally on Sunday.
In yet another twist to what has been a thrilling 2024 season, Tänak took the win by 7.0sec after Sébastien Ogier crashed his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID on a left-hand corner in the penultimate stage. Ogier had been trailing the Estonian by just 1.5sec at the time of his incident.
Tänak’s triumph, his second of the year, has set up a final-round showdown with Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID team-mate Thierry Neuville at next month’s FORUM8 Rally Japan.
Neuville, who had been on course to secure his maiden drivers' title before a costly spin on Saturday morning, saw his championship lead cut from 29 to 25 points. He ended the rally in third place, 25.8sec behind GR Yaris pilot Elfyn Evans.
Despite Ogier’s misfortune, strong Super Sunday performances from Toyota men Evans and Takamoto Katsuta helped trim Hyundai’s advantage in the manufacturers’ championship to 15 points. Katsuta was the fastest driver on the final day, including the Wolf Power Stage, ensuring a tense finale in Japan where, for the first time since 2021, both the drivers' and manufacturers' titles will be decided at the final round.
Neuville, Ogier, and Tänak all took turns at leading the rally, which kicked off in Prague on Thursday and featured challenging asphalt stages spread across the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. Tänak struggled with his car's set-up on Friday morning and initially languished in fifth place, but his pace improved as the event progressed, culminating in his 21st career victory.
“Let's see for the championship,” said the 2019 WRC champion Tänak. “Obviously, with what happened to Séb... it is always difficult to fight a friend and then something like this happens, so it is difficult to find feelings. Everything changed, especially in the manufacturers' championship. We took care to have a clean [final] stage and bring the points home.”
Katsuta’s strong Sunday run, combined with Ogier’s exit, saw him finish fourth overall, and 41.2sec behind Neuville - a solid finish for the Japanese runner before his home event next month.
Across the service park, Grégoire Munster climbed to fifth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID, equalling his career-best result after Sami Pajari rolled his GR Yaris on SS15.
Sixth overall went to WRC2 winner Nikolay Gryazin, who finished 26.1sec ahead of Oliver Solberg. Although Solberg wasn’t scoring points this week, he remains in contention for the WRC2 title, which will also be decided in Japan.
Filip Mareš, Miko Marczyk, and Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top 10 after four days of competition and more than 300km of timed stages.
The 13th and final round of the 2024 WRC season, FORUM8 Rally Japan, takes place in Aichi from 21 – 24 November.
Rally Classification:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N 2h 37m 34.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +7.0s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +39.8s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 21.0s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +3m 41.9s
6. N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov BGR Citroën C3 Rally2 +9m 17.6s
Category Winners:
WRC: O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N
WRC2: N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov BGR Citroën C3 Rally2
WRC3: M Chatillon / M Cornuau FRA Renault Clio Rally3
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 12 of 13)
1. T Neuville 225pts
2. O Tänak 200pts
3. E Evans 185pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-10-19 Neuville’s title celebrations on hold after turbulent Saturday at CER
Sébastien Ogier reclaims the Central European Rally lead after Belgian driver makes costly errors.
Thierry Neuville’s hopes of clinching his maiden FIA World Rally Championship title at Central European Rally took a significant hit after a dramatic Saturday saw him fall from first to fourth.
The Belgian had made a near-perfect start, leading by 6.4sec after Friday’s first full leg. However, today - the penultimate day of the penultimate round of the season - he suffered not one, but two off-road incidents within the span of a minute.
No sooner had he recovered from the first spin during this morning’s German-Austrian boundary-straddling Beyond Borders stage, Neuville found himself wide on the grass again. The second off proved particularly costly as he struggled to extract his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID from a concrete drainage ditch and lost nearly 40sec.
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID star Sébastien Ogier found himself back in the lead for the first time since Friday morning, but the eight-time world champion had Ott Tänak’s Hyundai hot on his heels. Tänak, who had briefly headed Ogier after the opening stage of the day, claimed two benchmark times compared with Ogier’s three and trails the Frenchman by 5.2sec heading into Sunday’s four-stage finale.
Today’s events have made it increasingly likely that the championship will be decided at FORUM8 Rally Japan next month. With Saturday’s provisional points in hand, Neuville has surrendered eight to Ogier and three to Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, who currently sits 25.8sec ahead of him in third place.
Crucially, he’s lost five points to Tänak — his closest championship rival — and he needs to outscore the Estonian by two to secure the title this weekend.
“There is disappointment for sure, but the rally isn't over and tomorrow is an exciting day,” Neuville said. “We paid the price. It was definitely a mistake in the recce with the pace notes. The note was too fast, and I am a bit disappointed about that, but it is what it is.”
Takamoto Katsuta trailed Neuville by 52.0sec in fifth, the Japanese driver’s cause not helped by the 16sec time penalty he incurred on SS9. He exceeded the target speed in a virtual chicane area by 8kph and was penalised by 2sec per kph as a result.
Sixth went the way of Katsuta’s fellow Toyota pilot Sami Pajari, while M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID hotshot Grégoire Munster placed eighth.
It was a disappointing day for Munster’s team-mate Adrien Fourmaux, who retired following SS10 with a front differential issue that compromised his car’s handling, leading to two off-road excursions.
Nikolay Gryazin led the WRC2 category by almost two minutes from Czech driver Filip Mareš, with Oliver Solberg – not eligible for WRC2 points this weekend – slotting between them in ninth overall.
Sunday’s deciding leg is made up of two visits to the Knaus Tabbert Am Hochwald stage, plus the Passauer Land test. The second run of the latter forms the Wolf Power Stage from 13:15 local time.
Saturday Classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 10m 12.7s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +5.2s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +14.0s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +39.8s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 31.8s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 7.3s
Category Leaders:
WRC: S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris
WRC2: N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov BGR Citroën C3 Rally2
WRC3: M Chatillon / M Cornuau FRA Renault Clio Rally3
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-10-18 Neuville strengthens WRC title charge with CER Friday lead
Belgian driver ahead after Central European Rally's first full day of action.
Thierry Neuville kept his FIA World Rally Championship title aspirations on track on Friday by overtaking Toyota GAZOO Racing rival Sébastien Ogier to claim the lead at Central European Rally.
The Belgian, who drives an i20 N Rally1 HYBRID car for Hyundai Motorsport, reached the overnight halt with a slender 6.4sec lead over Ogier and 7.8sec clear of his third-placed team-mate Ott Tänak after a flat-out day of tricky asphalt stages which weaved their way through the Czech Republic and back towards the service park near Bad Griesbach in Germany.
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID star Ogier had topped the standings after Thursday’s opening pair of speed tests, but the eight-time world champion slipped behind Neuville after today’s third stage at Šumavské Hoštice, his cause not helped by a couple of wide moments on the greasy leaf-covered roads.
While the pair remained closely matched across the leg, Frenchman Ogier admitted that he simply was “not fast enough” as he finished the day trailing Neuville.
A maiden world title is now another step closer for Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe. They must outscore Tänak by two points whilst dropping no more than 10 to Ogier and 15 to Elfyn Evans to clinch the crown at this penultimate round, which concludes on Sunday.
"I am happy to be at the end of the day,” Neuville said. “It is easy to make a mistake and I knew the only thing that was important to us was to make it to the end. It was quite greasy in [the last stage], so we played it safe and came through.”
While having two cars inside the top three bodes well for Hyundai, the pressure is on for the Korean marque to consolidate its manufacturers’ series lead after Andreas Mikkelsen crashed his i20 N on SS5. The Norwegian understeered wide on a leafy left-hander, hitting a series of fenceposts which caused heavy damage.
Just 15.1sec blanketed the leading quartet with Elfyn Evans ending Friday in fourth overall, 7.3sec back from Tänak. The Welshman claimed a sole stage win, as did fellow Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta who trailed him by 23.5sec in fifth.
A hybrid issue put a slight dampener on Sami Pajari’s first Toyota Rally1 outing on asphalt, but the Finn survived a few hairy moments to round out the top six with trusty co-driver Enni Mälkönen by his side. Adrien Fourmaux was also without hybrid power which, when coupled with set-up struggles, restricted the Frenchman to seventh.
Fourmaux’s M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID partner Grégoire Munster was eighth while Rally2 runners Nikolay Gryazin and Oliver Solberg completed the top 10. Gryazin led the WRC2 category, for which Solberg is not scoring points.
Six more stages, taking in both Germany and Austria, lie in wait on Saturday. The competitive distance of the penultimate leg is 123.46km and it kicks off at 0758AM local time.
Friday Classification:
1. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 1h 4m 40.0s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +6.4s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +7.8s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +15.1s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +38.6s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 28.2s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-10-18 Ogier Czechs in with narrow lead after Thursday at CER
Frenchman grabs 0.9s advantage over WRC title favourite Thierry Neuville.
Sébastien Ogier led Central European Rally by nine-tenths of a second from Thierry Neuville on Thursday evening after two tricky speed tests in the Czech Republic.
The penultimate round of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship kicked off in style with a vibrant start ceremony at Prague Castle, where Czech president Petr Pavl flagged the cars away. Competitors then tackled two demanding asphalt stages south of the capital, with only 2.1sec covering the top five drivers at the close of play.
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID ace Ogier drew first blood by winning the short and sharp Velká Chuchle super special test on the outskirts of Prague. A third-best time on the night-time Klatovy stage was enough to keep him in front of Hyundai’s championship leader Neuville as Andreas Mikkelsen made it two i20 N Rally1 HYBRID cars in the top three, trailing his team-mate by 0.8sec overnight.
“It was pretty slippery,” Ogier reflected. “All okay, but nothing special. It is often like this on a Thursday – tomorrow there will be more action.”
Neuville, who can secure his first world title this week, was left frustrated after clipping a straw bale on SS1, damaging the bodywork of his Hyundai. To lock down the championship, the Belgian must outscore colleague Ott Tänak by two points while ensuring he doesn’t lose more than 10 to Ogier and 15 to Elfyn Evans.
Friday’s leg includes two remote service stops in the Czech town of Janovice nad Úhlavou, but regulations stipulate that bodywork may not be changed during these halts.
“I took off the aero at the front right by stupidly touching a straw bale and it will handicap me tomorrow,” he said. “I can’t be happy, to be honest.”
Takamoto Katsuta marked his return to the Toyota squad after being benched in Chile with an impressive second-fastest time on SS1. He dropped back to fourth after SS2 but finished the day just 0.3sec behind Mikkelsen. Tänak, meanwhile, was another tenth of a second behind in fifth, with Adrien Fourmaux completing the top six in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID.
Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari and Grégoire Munster filled the next three positions as Oliver Solberg completed the top 10. The Swede is competing for outright Rally2 honours in his Škoda Fabia RS having already started the maximum seven point-scoring rounds in WRC2.
There was drama for Yohan Rossel, one of Solberg’s main rivals for this year’s WRC2 title. The Frenchman must win this rally in order to stay in contention for the crown but arrived at the finish of SS2 with a broken rear-right wheel on his Citroën C3 Rally2, dropping around half a minute. Rossel’s team-mate Nikolay Gryazin therefore led the category from Filip Mareš.
Rising talents from the Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme, Lyssia Baudet, Suvi Jyrkiäinen, and Claire Schönborn began their WRC debuts in identical Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars within the WRC3 category. Baudet impressed early on, setting the fastest time among the trio in the night-time stage to head Schönborn by 1.2sec.
The rally resumes on Friday where six more challenging stages on Czech asphalt await the crews.
Thursday Classification:
1. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 7m 50.6s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +0.9s
3. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +1.7s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +2.0s
5. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +2.1s
6. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2.4s
Category Leaders:
WRC: T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N
WRC2: N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov BGR Citroën C3 Rally2
WRC3: J Cerný / O Krajca CZE Ford Fiesta Rally3
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-10-17 High stakes for Beyond Rally finalists at Central European Rally
Three talented drivers ready to make their WRC debuts in identical Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars.
Three talented female rally drivers are poised to compete in a thrilling head-to-head battle this weekend (October 17 - 20) as they vie for the ultimate prize: a full season in the FIA Junior WRC.
The finalists, selected from the Beyond Rally Women's Driver Development Programme, will showcase their skills and resilience on the challenging stages of the Central European Rally (CER), the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Lyssia Baudet (Belgium), Suvi Jyrkiäinen (Finland), and Claire Schönborn (Germany) will each take the wheel of identical M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars for over 300km of gruelling Tarmac stages spread across Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Launched earlier this year by WRC Promoter, the Beyond Rally initiative aims to increase female participation in the highest levels of rally sport and offer a pathway for aspiring female drivers.
From an impressive list of applicants, 15 females were selected to take part in a shootout at M-Sport Poland's Krakow headquarters in September, which saw the three finalists selected to go through to the next phase of the competition.
Preparations have been intense but rewarding for the finalists, starting with a pre-event test on Monday (14 October) to fully acclimatise to the Ford Fiesta Rally3 and Pirelli’s asphalt tyres. The conditions were representative of what they will encounter later this week, mirroring the rally's typical weather patterns as the morning session took place on dry, short woodland stages, while the afternoon brought heavy rainfall, allowing the drivers to experience full wet conditions.
Two arduous days of recce followed across each of the three countries, where the finalists would sample the stages for the first time. They would have to call on all their experience gained at the bootcamp last month to create a perfect set of pace notes for the next four days which follow.
Adding to the already tricky rally, a distinguished panel of judges, headed by WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport Peter Thul, will be closely observing the competitors throughout the week. Their difficult task will be to select the driver who demonstrates the potential to take their career to the next level in 2025.
Speaking ahead of the rally, Thul believes that such is the high quality of the candidates, it will be a difficult task for the judges.
“These three incredibly talented drivers are being delivered the ultimate test this weekend,” he stressed. “Central European Rally, logistically, in terms of stages and in terms of weather, is undoubtedly among the most challenging even for our top-level drivers. Therefore, we will not necessarily only be focusing on overall results of the three competitors but their increased performance across the weekend, already beginning with testing and their recce readiness. Sunday’s decision will by no means be a simple one.”
Follow the WRC's social channels for updates as the rally progresses and the winner, selected by the panel, will be unveiled on Sunday evening.
What the drivers said:
Lyssia Baudet (Belgium)
“My primary goal is to finish the rally, so we'll need to find a pace where we're committed while still feeling safe and not taking too many risks. We were able to make adjustments [to the Fiesta] on Monday with the help of the M-Sport engineer, which allowed us to have a car that suits us perfectly and aligns well with my driving style. The main challenge will be finding a good rhythm, avoiding overdriving and mistakes, because there will be many traps.”
Suvi Jyrkiäinen (Finland)
“The roads in all three countries are diverse, very fast and flowing but also many very tight and narrow corners. It will be a challenge for me to adapt to a Tarmac rally but I really like the Fiesta Rally3, it's purely amazing to drive with it. I’m happy with the test we had on Monday and I'm looking forward to the rally, I’m feeling excited!”
Claire Schönborn (Germany)
“I feel really good. Everything has gone according to plan at the recce so far and the test also gave me a great feeling and we worked out a good set-up. I find the car super intuitive to drive and we've done a lot of set-up work. The weather of the test was changing a lot in the day, which is perfect for the rally.
“The rally has a bit of everything: different asphalt surfaces, different grip levels, fast uphill and downhill sections and very technical sections. I'm looking forward to the start and can’t wait to start driving with Jara [Hain, co-driver].”
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-10-17 WRC Crown Within Reach for Thierry Neuville
Belgian aims to clinch maiden drivers’ title at Central European Rally this week.
Thierry Neuville is on the verge of shedding his reputation as the FIA World Rally Championship’s “nearly-man” by clinching the 2024 drivers’ title at this week’s Central European Rally (17 – 20 October).
The Belgian, who drives an i20 N Rally1 HYBRID for Hyundai Motorsport, starts this penultimate round of the season carrying a 29-point lead over team-mate Ott Tänak, with Toyota men Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans 41 and 46 points back respectively.
Since stepping up to WRC’s top level in 2012, Neuville has endured the heartbreak of finishing runner-up in the championship five times. That long wait could finally come to an end if he outscores Tänak by two points while ensuring he loses no more than 10 points to Ogier and 15 to Evans.
With its distinctive cross-border format, Central European Rally presents a stern Tarmac challenge. The stages combine smooth and rough asphalt, flat and hilly roads, and alternate between wide and narrow sections. Unpredictable weather is another key factor and adds further complexity to the event, which kicks off in Czech capital Prague on Thursday and features stages across Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe won the inaugural edition of this rally last year and are joined by Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen in Hyundai’s three-car line-up. While a championship victory is within his grasp, the Belgian remains focused on consistency.
“The main goal is to manage our championship so we can take many points as possible,” he insisted. “Of course, we would like to get that title in our pocket, but our first focus will be having a consistent run.”
Ogier, currently third in the standings, forms part of Toyota’s four-car GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID entry alongside Evans, the returning Takamoto Katsuta, and rising star Sami Pajari. The Frenchman, who resides near Munich, is eager to see large crowds at what he considers another “home” event.
“It's another home event for me, only two hours away from Munich,” he said. “Last year there were a lot of people at this rally and I'm sure it will be the case this year again.”
M-Sport Ford will field three Puma Rally1 HYBRIDs for Adrien Fourmaux, Grégoire Munster and Greek driver Jourdan Serderidis. The British team’s 2024 season, including behind-the-scenes moments, is being captured in the ‘More than Machine’ docuseries, available to watch on WRC’s YouTube channel.
The rally comprises 18 stages and wraps up on Sunday afternoon in Passau, Germany, after 302.51 competitive kilometres.
24-10-17 Solberg jagar fler rallyframgångar i Centraleuropa
Oliver Solberg är tillbaka bakom ratten i Central European Rally i Tjeckien, Tyskland och Österrike efter ett litet bakslag i Sydamerika.
23-åringen ledde tävlingen och var i en position att vinna sin första världsmästartitel på sportens näst högsta nivå, men Solberg kan ha tappat chansen med en punktering och däckbyte på den andra dagen i Rally Chile.
Han slutade till slut fyra i tävlingen och lämnade Chile utan att veta om hans resultat räcker för att stå i världstoppen den här säsongen.
– Det var en svår tävling och resultat att smälta. Förmodligen en av de tuffaste i min karriär. Vi hade verkligen gjort allt vi kunde. Vi ledde tävlingen, men det räckte ändå inte för att vinna, säger Oliver Solberg.
Tillsammans med kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson kan han fortfarande vinna VM-titeln, men allt hänger nu på vad deras rivaler gör i tävlingen i helgen och i Japan senare i höst.
– Men jag tycker att vi förtjänade att göra det på vårt eget sätt. Ändå finns det inget vi kan göra åt det nu. Det bästa sättet att komma över besvikelsen är att sätta sig i bilen och hitta tillbaka till toppfarten.
Skoda-duon tänker köra för ytterligare en seger.
– Det är definitivt målet, men den här tävlingen är svår. Vi har inte tävlat på asfalt sedan Monte-Carlo i januari. Och vi tävlade inte i
Central European Rally förra året, så vi vet inte så mycket om förutsättningarna.
VM-tävlingen blir ett slags hemmarally för Skoda. Det betyder mycket att kunna visa upp en snabb Fabia RS Rally2.
Efter en ceremoniell start och första specialsträckorna från Prag på torsdag är tävlingen kvar i Tjeckien till fredag. Sedan drar det vidare till Tyskland och Österrike för de avslutande specialsträckorna.
Tävlingen består av 302,5 kilometer fördelat på 18 specialsträckor och avslutas på söndag.
24-09-29 Kalle Rovanperä wins treacherous Rally Chile on Sunday
Finn triumphs at the final gravel round of 2024 as Thierry Neuville consolidates his championship lead.
Kalle Rovanperä secured victory at Rally Chile Bio Bío on Sunday, mastering dense fog and treacherous conditions to clinch his fourth win of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season.
Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID, the Finn edged out his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans by 23.4sec at the final gravel fixture of the year, which took place on gravel roads across Chile’s Bio Bío region.
Rovanperä made a cautious start to this 11th round of the season, admitting that the Chilean gravel didn’t suit his driving style. Nevertheless, as the rally progressed, he found his rhythm. The turning point came on Saturday afternoon when he overhauled Evans in near-zero visibility, navigating through thick fog high up the mountain stages to seize a 15.1-second lead heading into the final day.
The two-time WRC champion remained unflappable in equally difficult conditions today, outpacing Evans on all but one of the final four stages to secure the 15th victory of his WRC career.
Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak completed the podium, trailing Evans by 20.5sec in his i20 N Rally1 HYBRID. Despite the Estonian’s podium, Hyundai lost ground in the manufacturers’ championship with Toyota reducing the gap to just 17 points, courtesy of Rovanperä and Evans’ masterful performances and Sébastien Ogier’s crucial Super Sunday points haul.
"It feels really good," smiled Rovanperä. "Big thanks to the team, the car and everything worked perfectly. The win actually feels like a good one - Friday did not feel so good and the conditions were really difficult all weekend so it feels really good."
Championship leader Thierry Neuville enjoyed a relatively drama-free run to fourth, a result which moves him even closer to a maiden drivers’ title as he tops the standings by 29 points with just two rounds remaining. Neuville can afford to lose a handful of points to both Evans and Ogier at next month’s Central European Rally and still lift the title there, providing he outscores team-mate Tänak.
While Ogier salvaged maximum points from Super Sunday, his hopes for a ninth WRC title now appear slim. The Frenchman, who had the speed to challenge for victory, retired his Toyota on Saturday with suspension damage after striking a rock.
Adrien Fourmaux was M-Sport Ford’s top finisher in fifth, trailing Neuville by 1min 1.6sec. The Frenchman’s result could have been even stronger had it not been for a one-minute penalty incurred for a late check-in on Friday.
Toyota’s rising star Sami Pajari impressed by finishing sixth on just his second Rally1 outing, while Fourmaux’s Puma team-mate Grégoire Munster followed closely behind in seventh.
Esapekka Lappi had been on course to finish eighth but was forced to retire on the penultimate stage after a spin damaged his Hyundai’s radiator. The retirement also marked the conclusion of co-driver Janne Ferm’s distinguished WRC career after 90 starts, two wins and 15 podiums.
With Lappi out, Citroën C3 Rally2 drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin were promoted to eighth and ninth overall, locking out the top two spots in WRC2. Their results also secured the WRC2 Teams’ title for DG Sport Competition. Gus Greensmith, another frontrunner in WRC2, rounded out the top 10.
The championship returns to Europe for the Central European Rally from 17 – 20 October, the penultimate round of the season. Based out of the south-East city of Bad Grießbach, the event will take crews across asphalt stages spanning Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Rally Classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 58m 59.8s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +23.4s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +43.9s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 1.1s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 2.7s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 39.7s
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 11 of 13)
1. T Neuville 207pts
2. O Tänak 178pts
3. S Ogier 166pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-29 Rovanperä seizes Chile lead as fog derails Evans’ victory bid
Challenging conditions shake up the order on Saturday.
Kalle Rovanperä snatched the lead of Rally Chile Bio Bío from team-mate Elfyn Evans as dense fog engulfed Saturday afternoon's stages, turning the battle for victory on its head.
The 23-year-old Finn will head into Sunday's final leg with a lead of 15.1sec over his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID colleague Evans, benefiting in part from the tricky weather conditions that reshaped the leaderboard.
Evans had been in commanding form earlier in the day, winning three of the morning’s four stages to build a 13.6sec cushion. But his advantage evaporated on the penultimate Lota test, where dense fog descended in the mountains, reducing visibility to near zero.
As the last of the top runners on the road, Evans bore the brunt of the deteriorating conditions and slowed his pace to a crawl at times. Rovanperä, in contrast, stormed into the lead with a time more than 20 seconds faster before extending the gap in similarly treacherous conditions on the final stage of the day, María Las Cruces.
Ott Tänak held third, trailing Evans by 18.5sec after a day of high drama which also saw Sébastien Ogier bow out of contention. The Frenchman’s bid for a ninth title was dealt a hefty blow when he struck a rock on SS8 which broke a bolt on his Toyota’s steering arm.
“They were really difficult conditions,” said Rovanperä. “Huge fog, and some of the most challenging stages of the year, I think. I have never done anything like this, it’s crazy. You drive and you are just trying to stay on the road - it’s a big challenge.”
Evans, still hunting his first WRC win since Japan last November, was understandably disappointed to lose the lead but acknowledged there was little he could do. “I couldn’t see past the bonnet,” he revealed. “It was crazy.”
Behind Tänak, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville mounted a strong comeback and climbed from sixth on Friday to finish the day 43.7sec off the lead in fourth. While the Belgian is now unlikely to wrap up his maiden drivers' title this week, he remains well-placed to do so at next month’s Central European Rally, barring any major setbacks.
Adrien Fourmaux also made good progress, moving from eighth to fifth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID. Hampered by a one-minute time penalty on Friday, the Frenchman charged past team-mate Grégoire Munster and Toyota rookie Sami Pajari, who ended the day in sixth and seventh respectively.
It was another tough day for Esapekka Lappi. Already off the pace, the Finn’s troubles deepened when he picked up a two-minute time penalty for clocking in early for SS11. He finished Saturday a distant eighth overall in his Hyundai, whileWRC2 frontrunners Nikolay Gryazin and Gus Greensmith rounded out the top 10.
The rally resumes on Sunday morning where two challenging stages, each run twice, lay in wait. The quartet add up to 54.8km of competitive action.
Saturday Classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 25m 14.3s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +15.1s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +33.6s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +43.7s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 23.0s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 49.5s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-28 CORRECTION: Evans holds slender WRC Chile lead over Tänak on Friday
Corrected time puts Evans back in lead as team-mate Sébastien Ogier suffers early setback in South America.
Ott Tänak appeared to be the overnight leader at Rally Chile Bío Bio with a narrow 0.4-second advantage, only for a corrected time from the day’s red-flagged opening stage giving the lead back to Elfyn Evans.
Evans, who has been slow out of the blocks on recent events, delivered a more aggressive start in Chile but struggled with confidence on the afternoon loop, and had, in theory, conceded the lead to Hyundai rival Tänak.
However, following a decision from the clerk of the course, the Welshman, who had driven through the red-flag interupted opening stage in road mode, was given an updated notional time, based on his afternoon performance on the same stage, seeing him retake the lead by 3sec. Sami Pajari and Adrien Fourmaux also had their earlier times updated.
It was a day of contrasting fortunes for Tänak, who has won every WRC round previously held in Chile. Tänak struggled in the morning, sitting fifth at lunchtime after grappling with a lack of confidence and balance in his Hyundai i20 Rally1 HYBRID during the first pass of the three gravel stages south of Concepción. However, set-up tweaks at service rejuvenated his performance and helped him to pull in Toyota rival Evans on the penultimate Rere stage to close in on the outright lead.
Despite Tänak’s strong afternoon, Sébastien Ogier appeared the most potent throughout day one. The Frenchman won three stages and would have led the rally by almost 30 seconds had he not run wide and hit a bank on SS3, forcing him to stop and change a wheel.
Tänak, though, remains poised to close the points gap to his championship-leading team-mate, Thierry Neuville, who ended leg one down in sixth.
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä completed the top three, 10.1sec adrift of Evans in his GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID, though he too voiced frustrations after overshooting and hitting a gate on SS4.
“I don’t feel comfortable on these roads,” Rovanperä explained. “When it’s dry like this, it doesn’t suit my usual driving style. I’m fighting the car and my driving a lot.”
Back at the event where he made his top-tier debut last year, Grégoire Munster put in his best performance of the season, but tyre damage on the final stage saw him drop to fifth behind Toyota rookie Sami Pajari. Just 1.4sec separated the pair at day’s end, with Pajari trailing Rovanperä by only 2.2sec.
For Munster’s M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 team-mates, it was a more challenging day. Martinš Sesks retired his non-hybrid car in the morning after hitting a bank and damaging two tyres while only carrying one spare wheel. Adrien Fourmaux fell from fourth to eighth after incurring a one-minute time penalty for arriving late to SS5. The delay stemmed from roadside repairs, first to his alternator and then to a water pipe.
Championship leader Neuville ended the day sixth, over half a minute off the pace. Opening the road, he struggled with loose conditions but still led team-mate Esapekka Lappi by 5.8sec.
“There wasn’t much more I could do,” Neuville admitted, while Lappi described his performance as “a disaster of a day.”
Fourmaux brought his Puma home in eighth, just ahead of Ogier, while WRC2 leader Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top 10.
Saturday will be a true test of endurance and tyre management, with six stages totalling nearly 140km on the itinerary.
Friday Classification:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 58m 3.9s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +3s
3. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +10.1s
4. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +12.2s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +13.7s
6. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +33.3s
24-09-25 Neuville Eyes Early Title as Chile Hosts Next-Gen WRC Showdown
WRC touches down in South America as hotshots Pajari and Sesks aim to make their mark.
Thierry Neuville starts this week’s Rally Chile Bio Bío (26 – 29 September) with a mathematical chance of securing his maiden FIA World Rally Championship title. But it will take a perfect weekend - and a little help from his rivals - to clinch the crown with two rounds to spare.
The sweeping gravel roads of Chile’s Bio Bío region host the country’s third-ever WRC round, based around the city of Concepción. And, with the season entering its final quarter, every point is crucial.
Neuville’s commanding performance at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, where he led Hyundai Motorsport to a historic 1-2-3 finish, has put him 34 points ahead of his team-mate and the only driver to have won in Chile, Ott Tänak.
Toyota GAZOO Racing’s Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans also remain in the hunt, but for Neuville to clinch the title here in Chile, he would need a near-perfect result alongside poor finishes from his closest challengers.
“We are going to push through the weekend without trouble and score as many points as possible,” said Neuville. “Our main target is to keep a good lead in the championship. The last three rounds are going to be about managing the gap and Chile is an important event for that. We need to come away with good points before going to the Tarmac rounds [in Central Europe and Japan] where we know we can do well.
Neuville finished second in Chile last year and is looking forward to the roads which sit in wait this week. “Rally Chile,” he added, “is similar to some of the other gravel events we have faced this season, but the stages can vary a lot. We were able to really enjoy the drive last year and finish on the podium to make our weekend even better.”
While the battle for the title takes centre stage at round 11, the sport’s future is also making waves as young talents Sami Pajari and Martinš Sesks prepare to stake their claim among rallying’s elite.
Pajari (22), replacing the rested Takamoto Katsuta at Toyota, takes on his second outing in a GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID. Latvia’s Sesks (25) returns in a non-hybrid M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 following impressive stage-winning performances in Poland and Latvia.
The pair are two of rallying’s brightest young talents and both are eager to prove they belong at the top level. Their presence in Chile reflects the rise of a new generation, much like Kalle Rovanperä — WRC's youngest-ever champion — who is also competing here as part of his part-time campaign with Toyota.
After alternating outings with Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen, Esapekka Lappi returns to the Hyundai line-up for the fifth time this season. Meanwhile, Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster will both handle Puma Rally1 HYBRIDs for M-Sport.
The rally begins on Thursday (26 September) and spans 16 stages covering 306.76km before concluding on Sunday afternoon.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-23 Solberg på jakt efter VM-titeln
Tre dagar i Chile står mellan Oliver Solberg och hans första VM-titel någonsin i rally. Den 23-årige Skoda-föraren har levererat en fantastisk säsong och har dominerat årets WRC2-serie. Han har vunnit fem av VM-tävlingarna hittills och kom tvåa i de andra två som körts.
Men fortfarande har inget avgjorts. Han leder mästerskapet med tre poäng till finländaren Sami Pajari.
– Jag vet bara att om jag vinner nästa tävling så blir jag mästare. Men det är en sak att säga det, en helt annan att göra det. Konkurrensen i WRC2-klassen är stenhård, så vi får kämpa hårt minst en gång till, säger Oliver Solberg.
Som tur är för Oliver och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson har de goda minnen från staden Concepcion. Förra året vann duon sin klass och slutade sexa totalt i Rally Chile.
– Jag gillar Chile. Det är ett väldigt coolt land och rallyt är väldigt intimt. Vägarna är fantastiska och stämningen runt evenemanget var fantastisk förra året. Den ceremoniella starten var en av de bästa vi har upplevt.
– Vägarna är lite annorlunda än vissa av tävlingar vi gör i Europa. Underlaget kan vara ganska svårt att förutse och att välja rätt däck är inte alltid lätt. Vi måste vara både försiktiga och snabba, slår Solberg fast.
Tävlingen körs bara några dagar efter att han firat sin egen 23-årsdag.
– Mitt mål är enbart att vinna WRC2-titeln. Hela året har jag varit fokuserad på att vinna det här mästerskapet. Mina partners och hela teamet har arbetat hårt mot detta ögonblick. Nu ska vi bara leverera.
Medan de flesta av hans rivaler tävlade i Akropolisrallyt i Grekland tidigare denna månad, har Oliver inte tävlat på åtta veckor. I det senaste Rally Finland dominerade han med en WRC2-seger och en sensationell femteplats totalt.
– Jag kan inte minnas när det senast tog så lång tid mellan två tävlingar i en rallybil, säger han. 56 dagar har gått sedan Finland. Endast mellan två säsonger har det gått lika lång tid utan rallyaction.
Rally Chile startar på torsdag och avslutas på söndag efter 16 specialsträckor.
24-09-18 Dream to reality for three Beyond Rally finalists
Three drivers offered golden tickets to contest Central European Rally after impressing on three-day evaluation at M-Sport Poland.
The Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme has revealed the three finalists who have secured a coveted seat in the Central European Rally (17 - 20 October) behind the wheel of M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3s.
After an intense three-day evaluation which concluded today (Wednesday 18 September) at M-Sport Poland, Krakow, Lyssia Baudet (Belgium), Suvi Jyrkiäinen (Finland) and Claire Schönborn (Germany) beat off intense competition from 12 other candidates to take the next step with the initiative and contest the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship. From there, the ultimate prize of a season in the 2025 FIA Junior World Championship is at stake for one lucky contestant, a dream come true for any aspiring rally driver.
Launched earlier this year by WRC Promoter, the three-part Women’s Driver Development Programme is part of the Beyond Rally initiative, and is designed to boost female representation at the highest levels of rallying and provide a stepping stone for emerging female drivers.
Fifteen contestants from all corners of the globe assembled at M-Sport Poland’s Krakow headquarters to begin a rigorous analysis of their abilities. Each driver was put to the test, assessed and scored on all aspects of the sport. Facing a series of demanding challenges, the opening day comprised of media skills, technical ability and fitness evaluations. The second day consisted of asphalt driving skills and pacenote ability assessments before the programme transitioned to gravel for the final assessments today.
Then, the independent judging panel, made up of a wide range of experts from various fields of the sport, had the enviable task of selecting just three drivers to go through to the next stage of the Programme. After much deliberation from the jury, the lucky winners were announced on this evening.
Whilst each participant can be proud of making it to this stage of the programme, the finalists stood out among the competition, demonstrating exceptional talent and dedication to taking their careers to the next level and making the most of the next phase, the opportunity to contest a round of the WRC in the Fiesta Rally3. The finalists will have a pre-event test ahead of Central European Rally and will work in sync with M-Sport Poland to prepare for the fixture.
Kicking her career off on the circuits, Lyssia Baudet transitioned to rallying in 2022 and secured fourth place in the Clio Trophy Belgium in her debut season. The ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup beckoned in 2024 for the 21-year-old Belgian.
“It's amazing, I feel like I am in a dream but I know that it is only the start of the adventure and I have a lot of work to do, but I am ready for this and I am very thankful,” said Baudet. “I would like to congratulate the other candidates, the level was very high. It’s been an amazing opportunity for us all."
Hailing from Finland, 24-year-old Suvi Jyrkiäinen was another to begin her driving career on the circuits, swiftly moving into the Finnish Rally Championship, and spending two seasons behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta tackling the Finnish Ladies Cup.
“Well, I'm speechless,” remarked Jyrkiäinen. “I was happy with my driving throughout the days but I wasn’t sure if the other things were enough, but I am really happy. It's really incredible, I cannot imagine myself there in the WRC but maybe you know it will sink in in a few days.”
Claire Schönborn’s career began in the ADAC Slalom Youngster Cup where she became vice-champion, before opting to focus on hillclimbs in Germany for several years. From there, the 25-year-old headed for the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.
“Of course, I am so happy, I didn’t think that I was picked up, I'm speechless, it feels like a dream,” she commented. "There are so many girls with so much experience in rally, so the level was really high. I didn’t think about being the chosen one of the three girls so, yes, I am so happy.”
“For us, it was at the end, very difficult to make the choice. We hope of course that it was the right one, we will see on the next stage of the process at the Central European Rally,” enthused WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport Peter Thul.
“Each one of the finalists has been exceptional. We know their CV, but some of the applicants had no experience to, say, drive on gravel at all, and they have really surprised us here. They all delivered a fantastic performance, I must say the 15 here were the correct drivers to be selected.
“Now though, a WRC event is waiting and it’s a very tough Tarmac rally with changing weather conditions through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. But this training camp here in Poland offered a variety of road surfaces, so I think they will be well prepared.”
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-16 World’s best up-and-coming female rally drivers assemble Krakow
Programme participants underway in Krakow, Poland.
The wait is over for the 15 participants in the Beyond Rally Female Talent Development Programme who have arrived at M-Sport Poland's Krakow headquarters, ready to kick off an intense three-day evaluation which runs from 16 -18 September.
From 13 countries around the world, the aspiring rally stars represent a diverse range of backgrounds. Each is eager to prove their worth and secure one of the coveted three seats in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 at next month’s Central European Rally – the penultimate round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. From there, one driver will be selected to contest a fully supported 2025 FIA Junior World Rally Championship programme.
Created by WRC Promoter, the Female Talent Development Programme is part of its Beyond Rally initiative, which outlines its commitment to shaping the future of the sport. By focusing on key areas like climate action, biodiversity protection, innovation, responsible management, and social impact, Beyond Rally is driving rallying towards a more sustainable future.
The training camp is set to test each participant’s driving skills, mechanical knowledge, and media presence. The participants will be put through their paces and face a series of challenges, which range from practical and theoretical technical knowledge to the all-important driver’s evaluation on both asphalt and gravel surfaces.
An inspiring lineup of skilled mentors will be on hand, with the likes of 2023 FIA Junior WRC champion William Creighton and two-time Norwegian rally champion Eyvind Brynildsen spearheading the driving assessments, whilst 2022 WRC2 co-drivers’ champion Reeta Hämäläinen will oversee the pacenote, recce and regulation evaluations.
All modules will take place under the watchful eye of an assembled panel who are responsible for selecting the three contestants to go forward to the Central European Rally. The panel is made up of Chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission Burcu Çetinkaya, FIA WRC Rally Commission President Pernilla Solberg, M-Sport Poland Managing Director Maciej Woda, former WRC driver Isolde Holderied and WRC Promoter senior Director of Sport Peter Thul.
Speaking at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, Çetinkaya sees the Beyond Rally initiative as providing a vital springboard for aspiring female drivers to progress in their careers.
She said: “Absolutely, I think this is a necessary project. I would like to use this opportunity to invite all the women out there to join in. Even if you are just joining one WRC event which is in your country, come.
“This is the place, the biggest, the best, come be a part of that and I’m sure we will have more and more female drivers back in the game and hopefully from the grassroots, some strong ones as well”.
WRC Promoter Senior Director of Sport Peter Thul said: “We were overwhelmed by the high standard of applicants and those assembled here in Poland represent the best of the best.
“This is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we are offering to these 15 participants and we expect the next three days to be incredibly tense.”
The three contestants advancing to the next stage and a shot at the Central European Rally in an M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 will be unveiled on Wednesday (18 September) evening.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-08 Neuville triumphs in Greece to extend WRC lead
Belgian survives carnage-filled Acropolis Rally as Ogier rolls in final stage.
Thierry Neuville moved a step closer to claiming his first FIA World Rally Championship title after winning a gruelling 2024 edition of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.
The Belgian driver conquered the carnage-filled three-day fixture in Lamia to head up a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2-3 finish ahead of i20 N colleagues Dani Sordo and Ott Tänak, with Neuville’s main title rival Sébastien Ogier suffering a dramatic roll on the Wolf Power Stage while on course to finish second overall.
Ogier was able to push his Toyota GR Yaris back onto its wheels and finish the rally, crucially securing the 15 points scored on Saturday night, but plummeted down the overall rally standings after dropping more than 20 minutes.
The Frenchman had initially led early in the rally, but slipped behind when his car was crippled by a turbocharger failure on Friday afternoon. Tänak and Dani Sordo also felt the wrath of the Acropolis, both suffering tyre damage on Saturday that dashed their own victory hopes and catapulted Neuville into the lead.
Even Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were not immune to the rally’s brutality. A misfiring engine plagued their Hyundai i20 N on the opening morning, but the pair managed to regroup and applied a sensible strategy, carefully balancing risk and reward to avoid further calamities on the treacherous tracks.
The result stretched Neuville’s lead in the drivers’ standings to 34 points over Tänak as Ogier fell to third, with 90 points still available from the remaining three rounds. In the manufacturers' championship, Hyundai extended its advantage over Toyota to 35 points.
“I didn't have the information on Ogier’s crash at all, and when I saw the car I still wasn't sure it was him,” Neuville revealed. “I understood from that point on that I just had to bring home the car and get through.
“Since yesterday morning we understood that we had to get through and to follow our objectives. I am really proud of my team as well and Martijn - we got the car to the end and that's what matters."
With Ogier in trouble, Tänak collected 11 of a possible 12 points from Super Sunday. The Estonian also claimed his 50th WRC podium and now heads Ogier by four points in the drivers’ series.
Elfyn Evans' title aspirations took a major hit when he rolled his Toyota late on Saturday, while M-Sport Ford duo Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster were also forced to rejoin under restart rules following their own incidents.
The Acropolis proved so relentless that WRC2 drivers filled the remaining top 10 spots. Sami Pajari not only clinched victory in the WRC2 category but also secured fourth place overall in his Rally2-spec Toyota. Pajari narrowly edged out Robert Virves, with both finishing level on time, but Pajari’s quicker SS1 time gave him the win on countback.
Yohan Rossel, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Fau Zaldivar, Josh McErlean and Roberto Daprà rounded out the top 10, benefiting from the misfortunes of the top-tier drivers.
The WRC now heads to South America for round 11 at Rally Chile Bio Bío, based in Concepción from 26 – 29 September.
Rally Classification:
1. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3h 38m 4.2s
2. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +1m 46.8s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +2m 57.3s
4. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +7m 1.1s
5. R Virves / A Lesk EST Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +7m 1.1s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 10 of 13):
1. T Neuville 192
2. O Tänak 158
3. S Ogier 154
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-08 Title-chasing Neuville powers towards Acropolis WRC glory
Belgian star avoids the carnage on brutal Saturday in Greece.
Thierry Neuville’s FIA World Rally Championship title hopes were bolstered on Saturday as he emerged from the carnage of another punishing day at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece with a commanding lead.
The Belgian, who entered this penultimate day third, climbed to the top as his Hyundai i20 N team-mates Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo were both struck by misfortune in what has proven to be the season's most brutal rally so far.
Tänak had led by 21.8sec after Friday’s gruelling leg, but Greece’s unforgiving terrain took its toll early on Saturday. Forced to stop twice within 10 kilometres to change wheels, the Estonian’s challenge fell apart as he dropped four minutes and plummeted to fourth.
Sordo, making his first top-level appearance since June’s Rally Italia Sardegna, briefly inherited the lead. But, like so many before him, he was undone by the rugged Greek roads. A collision with a rock caused a rear tyre blowout which cost around 50sec and tore away his advantage in an instant.
But Neuville, whose Friday had been marred by a misfiring engine, managed to survive the carnage. Carefully pacing himself and conserving his Pirelli tyres, he steered clear of disaster to end the day with a lead of 54.9sec over Sordo. Sébastien Ogier, Neuville’s closest championship challenger, clung to third, 1min 19.9sec adrift of the lead in his Toyota GR Yaris.
With 18 points provisionally secured, Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe are on course to extend their championship lead, which stood at 27 points over Ogier at the start of the rally.
"There's another day left, so at the moment there is no conclusion yet," Neuville insisted. "We need to see where we end up tomorrow, that's the only thing that counts.
"So far we have had a very good management of our rally and, despite some issues on Friday, nothing major happened. From the beginning, our approach was to be careful with the car when it was needed and we somehow got through. I tried to adapt my driving style a bit in the ruts and not put the car too sideways with the risk of hitting stones - that's the only thing you can do.
"It's a lottery out there and we don't know what will happen. Tomorrow we have to see what the weather will be like and how hard we need to drive for the extra points. There are a lot of things we still have to manage."
Sordo’s blowout obliterated the rear bodywork on his Hyundai, and, with no midday service, he and co-driver Cándido Carrera were forced to patch up the car as best they could. The Spaniards even resorted to wearing ski goggles to keep the dust out as they fought to retain second place.
Ogier, who won three of the day’s six stages, could only reflect on what might have been. After leading early on Friday, his rally was derailed by a turbocharger failure that cost him more than two minutes. His Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans has fared far worse at this 10th round of the season; stricken by similar turbo issues on day one, the Welshman’s title hopes took a devastating blow when he rolled his car on SS11 and was forced to retire.
Tänak trailed Ogier by almost two minutes in fourth overall while M-Sport Ford Puma youngster Grégoire Munster’s crash on SS9 allowed WRC2 crews to fill out the remainder of the leaderboard. Sami Pajari overtook Robert Virves to claim the WRC2 lead as Yohan Rossel, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Georg Linnamäe and Fau Zaldivar rounded out the top 10.
The rally concludes on Sunday where crews face three more stages totalling 54.05km against the clock.
Saturday Classification:
1. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3h 1m 6.3s
2. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +54.9s
3. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +1m 19.9s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +3m 20.5s
5. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +5m 7.3s
6. R Virves / A Lesk EST Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +5m 35.1s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-06 Tänak leads in Greece as WRC title rivals suffer
A Friday to forget for championship hopefuls Ogier and Evans.
Ott Tänak overtook a wounded Sébastien Ogier to lead EKO Acropolis Rally Greece on Friday evening, capping an eventful day that could significantly impact this year’s FIA World Rally Championship title race.
Greece's notoriously rugged gravel roads lived up to their punishing reputation, with four of the championship’s top-five drivers encountering trouble and dropping significant time. Tänak, however, piloted his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 through the chaos unscathed, topping a commanding Hyundai 1-2-3 overnight.
Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, who started this rally second in the points, was left 11.7sec clear of Tänak when M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux retired from second due to a broken steering arm on SS4. But disaster struck Ogier late in the day when a turbocharger issue cost the Frenchman around two-and-a-half minutes and relegated him to fourth.
Ogier’s misfortune compounded a disastrous day for Toyota. Team-mate Elfyn Evans dropped nearly nine minutes earlier in the day with a similar turbo issue, while Takamoto Katsuta retired with rear suspension on SS3 damage after mis-hearing a pacenote.
Explaining the situation, Toyota technical director Tom Fowler said: “It looks like Séb has lost the boost pressure from the turbocharger. We had Elfyn's car this morning with the same symptoms.
“It's a huge disappointment because, clearly, it's another rally after Finland where we have really strong performance in the car. In Finland we didn't capitalise on that, and it looks like here, again, we're not going to capitalise on the potential performance that both the car and the drivers have.”
In stark contrast, Hyundai celebrated as Tänak led i20 N Rally1 colleagues Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville by 21.8 and 45.2sec respectively. As it stands, the Korean marque is poised to extend its advantage in the manufacturers’ championship.
“We’ve got to be thankful for a trouble-free day. It’s been tough with the heat and the rough conditions,” said Tänak, who currently sits third in the drivers' standings. “It’s been a great day for Hyundai, but we all know there’s more to come.”
Sordo, making his first appearance since Rally Italia Sardegna in June, faced challenges of his own, managing a faulty hybrid unit throughout much of the afternoon. Championship leader Neuville also encountered issues, nursing an engine problem in the morning that left his car running on reduced power, but crucially headed Ogier by 1min 41.2sec overnight.
Elsewhere, M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster was forced to stop for a wheel change on SS6, allowing WRC2 frontrunners Robert Virves and Sami Pajari to climb to fifth and sixth overall. The pair also moved ahead of Yohan Rossel, who had dominated the WRC2 category in the morning before losing time due to a puncture.
Munster ended the day seventh with Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Nikolay Gryazin and Rossel rounding out the top 10.
Saturday’s leg promises more challenges, with six stages covering 116.23km on the unforgiving roads south of Lamia.
Friday classification:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N 1h 40m 16.9s
2. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +21.8s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +45.2s
4. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +2m 26.4s
5. R Virves / A Lesk EST Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +3m 10.9s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +3m 12.4s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-04 Cycling legend Sir Mark Cavendish shifts gears with WRC in Greece
Tour de France icon hails WRC drivers as “the best in the world.”
Cycling legend Sir Mark Cavendish, world-renowned for his record-breaking 35 Tour de France stage wins, took on a different kind of stage this week as he joined FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) stars at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.
Cavendish, one of the greatest cyclists of all time, swapped his usual competitive terrain for the WRC’s 10th round, based in the central Greek city of Lamia. The Isle of Man native spent time with some of the sport’s top talents, gaining a unique perspective into the high-adrenaline world of rallying.
On Wednesday (4 September), Cavendish joined a host of WRC drivers including eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier for a scenic bike ride through the stunning Greek countryside. This morning, the cycling icon switched from two wheels to four, strapping into Ogier’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid for a high-speed shakedown ride.
“That was one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Cavendish beamed after his rally car experience. “Seeing the best drivers in the world – not the best rally drivers – the best drivers full-stop, doing what they do was an amazing experience.
“The similarities are actually striking [between rallying and cycling]… anyone who drives a car thinks they can drive a rally car and anyone who rides a bike thinks they can ride the Tour de France, but when you see it up close and you see what they do, it really sets the best apart.
“I think the most important thing for both rally and cycling is the fans – they are part of the stage, and they can get as close to the action as possible. That’s what special, that’s what’s humble and that’s what keeps it real in these sports.”
Cavendish’s excitement was echoed by Ogier, who appreciated the chance to share his world with a fellow top-level athlete and equally enjoyed getting a glimpse into Cavendish's sport during their bike ride.
“It was a very enjoyable moment,” he said. “I love to share experiences with other sportspeople, especially when they are legends. It’s amazing what this guy has achieved in cycling.
“I can feel it a little bit in my legs today, but I think for [Mark] it was a little more his chest area that is pumping!”
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece officially begins later today and features 15 demanding stages spanning over 300 kilometres of competitive action. The event will showcase iconic WRC tests such as Tarzan and Aghii Theodori before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-09-04 WRC title race heats up at legendary Acropolis Rally
Gruelling Greek classic awaits as WRC returns from its summer break.
The 2024 FIA World Rally Championship fight continues this week as EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (5 – 8 September), a fixture with a historic reputation as one of the toughest ever, hosts round 10 of 13.
Set against the punishing rocky tracks of the mountains north of Athens, and characterised by blistering in-car temperatures, the ‘Rally of Gods’ has been a WRC classic since its debut in the championship’s inaugural 1973 season. Over 50 years later, the Acropolis still commands respect as the season enters a crucial stage.
Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville carries a 27-point lead over Toyota GAZOO Racing rival Sébastien Ogier, who is chasing down a record-equalling ninth WRC crown. Hot on their heels are Ott Tänak (Hyundai) and Elfyn Evans (Toyota), trailing Ogier by just four and nine points respectively.
Neuville has duelled with the Acropolis on five occasions, coming out on top in 2022. The Belgian has led this year's championship since round one in Monte-Carlo and remains focused on securing what would be his maiden WRC title after finishing runner-up on five occasions.
“We are still leading the fight for the championship, so it is important to score as many points as possible without pushing too hard and risking the entire weekend,” he explained. “Our car is strong and we usually perform well in Greece, so hopefully we can do the same this year.”
Neuville and Tänak are joined in i20 N Rally1 cars by experienced Spaniard Dani Sordo, the trio with their sights also set on defending the squad’s 20-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship.
Takamoto Katsuta drives Toyota’s third GR Yaris Rally1 alongside Ogier and Evans, after the Japanese ace vowed to “calm down” following a crash last time out in Finland. Ogier, who retired from last year’s Acropolis with broken suspension, is under no illusions as to what faces him.
“Last year, we were leading until we were quite unlucky in some very rough conditions: it can be the kind of rally where you need some luck on your side to avoid trouble. Like always, the aim will be to try and fight for the top places and for as many points as we can.”
M-Sport Ford has traditionally revelled on the rough stuff, winning the Acropolis seven times in 10 editions between 2000 and 2009. Adrien Fourmaux, currently fifth in the championship after netting four podiums so far this year, spearheads the British team’s Puma Rally1 attack and is joined by Grégoire Munster plus Greek driver Jourdan Serderidis.
The rally kicks off on Thursday evening and boasts 15 challenging stages covering over 300km of competitive action before Sunday afternoon’s finish. Iconic WRC stages such as Tarzan and Aghii Theodori are included in the itinerary.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-08-27 Rising WRC star Sesks to make Rally1 return in Chile
Latvian sensation gets third M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 drive with continued support from the WRC Promoter.
Latvian sensation Martinš Sesks will return to the top tier of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) at Rally Chile Bio Bío thanks to continued support from the WRC Promoter and his own personal sponsors.
The 24-year-old will once again get back behind the wheel of a non-hybrid M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, after he delivered stellar performances at both ORLEN 80th Rally Poland and Tet Rally Latvia, for the WRC’s South American leg which is based in the Bio Bio region from 26–29 September.
Sesks made a stunning top-tier debut in Poland, where he clocked multiple top-three stage times and secured an outstanding fifth-place finish. That momentum carried into his home rally in Latvia where he upgraded to a hybrid-powered Puma and claimed two stage wins, though a mechanical failure in the final stage denied him a podium result.
Recognising his immense potential, WRC Promoter has reaffirmed its commitment to Sesks' career, continuing the support that enabled his breakthrough performances in Poland and Latvia. This backing aligns with WRC Promoter’s broader strategy of expanding opportunities within the sport as recently demonstrated by its support of Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen, who debuted a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 at Secto Rally Finland.
WRC Promoter’s dedication to nurturing young talent is also exemplified through initiatives like the Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme, which will provide a promising female driver a fully supported entry into the FIA Junior WRC next season.
“We are thrilled to see Martinš return to the Rally1 category and proud to continue supporting such a promising young talent,” remarked Peter Thul, WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport. “Martinš has already shown remarkable speed and determination in Poland and Latvia, and we believe his future in the WRC is exceptionally bright. Supporting the next generation is crucial for the continued growth and excitement of the WRC, and our commitment to nurturing young talent remains stronger than ever.”
Martinš eagerly anticipates his third opportunity to drive the Ford Puma Rally1: “We are very grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car again, just two months after our previous rally. It’s been an incredible adventure so far, and the experience of driving keeps getting better. Competing in Chile in a Rally1 car is truly amazing, so I'd like to give a big thank you to the WRC Promoter and M-Sport for their support and cooperation.
“Of course, it will be quite a challenge, especially starting with a non-hybrid Rally1 car in a rally like this, on slower gravel and at high altitude, which is tough on both the car and the driver. It will be demanding, but we love challenges. Once again, we’ll be the underdogs, driving a rally we don’t know with a non-hybrid car. But I believe we are ready, and everyone is motivated to give our best performance, taking on another great adventure this year with M-Sport. We’re looking forward to it."
"Martinš made a strong impression in his previous two events with us, so it's a pleasure to welcome him back to the team in Chile,” said M-Sport Ford Team Principal Rich Millener. “This will undoubtedly be a challenging event, completely different from the previous ones. With no prior experience on this tricky rally, it's no easy task, but it's a great opportunity for him to showcase his versatility and further establish himself as a future talent. We hope this experience will bolster his ambition to become a regular name in the Rally1 class."
Millener’s thoughts were echoed by Malcolm Wilson OBE, M-Sport Managing Director: “It’s fantastic to be working with Martinš again. His performances in Poland and Latvia impressed a lot of people and I’m very proud that the WRC Promoter, his sponsors and M-Sport can offer him another opportunity to develop his skills in Rally1 machinery.
“We’ve done a lot over the years to support upcoming drivers, and I think Martinš has already shown he can be part of this next generation of top-level drivers.”
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-08-26 Finalists revealed for Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme
15 drivers from 13 countries advance to Poland training camp, vying for fully supported drive.
WRC Promoter has selected the 15 female applicants for the next step of its Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme who will meet next month to prove themselves worthy of one of three available seats in a Rally3 car at October’s WRC Central European Rally.
The candidates, selected from an excitingly global list of applicants, will attend a three-day training camp from 16 - 18 September at M-Sport Poland’s Krakow headquarters where they will seek to prove their rally preparedness, mechanical knowledge, media nous, and driving ability on mixed surfaces.
The camp will be run by a team of rallying experts, and a panel of judges will be responsible for selecting the most promising three drivers to contest October’s Central European Rally, the penultimate round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. They will compete in M-Sport Poland-prepared Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars in a fully supported programme.
Following on from Central European Rally, a driver will be selected for a fully supported campaign in the 2025 FIA Junior WRC.
The successful applicants, from a diverse range of motorsports backgrounds, represent 13 countries across three continents.
The 15 successful applicants are:
Lyssia Baudet – Belgium
Emma Chalvin – France
Ann Felke – Germany
Joanna Hassoun – Lebanon
Mako Hirakawa – Japan
Hannah Jakobsson – Sweden
Suvi Jyrkiäinen – Finland
Luz Marina – Spain
Nuria Pons – Spain
Aoife Raftery – Ireland
Claire Schönborn – Germany
Madelyn Tabor – USA
Alexandra Teslovan – Romania
Hanna Lisette Aabna – Estonia
Dorka Zagyva – Hungary
“We were completely overwhelmed by the number and quality of applicants,” expressed WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport Peter Thul. “Selecting the final 15 was an incredibly challenging task, and there were some difficult calls to make.
“We do not want any of the unlucky candidates to be discouraged, and we do hope they will apply again in the future as we are absolutely committed to this programme for multiple years. We are now excited to focus on next month’s training camp.”
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-08-04 Två i rad och utökat VM-ledarskap för Oliver Solberg
För första gången i karriären har Oliver Solberg vunnit två VM-tävlingar i rad i rally. Segern i Finland i helgen kom också för andra året i rad. Samtidigt säkrade han viktiga poäng och utökade VM-ledningen ytterligare i WRC2-klassen.
Den 22-årige Skoda-föraren körde in till en mycket stark femteplats totalt i rallyt. Den största klassen vanns av fransmannen Sebastien Ogier.
Segern är Solbergs tredje i VM den här säsongen och hans sjätte totalt i VM-sammanhang. För två veckor sedan toppade Solberg resultatlistan efter Rally Lettland. I båda tävlingarna byggde han upp en ledning på runt en halv minut och kontrollerade sedan den resterande av rallyt.
Oliver Solberg vann klassen 39 sekunder före finske stjärnan Jari-Matti Latvala, som gjorde ett sällsynt framträdande i den näst största klassen. Han leder nu VM med en 28 poängs över sin närmaste utmanare.
Han riktade ett stort tack till kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson, som guidade duon genom en perfekt genomförd VM-tävling.
– Veckan har varit jättebra för oss båda i säsongens snabbaste rally. Jag hade aldrig kunnat göra det här utan honom. Hela teamet delar denna seger. Alla lägger ner så mycket jobb, så den här vinsten är för dem, sa Oliver Solberg.
Solberg vann åtta av 20 specialsträckor i Finland. Hittills i år har han varit snabbast på 56 sträckor i VM.
– Rallyt i sig var egentligen inte så komplicerat mer än de växlande väderförhållandena. Hela fredagen regnade det till och från. Vi pressade inte så hårt och låg kanske på 90 procent. Det gällde att ha lite extra att ge och inte ta stora risker.
Sista dagen handlade om att inte göra misstag och ta hem de viktiga VM-poängen. Han var mycket glad över fighten mot den tidigare stjärnföraren Latvala.
– Att vinna i Finland är en riktigt, riktigt stort. Att göra det två år i rad är fantastiskt. Ikväll kan vi fira, men sen är det full fokus på att försöka göra klart jobbet och vinna VM-titeln, sa Solberg.
24-08-04 Ogier claims shock WRC victory in Finland
Rovanperä rolls out while holding massive lead on Sunday.
Sébastien Ogier claimed a surprise Secto Rally Finland victory on Sunday after his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled out of the lead on the event’s penultimate stage.
Rovanperä had led for almost every kilometre of this four-day gravel fixture and looked set to end Finland’s seven-year wait for a native winner, with a 45.8sec advantage going into the rally’s penultimate stage. However, it all went wrong for the 23-year-old when he clipped a rogue rock, pushing his GR Yaris Rally1 off the line and into a rally-ending roll.
The same stage had earlier served up further drama when Rovanperä’s colleague, Elfyn Evans, also left the road while chasing down Super Sunday points to make up for a broken driveshaft on Friday.
On his first Finnish outing since 2021, Ogier was on hand to pick up the pieces and took his 61st WRC victory by 40.1sec from Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver Thierry Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux, driving a Puma Rally1 for M-Sport Ford, filled the final podium spot 34.0sec further back.
"It's hard to smile right now," Ogier admitted. "A win in Finland is always nice, but this is not the way we like to have it. Very sorry for Kalle and Jonne, they were unlucky with the stone and it's a shame for them. We were unlucky in Sardinia and lost in the last stage, but we are lucky here. That’s motorsport."
Today’s events have shaken up the driver’s championship standings with Ogier now up to second despite missing three rallies earlier this year. After Friday retiree Ott Tänak and Evans both scored zero, the pair dropped to third and fourth respectively.
But it was Neuville who was the biggest winner in terms of the title race. Having arrived to Finland with an eight-point lead, the Belgian’s buffer now stands at 27 points after round nine of 13 while his Hyundai Motorsport team increased its lead over Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship to 20.
“It was a real rollercoaster of emotions this weekend,” he said. “We had a clever approach this weekend knowing it was hard to fight with the Toyotas. After our team’s issues (Tänak and Esapekka Lappi both crashing on Friday), we knew we had to bring the points home.”
Fourmaux’s third-place result marked his fourth podium of the season. The Frenchman trailed Neuville by 34.0sec at the final control, with Sami Pajari’s Toyota 40.0sec behind.
Pajari, along with co-driver Enni Mälkönen, delivered an impressive drive on his top-flight debut. After a rocky start to the rally, which included two spins resulting in rear wing damage on Friday, the Finnish pair claimed their first-ever WRC stage win at Ruuhimäki on Saturday.
Rally2 machinery filled the remainder of the top 10. Oliver Solberg won the WRC2 category and placed fifth overall ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala, Lauri Joona, Mikko Heikkilä, Nikolay Gryazin and Georg Linnamäe.
The action continues on gravel next month with the legendary EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, based in Lamia from 5 - 8 September.
Overall Classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 25m 41.9s
2. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +40.1s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 14.1s
4. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 54.5s
5. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Škoda Fabia (WRC2) +8m 15.5s
6. J-M Latvala / J Hänninen FIN Toyota GR Yaris (WRC2) +8m 54.5s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 9 of 13):
1. T Neuville 168
2. S Ogier 141
3. O Tänak 137
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-08-04 Rovanperä in charge after stunning Saturday in Finland
Toyota driver closes on first home win after dominating Secto Rally Finland’s penultimate leg.
Kalle Rovanperä is on course to break his Secto Rally Finland victory duck after a stunning run of five stage wins on Saturday left him comfortably clear of the field.
The two-time world champion completed the penultimate leg of the four-day event with a 44.2sec advantage over his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 team-mate Sébastien Ogier. Championship leader Thierry Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, ended 39.2sec further back in third.
Finland’s fast and furious Friday turned into a super speed Saturday with Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Ogier heading up a Toyota 1-2-3 this morning. But it all went wrong for Evans when his car’s front right driveshaft broke in the blisteringly fast Päijälä test, forcing him to negotiate around 40 kilometres worth of special stages in road mode – losing almost six minutes - before repairs could be made in service.
Rovanperä’s advantage over the now second-placed Ogier had ballooned to over 20sec by the day’s midpoint and he continued his flawless drive despite changeable weather this afternoon, winning all but one stage including both passes of the legendary Ouninpohja.
“In the morning there was a good fight and we kept pushing today,” said Rovanperä, who crashed while leading his home fixture last year. “We did some quite strong times without taking any huge risks, so that is quite positive.”
Ogier was not in the mood for taking unnecessary risks and admitted that having not competed here since 2021, he lacked the commitment needed to challenge Rovanperä.
“The commitment needs to be at 100 per cent,” the eight-time champion remarked, “and two years missing here makes it more challenging. In Finland, there are not so many guys who can follow the 100 per cent of Kalle Rovanperä.”
After struggling for pace on Friday, today brought positivity for Neuville and his title aspirations. While Evans, currently third in the driver’s standings, has so far failed to register a score, Neuville’s overnight standing provisionally earns him 13 championship points. Ott Tänak, who was second coming into this round, did not restart following his crash on Friday morning.
Adrien Fourmaux set a similar pace to Neuville on the stages but trailed the Belgian by 25.9sec after struggling to regain time lost to him yesterday. His M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 team-mate Grégoire Munster’s day was over in a blink after the Luxembourger rolled four kilometres into the opening stage.
Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Mälkönen are on course to record a top-five result on their GR Yaris Rally1 debut, with 29.5sec separating the young Finnish pair from Fourmaux. Oliver Solberg led the WRC2 category as well holding sixth overall ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala.
Evans incurred an additional 2min 40sec time penalty after the repairs to his car took longer than anticipated. He languishes over nine minutes back from the lead heading into Super Sunday, where up to 13 points are available across four stages totalling 41.66km.
Takamoto Katsuta and Esapekka Lappi both restarted after crashing on Friday. Lappi stopped to carry out wheel changes on both passes of Ouninpohja but managed to claim the fastest time for Päijalä this afternoon.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 3m 53.8s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +44.2s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 23.8s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 49.7s
5. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 19.2s
6. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Škoda Fabia (WRC2) +7m 32.4s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-08-02 Kalle stays cool on turbulent Finnish Friday
Home hero leads Toyota 1-2-3 as rival team Hyundai endures a disastrous opening day.
Kalle Rovanperä held an 8.0sec Secto Rally Finland lead on Friday night after an action-packed opening leg ended with Toyota GAZOO Racing crews locking out the podium.
The two-time world champion Finn, who is yet to win his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, headed GR Yaris Rally1 team-mate Elfyn Evans after winning four of today’s nine speed tests. Sébastien Ogier rounded out the top three, six-tenths of a second further back.
In stark contrast, rival team Hyundai faced a disastrous day, losing two of its i20 N Rally1 cars to crashes. Title hopeful Ott Tänak was forced out by a roll in SS3, resulting in co-driver Martin Järveoja being taken to hospital for medical checks where he will remain overnight for monitoring. Meanwhile, Esapekka Lappi retired from fourth after hitting a tree which tore the rear suspension from his car. Lappi is expected to restart on Saturday.
Rovanperä overcame excessive oversteer in the early stages to hold a slender lead of 0.2sec over Evans at the day’s midpoint, but he raised the bar on the repeated afternoon loop to widen that gap as the rain-hit tracks became rutted and even more challenging.
The omens look good for the 23-year-old as, for the past two years, Friday night's leader has gone on to win.
“It has been a tricky day, especially with the weather,” Rovanperä said. “Really changeable and difficult conditions, so I am quite happy to have had a clean day.
“Tomorrow will be difficult for sure - I think there has been a lot of rain on those stages also but we will see how it is in the morning. All the guys are pushing hard and the gaps are really small, so it’s going to be a big fight.”
Championship leader Thierry Neuville was Hyundai’s last man standing. Climbing the standings after the retirements of his team-mates plus Takamoto Katsuta’s crash on SS5, he held fourth overnight but was hindered by his car’s setup and an overshoot in the morning. The Belgian trailed Ogier by 16.9sec at close of play and, as it stands, is set to see his points buffer over title rival Evans shrink.
The lack of a pre-event test meant Adrien Fourmaux had to adjust the setup of his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 on road sections between stages. Holding fifth with a 42.5sec buffer over Sami Pajari, the Frenchman felt he had made good progress with the car by the end of the leg.
Pajari’s day was one of two halves. Two spins saw the GR Yaris Rally1 debutant end the first stage with a damaged rear wing, forcing him to complete the morning’s remaining tests with significantly reduced aero.
However, reinforcing the fact that the WRC’s future looks bright, he and co-driver Enni Mälkönen went on to win the Ruuhimäki stage in the afternoon – their first fastest time at the sport’s top level, coming just a fortnight after fellow Rally1 rookie Martinš Sesks achieved a similar feat in Latvia.
Grégoire Munster placed seventh in his Puma ahead of WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg, with Rally2 runners Jari-Matti Latvala and Robert Virves completing the leaderboard.
Saturday is the rally’s longest day and features 144.22 kilometres against the clock, including the return of the legendary Ouninpohja stage.
Leading positions after Friday
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 56m 47.1s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +8.0s
3. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +8.6s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +26.2S
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +48.6s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 28.9s
24-07-31 WRC reveals spectacular expanded 2025 calendar
Largest calendar since 2008 includes three all-new stops.
All-new stops in Spain, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia highlight a spectacular 14-round 2025 FIA World Rally Championship calendar.
After the traditional start amongst the glitz and glamour of Monte-Carlo in late January, the WRC will take in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America before arriving in Saudi Arabia in late November to complete the largest calendar in the championship since 2008.
The first three rounds of 2025 take on a similar look and feel to 2024, with Umeå gearing up to host Rally Sweden in February, whilst Safari Rally Kenya once again takes place in March.
Well-known to FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) fans, the Canary Islands are ready to welcome the WRC to their shores for the first time, also marking the WRC’s return to Spain following a two-year hiatus. Providing winding smooth Tarmac surfaces, the high risk of fog as the rally makes its way into the island’s mountainous interiors gives this round its own unique challenge.
Hundreds of thousands of fans will disembark in northern Portugal in May for Vodafone Rally de Portugal before the WRC makes its second island stop of the year, returning to Sardinia in June.
Another iconic rally on the calendar returning to its traditional date in June is EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, preluding the WRC’s high-speed European summer in Estonia and Finland.
Estonia returns to the calendar following a year break running in the European Rally Championship, highlighting the WRC’s successful transitioning of events between the ERC and WRC, such as Rally Islas Canarias, Rally Poland and Rally Latvia.
From the north of Europe, the WRC travels to the other side of the globe for Paraguay’s debut in late August, followed two weeks later by Rally Chile Bio Bío. The former, a rally-mad nation that has in recent years increased its global rallying presence with drivers in WRC’s support categories, will test drivers on red gravel roads running parallel to the spectacularly stunning Paraná River.
Back on the calendar for a third consecutive season, Central European Rally will see drivers battling changing Tarmac road surfaces across Austria, Czech Republic and Germany with Europe’s autumn conditions adding to the unique encounter.
Signing off from Europe, it is back to Japan in November for the final Tarmac test of the year, before the WRC season concludes with the highly-anticipated Saudi debut – where each of the three days will provide their own distinct terrain.
“This is a hugely exciting calendar which perfectly blends our traditional rallies with three exciting new challenges, two of which are outside of Europe, highlighting once again the global appeal of our championship,” remarked WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel.
He continued: “From the ice in the French Alps, knee-deep snow in Sweden, blinding dust in Kenya and Sardinia, high-speed gravel rollercoasters in Finland and Estonia and finally deserts in Saudi Arabia – the variety we are offering in 2025 is unrivalled.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “It is fantastic to see such a full calendar of events for the 2025 WRC season. Alongside classic locations fans know and love, the introduction of new rallies in Spain, Paraguay, and Saudi Arabia adds even more excitement and reflects the global diversity of competitors and rally fans alike.”
The full calendar and dates are:
01 Rallye Monte-Carlo 23 – 26 January
02 Rally Sweden 13 – 16 February
03 Safari Rally Kenya 20 – 23 March
04 Rally Islas Canarias 24 – 27 April
05 Vodafone Rally de Portugal 15 – 18 May
06 Rally Italia Sardegna 05 – 08 June
07 EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 26 – 29 June
08 Delfi Rally Estonia 17 – 20 July
09 Secto Rally Finland 31 July – 03 August
10 Rally del Paraguay 28 – 31 August
11 Rally Chile Bio Bío 11 – 14 September
12 Central European Rally 16 – 19 October
13 FORUM8 Rally Japan 06 – 09 November
14 Rally Saudi Arabia 27 – 30 November
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-07-31 Solberg ska flyga i Finland
Oliver Solberg har ett mål när VM-farten ökar ytterligare i Rally Finland: att utöka ledningen i kampen om VM-titeln.
Förra säsongen körde Solberg den snabbaste WRC2-bilen och var sexa totalt i Jyväskylä. Nu kommer han direkt från sin andra WRC2-triumf för säsongen, den femte i karriären i Lettland för en och en halv vecka sedan.
Det finska VM-tävlingen handlar mest om två saker: fart och flygtid.
– Den här säsongen är det mästerskapet och titeln som gäller för oss. Självklart vill vi vinna tävlingen och fortsätter vi vinna följer titeln efter. Men samtidigt måste vi vara smarta. Vi gjorde det upplägget i Polen i den näst sista tävlingen. Då avstod vi från de stora riskerna och säkrade istället några bra poäng för andraplatsen, säger Oliver Solberg.
I det senaste rallyt i Lettland byggde 22-åringen upp en ledning på 30 sekunder under den första dagen och tog han väl hand om fördelen resten av helgen.
– Förra gången var allt perfekt. Vi lyckades leverera några riktigt bra tider och få en bra ledning första dagen. Efter det kontrollerade vi hastigheten och riskerna. Den vinsten var precis vad vi behövde. Att vinna på de snabba vägarna var bra för självförtroendet inför Finland.
Förra året säkrade Solberg ett av karriärens mest fantastiska resultat just i Finland.
– Att sluta sexa totalt och sätta de tiderna som jag och Elliott (Edmondson, kartläsare) gjorde då var helt otroligt. Allt fungerade. Vi bara flög. Att hoppa i sjön som vinnare på söndagskvällen var så häftigt. Vi ska starta detta rallyt med att hitta samma känsla igen.
Duon måste omedelbart finna speeden för att lyckas mot de snabba konkurrenterna i denna prestigetävling.
– Vi borde ha en bra chans, men mästerskapet är prioritet. Striden är alltid intensiv i Finland. De bästa bilarna, de bästa vägarna och de bästa rallysträckorna i världen är här, sa Solberg.
Rally Finland startar med den traditionella Harju-öppningen på stadens gator på torsdagskvällen. Detta följs av ytterligare 19 specialsträckor under tre dagar på totalt 305 tävlingskilometer.
24-07-30 High stakes and high speeds collide at Secto Rally Finland
he fastest rally in the WRC starts this Thursday.
The closest FIA World Rally Championship title fight in recent memory resumes on Finland’s iconic roller-coaster roads this week, with little more than a handful of points blanketing the leading trio of drivers.
Thierry Neuville, 2019 champion Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans are the big three as far as the 2024 title race is concerned. Neuville, runner-up in the series on five occasions, heads Hyundai colleague Tänak by eight points after eight rounds. Evans, who has narrowly missed out on the title twice, lies five points further back.
Based out of ther central City of Jyväskylä, Finland is the fastest event on the calendar and a jewel in the WRC’s crown. Smooth gravel roads with heart-stopping jumps and blind corners winding through forests and around lakes demand bravery and pin-point accuracy in the delivery of pace notes.
Neuville is eager to put the frustrations of Tet Rally Latvia behind him, when road-opening duties on the soft gravel roads deprived him of a chance to fight with the frontrunners.
“Being on the podium here previously provides a confidence boost, however the cars and roads develop year-to-year so the rally remains as challenging as ever,” he said. “The target is still to defend our lead in both championships but also to enjoy this fast rally and really be in the game.”
Estonia’s Tänak, who joins Neuville plus Esapekka Lappi in a three-strong i20 N Rally1 team, is one of the favourites to take victory with three previous Finland wins to his credit. But Evans has also proved his mettle on the fast-paced roads, taking glory here in 2021 and 2023.
The Welshman forms part of an all-star Toyota GAZOO Racing line-up which includes home hero and reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä plus eight-time title-winner Sébastien Ogier, both of whom are contesting selected rounds this year. Ogier, 40, has not competed in Finland since 2021.
The Japanese marque, which bases its rally activities from Jyväskylä,
will also field GR Yaris Rally1 cars for Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari,
the latter making his debut at rallying’s top level with co-driver
Enni Mälkönen alongside.
At M-Sport Ford, Adrien Fourmaux will look to add a fourth podium to his
2024 tally while Grégoire Munster pilots the British team’s
second Puma Rally1 car.
The rally opens with a spectacular street stage in Jyväskylä on
Thursday night and drivers face 20 tests, including the legendary Ouninpohja,
covering 305.69km before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
24-07-21 : Taktisk och historisk triumf för Solberg
Oliver Solberg kontrollerade tävlingen från start till mål och säkrade en historisk VM-seger i Lettland på söndagen.
Fem år efter att han blivit den yngste vinnaren någonsin av en EM-rallytävling i Lettland blev Solberg också den förste att vinna en VM-omgång i WRC2-klassen på samma plats.
Den Liepaja-baserade tävlingen har en speciell plats i hjärtat av WRC2-titelutmanaren.
– En fantastisk känsla att äntligen få smaka seger igen. Det var ett tag sedan sist. Det viktigaste är att farten är tillbaka, sa Oliver Solberg.
154 dagar har gått sedan Solberg senast vann en VM-tävling i WRC2-klassen. Det hände hemma i Sverige i februari. Sedan vann 22-åringen även EM-tävlingen på hemmaplan i Karlstad i juni.
Han vann tolv av tävlingens 20 specialsträckor. På tävlingens första dag vann han sju av åtta specialsträckor och ledde med 31,1 sekunder.
Skoda-föraren kontrollerade avståndet till finska Toyota-utmanarna Mikko Heikkilä och Sami Pajari på cirka en halv minut under resten av tävlingen. Till sist var segermarginalen säkra 37,4 sekunder. På tävlingens sista dag tog han 3 av 4 sträcksegrar.
Oliver Solberg ledar nu VM med finländaren Sami Pajari tre poeng bakom. Fem VM-tävlingar återstår av säsongen.
2019 vann en 17-årig Oliver Solberg EM-tävlingen i Lettland, där hans motorsportskarriär började på allvar. 22-åringen har starka minnen från tävlingarna han körde där som ung.
Solberg körde till andra plats i Polen senast. Nästa VM-tävling är ännu ett fullfartsrally då det är dags för Rally Finland i början av augusti.
24-07-21 Red-hot Rovanperä storms to stunning Latvia WRC win
Finn’s untouchable streak continues but local hero Martinš Sesks suffers heartbreak on Sunday.
Kalle Rovanperä sealed a dominant start-to-finish victory at Tet Rally Latvia on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up his second triumph in as many high-speed gravel events.
Having started his first-ever rally on Latvia’s roads more than 10 years ago aged 12, the Finnish driver rolled back the clocks to win the Baltic nation's first FIA World Rally Championship round.
Rovanperä was never seriously challenged during the four-day fixture, which started in the capital city Riga on Thursday evening before journeying west to Liepaja. He built a comfortable lead during the first two legs in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 and eased through the finale to win the season’s eighth round by 39.2sec.
Sébastien Ogier completed a 1-2 for the Japanese marque while Ott Tänak stole the final podium spot from Martinš Sesks after the local hero was slowed by transmission fault in the Wolf Power Stage.
“It has been a great weekend,” said Rovanperä, whose victory alongside co-driver Jonne Halttunen followed a similarly dominant performance at the previous round in Poland. “It is cool to have the first win here, Latvia is an important place for me.
“Big thanks to Jonne and the whole team, we have been stronger than we expected. We are going to enjoy this one and then work hard [for the next round] in Finland.”
Sesks was cruelly deprived of what could have been a maiden podium on only his second outing at rallying’s top level. The 24-year-old won two stages on Friday and entered the final test with 4.6sec in hand over Tänak despite two overshoots earlier in the morning, but his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 developed a transmission problem just one corner into the stage.
“It was in the first corner,” explained Sesks, who lost almost two minutes and plummeted to seventh. “We don’t know if it’s a differential problem or something like that, after that we understood that it was over. I think we showed our pace and made everyone happy, it just wasn't my time.”
The drivers’ championship battle closed up as Tänak extracted maximum points from Super Sunday and climbed to second in the drivers' championship standings.
He now trails Hyundai i20 N Rally1 team-mate Thierry Neuville by just eight points with five rounds remaining with Elfyn Evans, who slipped to third in the standings, just five points further back. Neuville and Evans finished eighth and fifth respectively and both struggled to recover from the time loss they faced by opening the road in loose conditions on Friday.
M-Sport Ford man Adrien Fourmaux ended 27.0sec behind Tänak in fourth despite encountering a small engine problem on the last two stages, with Toyota star Evans finishing a further 11.2sec in arrears.
Takamoto Katsuta brought his GR Yaris home sixth ahead of Sesks and Neuville. Grégoire Munster was ninth, gaining a position when the engine on Esapekka Lappi's Hyundai cried enough after the final stage, while WRC2 winner Oliver Solberg completed the leaderboard.
WRC remains in northern Europe for another fast gravel road fixture at Secto Rally Finland next month. Round nine of the season is based in Jyväskylä from 1 - 4 August.
Overall classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 31m 47.6s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +39.2s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 4.5s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 31.5s
5. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1m 42.7s
6. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 7.0s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 8 of 13):
1. T Neuville 145
2. O Tänak 137
3. E Evans 132
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-07-19 Advantage Rovanperä but Sesks grabs the headlines on Friday
Youngsters reign supreme on first full day of action in Latvia.
Kalle Rovanperä opened up a 15.7sec lead over local rising star Martinš Sesks at Tet Rally Latvia as the two youngsters stole the show on Friday.
Latvia’s FIA World Rally Championship debut marks something of a homecoming for the 23-year-old Finn, as it was on the Baltic nation’s roads that he started his first-ever rally at the age of 12 in 2013.
Helped by his stage win on Thursday’s opener at Bikernieki Track in Riga, which attracted a sell-out crowd, Rovanperä was never headed on Friday and won four of the day’s seven super-fast gravel road tests in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
But it was 24-year-old hotshot Sesks, contesting only his second event in rallying’s highest echelon and utilising hybrid power for the first time in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, whose performance raised more eyebrows.
Sesks, who is co-driven by fellow Latvian Renars Francis, reaffirmed that the future is here now when he grabbed his first-ever WRC stage win on the day’s second stage at Tukums, passing eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier in the process. And, as if that weren’t enough, he backed it up with another fastest time on the very next test.
“It’s amazing,” said Sesks, who ended this 120km leg 5.9sec clear of third-placed Toyota man Ogier. “It's been so emotional today, and yesterday as well. I think these next two days will be the same.”
Takamoto Katsuta’s all-in approach to the Talsi finale helped the Toyota driver pass Ott Tänak and claim fourth overall. He ended 11.6sec adrift of Ogier with M-Sport Ford man Adrien Fourmaux, who also overtook Tänak in the same stage, 5.3sec behind.
Tänak, meanwhile, fell from fourth to sixth after a challenging day. The Estonian reported a lack of confidence early on as well as a brake issue which he fixed on the roadside after the finish of the penultimate stage.
Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, trailed the leaders by more than 50sec in seventh. Although he was not hit as hard as championship leader and road-opener Thierry Neuville, the Toyota ace was second in the starting order and struggled to find traction with no real clean line to follow.
Tyre damage cost Esapekka Lappi a handful of seconds on SS5 but the i20 N driver was quick to point out that his main problems lay “between the steering wheel and the seat”. He dropped back to 10th after SS8, languishing behind Grégoire Munster and Neuville.
The action continues from 08:20 local time on Saturday when the first of eight special stages, totalling 104 competitive kilometres, begins.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1h 8m 44.5s
2. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma +15.7s
3. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +21.6s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +33.2s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +38.5s
6. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +38.8s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-07-17 Latvia goes global as WRC’s speedfest continues
Baltic nation becomes the 37th country to host a WRC round.
Latvia will become the 37th country to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship when the WRC’s European summer of speed continues at round eight this week (18 – 21 July).
Excitement is building across the Baltic nation in anticipation of Thursday evening’s rally start in the capital city, Riga, when the world’s best rally drivers and cars will do battle on Latvian soil for the first time. The country boasts not only masses of passionate fans, but also home-grown talent in the form of Martinš Sesks.
Sesks, who is just 24 years old and grew up in Liepaja where the event’s service park is based, finished an incredible fifth on his Rally1 debut in Poland last month.
After driving without a plug-in hybrid unit last time out in order to adapt to his Ford Puma Rally1, Sesks and co-driver Renars Francis will count on hybrid power for their home event, which they won in 2022 and 2023 when it was a round of the FIA European Rally Championship.
“Coming to [my home event in] Latvia is always going to be exciting," said the youngster. “I will do my best. I’m hoping what we did in Poland has helped the organisers to sell even more tickets for Latvia. It’s going to be exciting for the fans – as well as for me – to have a local driver competing at this level.”
Bookmarked on the calendar between Poland and Finland, Latvia makes up part of the WRC's high-speed European summer, characterised by fast-paced gravel roads with stomach-churning jumps and countless blind crests.
Its unique itinerary, which boasts very few repeated stages, poses a challenge for Thierry Neuville, who currently tops the standings by 15 points. Driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, the Belgian will have the task of opening the road on Friday, clearing a faster line for those behind him.
“Rally Latvia is going to be another challenging rally, and it is always more difficult when you are first on the road and the first to discover the conditions," he admitted. "The cleaning will be massive. Some stages aren’t repeated, and a lot of fast part-time drivers will be there, so while our expectations are not so high our motivation is to finish ahead of our rivals is strong."
Neuville’s team-mates Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi have been preparing with warm-up events; Tänak at Rally Estonia and Lappi at Lietuva Rally in Lithuania. While Tänak faced a setback, crashing out on the first day of his home rally, Lappi claimed victory on his test run.
Toyota GAZOO Racing brings a star-studded line-up of GR Yaris Rally1 cars with Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, joined by reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä and eight-time title-winner Sébastien Ogier. Rovanperä clinched victory in Poland despite replacing Ogier just 48 hours before the rally. Takamoto Katsuta will also drive a Toyota but won’t score manufacturers’ championship points.
Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster complete a three-pronged M-Sport Ford Puma attack alongside Sesks, with Fourmaux fresh off the back of his third podium of the season.
The opening test takes place at the Bikernieki Track in Riga on Thursday (18 July) evening. Crews face 20 special stages covering a timed distance of 300.13 km before the finish on Sunday afternoon.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-07-17 Solberg jagar en historisk uppföljare
Fem år efter att han blivit den yngste vinnaren någonsin av en EM-rallytävling ska Oliver Solberg försöka vinna den första VM-tävlingen någonsin på samma plats i Lettland.
Lettland är värd för landets första tävling någonsin i World Rally Championship denna vecka.
2019 vann 17-åriga Oliver Solberg Rally Lettland. Den Liepaja-baserade tävlingen har en speciell plats i hjärtat av den nu 22-årige WRC2-titelutmanaren.
– Karriären började i Lettland. Minnena från tävlingarna jag körde där som ung är starka. Den största är förstås vinsten i EM-tävlingen 2019. Att skriva historia på det sättet, att bli den yngste föraren någonsin att vinna ett EM-rally, var något fantastiskt för mig på den tiden. Jag kommer aldrig att glömma det, säger Oliver Solberg.
Ännu en snabb tävling väntar efter ett fullspeed i Polen senast. Där körde Solberg in till en andra plats.
– Att komma tillbaka till Lettland är väldigt skönt. Människorna, stödet och vägarna är väldigt speciella. På ett sätt är allt lite mer seriöst nu än tidigare: Vi ska till Liepaja och jaga poäng i WRC2 för att slåss om att ett världsmästerskap som ska vinnas.
– Vi har en ganska bra meritlista på snabba rallyvägar, och segern i Finland förra året är definitivt en av höjdpunkterna i vår karriär hittills. Vi kommer att slåss om segern även i Lettland.
Rally Lettland är spritt över större delen av landet. Tävlingen startar med en superspecial i Riga på torsdagskvällen. Tävlingen avslutas på söndag efter 20 specialsträckor.
24-06-30 Rovanperä powers to phenomenal Rally Poland victory
Finn defies all odds to win the WRC’s seventh round on Sunday. Kalle Rovanperä claimed one of the most remarkable victories in FIA World Rally Championship history at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland on Sunday.
Reigning world champion Rovanperä, who is undertaking a selected programme of events in 2024, had never even planned to start this rally but was called upon by his Toyota GAZOO Racing team to replace Sébastien Ogier at the final hour. Ogier was sidelined by an accident during reconnaissance on Tuesday, leaving Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen with less than 48 hours to ready themselves.
Those frantic preparations didn’t seem to affect the Finn too much as he romped to his 13th career victory behind the wheel of a GR Yaris Rally1, heading team-mate Elfyn Evans by 28.3sec in a Toyota 1-2 after Hyundai rival Andreas Mikkelsen plummeted down the order on Sunday.
Rovanperä began the final leg 9.4sec in front of Mikkelsen, but the Hyundai driver’s bid for a second Rally Poland victory was foiled when he crawled to the end of the opening stage with a tyre off the rim. He tumbled to sixth by the finish as M-Sport Ford man Adrien Fourmaux completed the podium 14.4sec behind Evans.
“It’s been quite an amazing week,” smiled Rovanperä. “Definitely I have to say we have been working quite hard and we are really tired now. I think the best thing is we came here, and it was not a bad idea to come. We helped the team a lot and took a lot of points for the manufacturers’ championship, so we didn’t waste our time."
Mikkelsen was chasing his first victory since 2016 and led through Friday before slipping behind Rovanperä in the penultimate leg. The flailing rubber ripped his i20 N car’s rear wheel arch apart and the Norwegian chose to cruise through the closing stages.
“It was sad what happened today,” he said. “We were really unlucky. The right thing to do [after that] was to bring the car back for the team.”
The four-day rally was blessed with hot weather throughout and provided edge-of-the-seat drama as drivers traded tenths of a second on blisteringly fast roads.
Barring a tyre delamination on Saturday and a slow puncture in the finale, Evans fared well compared with his main title rivals. The Welshman overtook Ott Tänak to reclaim second in the drivers’ championship and cut Thierry Neuville’s lead to 15 points with six rounds remaining.
An unavoidable impact forced Tänak’s retirement on Friday morning but he restarted on the following days and was able to salvage 11 points from Super Sunday. His Hyundai colleague Neuville, meanwhile, won the Wolf Power Stage but finished fourth after sweeping the road clear of loose stones on Friday.
Puma star Fourmaux, who scored his third podium of the season, ended the rally 28.1sec clear of Belgium’s Neuville while Latvia’s Martinš Sesks delivered a mighty fifth-place finish on his top-flight debut. Sesks, who ran as high as second early in the event, was driving a non-hybrid Puma but will upgrade to a full-spec car for his home round next month.
Mikkelsen limped home over two minutes back from Rovanperä in sixth ahead of Grégoire Munster and Takamoto Katsuta. Ninth place went to Sami Pajari, winner of the WRC2 category, while Oliver Solberg capitalised on a puncture for Robert Virves to sneak into the top 10.
The WRC’s summer speedfest continues next month at Tet Rally Latvia, a brand-new round for the championship, which is based in Liepaja from 18 - 21 July.
Overall classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 37m 7.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +28.3s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +42.7s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 10.8s
5. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma +1m 47.0s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +2m 16.6s
Drivers' Championship standings (after round 7 of 13):
1. T Neuville 136
2. E Evans 121
3. O Tänak 115
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-06-30 Viktiga polska poäng för Solberg
Oliver Solberg kontrollerade säkert andraplatsen i Rally Polen och säkrade värdefulla poäng i kampen om VM-titeln.
Oliver anlände till Polen direkt från sin vinst i EM-tävlingen Royal Rally of Scandinavia på hemmaplan i Karlstad.
Efter fyra problemfria dagar i sin Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, tog Solberg flera värdefulla poäng i jakten på WRC2-titeln.
– Jag är nöjd med resultatet. Även om jag alltid vill vinna så måste man se tävlingen som helhet, ta positionen på vägen och allt annat i beaktande. Andraplatsen representerar hoppet och förväntningarna vi hade inför tävlingen, sa Oliver Solberg.
Tillsammans med kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson säkrade 22-åringen sin fjärde platsplats på de fem senaste starterna.
– Efter en jobbig fredag ??blev dagen därpå bättre. Bilen gav mig lite mer självförtroende och saker fungerade mer som vi vill ha dem. Vi började dagen på femte plats och kom ut i andra änden på andra plats.
Han säkrade sex sträcksegrar på de 19 specialsträckorna.
– Specialsträckorna sista dagen var inte riktigt lika snabba, men lite mer komplicerade och tekniska. Vi var runt en halv minut från ledningen och vi valde att vara vettiga i segerpressen. Vi kom hit för att samla viktiga poäng, och det har vi gjort, sa Solberg.
Om två och en halv vecka åker världsmästerskapet i rally till Lettland
24-06-29 Mikkelsen holds slender lead in Poland
Leading trio blanketed by 2.0s as title contender Tänak retires on Friday.
Andreas Mikkelsen found himself leading an FIA World Rally Championship round for the first time since 2019, heading Kalle Rovanperä by just 1.8sec after Friday at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland.
Just 7.7sec blanketed the leading five drivers at the end of a frantic opening day on super-fast gravel roads. Temperatures touched a humid 30°C in northern Poland although two stage cancellations meant that tyre wear was not much of a concern, even for those running soft compound rubber.
Mikkelsen set the early pace and stormed into the lead on the Stanczyki opener as his title-hunting Hyundai colleague, Ott Tänak – who had led following Friday evening’s super special – retired with front-end damage caused by an unavoidable impact.
The Norwegian star built a buffer of 7.4sec in his i20 N but came under attack from Toyota GR Yaris drivers Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans on the repeated afternoon loop when his late starting position offered less of an advantage on tracks already swept clear of loose gravel.
“I am happy with my day,” said Mikkelsen, who last led a WRC rally in Turkey in 2019. “I was too careful on the first stage after regroup so we will try to adjust for tomorrow.”
Toyota’s super-sub Rovanperä produced one of the drives of the day, pipping team-mate Evans in the final stage to head the Welshman by two-tenths of a second. The Finn was drafted in to replace Sébastien Ogier on Tuesday evening and even collected two stage wins despite having less than ideal pre-event preparations.
“It's quite funny; last night I was watching a [reconnaissance] video on the laptop and I fell asleep on the laptop,” he said. “I think we did a good job today [considering] the situation we are in.”
Evans posted top-three times for all but two stages and is currently poised to close the gap to title rivals Tänak and Thierry Neuville, whom he trailed coming into this seventh round of the season. Neuville, who currently leads the championship, faced slippery conditions on road-sweeping duties and ended down in seventh overall.
Martinš Sesks made a stunning start to his Rally1 debut, stopping the clock just 0.3sec adrift of Mikkelsen’s time on SS2 and holding second overall until midday. Driving a non-hybrid Ford Puma, the 24-year-old Latvian fell to fifth in the afternoon, trailing full-time M-Sport Ford driver Adrien Fourmaux by 0.2sec after yielding position to the Frenchman in the finale.
Grégoire Munster, also driving a Puma, ended 21.3sec adrift of the lead in sixth with Neuville a further 8.5sec behind. Eighth went to Takamoto Katsuta, who struggled to find a comfortable rhythm in his Toyota, while WRC2 frontrunners Sami Pajari and Kajetan Kajetanowicz completed the top 10.
Crews face seven more stages covering 124.10km tomorrow, including a third pass over the short super special stage next to the rally’s Mikolajki base.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N 59m 47.3s
2. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris +1.8s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +2.0s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +7.5s
5. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma +7.7s
6. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +21.3s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-06-26 Rovanperä to the rescue at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland
Kalle Rovanperä has been given just 48 hours to prepare for ORLEN 80th Rally Poland (27 – 30 June) after he was called in to replace Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier late on Tuesday.
While this week’s fixture did not originally form part of the Finnish youngster’s part-time 2024 WRC schedule, a dramatic Tuesday leading up to the event resulted in Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen boarding a plane late Tuesday evening to the rally’s base in Mikolajki.
Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais were forced to withdraw from this seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship after being involved in a road traffic collision during reconnaissance. Although Landais was discharged from the hospital on the same day, Ogier remained under observation overnight, before being discharged on Wednesday morning.
With the approval of the FIA and event stewards, Rovanperä will start the rally instead – joining GR Yaris Rally1 colleagues Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta as the Japanese manufacturer squad bids to overturn its 13-point deficit to championship leaders Hyundai. He has also been granted permission to complete the reconnaissance in an additional time, running into Thursday morning.
“It was good to hear at midday that Séb and Vincent were OK, that was the main thing,” reflected Rovanperä, reliving his Tuesday. “Then I got the call from Kai [Lindström – Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Sporting Director]. I was just changing some spark plugs on my jet-ski to go on the lake and he called…I knew what it was about.
“On a rally like this I would want to fight for the win, maybe this week it is not really so easy to do, but we will of course do our best to bring some good points for the team.”
Back on the calendar following a seven-year hiatus, Poland’s super-fast sandy roads host the first of three high-speed gravel rounds in a row. One main aiming to pick up exactly where he left off is Thierry Neuville, winner last time here and current leader of the championship.
Neuville, who teams up with Ott Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen in a three-strong Hyundai i20 N Rally1 attack, arrives to Mikolajki 18 points clear of Tänak and Evans and is eager to make amends for an error at the previous round in Italy.
“Rally Poland is an event that I really enjoy,” he affirmed. “Starting first could be a huge advantage or disadvantage depending on how much cleaning of the road we will be doing, but we will have to see when we get there. We expect to be consistent and fast to bring home some decent points for all three championships.”
M-Sport Ford has set its sights on a return to the podium after a strong opening half of the year. In addition to Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, the British team fields an additional Puma Rally1 car for Latvia’s Martinš Sesks on his top-level debut. Sesks, who was already showing off his skills at a special demonstration event in Warsaw last Sunday, will drive a non-hybrid Puma this week before upgrading to a full-spec car for his home round in Latvia next month.
The rally begins Thursday evening and includes 19 special stages totalling 303.16km before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
24-06-23 WRC set for Paraguay debut in 2025
WRC Promoter signs long-term agreement to bring the FIA World Rally Championship to Paraguay.
Paraguay will become the 38th country to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship when the South American nation joins the calendar in 2025*.
The announcement was made on Saturday evening in the Paraguayan capital Asunción by President Santiago Peña at the Ceremonial Start of Petrobras Rally Transchaco 2024 – the third round of the Paraguayan national championship.
“Paraguay is big, and the world is in the process of discovering us and hosting world-class events such as the WRC, is yet another way to show the world our greatness,” expressed President Peña.
The significant multi-year agreement realises WRC Promoter's long-held ambition to returning to two events annually in South America.
Paraguay boasts a strong rallying heritage with the sport thriving in the heart of South America. Gustavo Saba was a regular face in Argentinian rounds of the WRC throughout the 2010s and, more recently, Fabrizio Zaldivar has become an established WRC2 competitor while Diego Dominguez is among the Junior WRC and WRC3 title favourites. The last 11 editions of the FIA CODASUR South American Rally Championship have also been won by Paraguayan drivers.
WRC Promoter’s proactive approach in creating a more sustainable pathway for the future of rallying played a major role in Paraguay bidding to be part of the championship. Paraguay generates 100 per cent of its grid electricity from sustainable resources, echoing the sustainable ethos of the WRC, which sees all cars run on 100 per cent fossil-free fuel.
“We have been in discussions with Paraguay already for a number of years and I am incredibly pleased to see this agreement across the line,” expressed WRC Senior Event Director Simon Larkin, who was on-site to mark the special announcement.
“There is no questioning the nation’s passion for rallying and we cannot wait to transmit this passion, as well as Paraguay’s spectacular scenery, around the world.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "Welcoming Paraguay to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2025 is a fantastic opportunity for the series and all its stakeholders to explore new horizons. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my friend Hugo R. Mersan Galli, Chairman of the Touring y Automóvil Club Paraguayo, and his team, for their efforts in developing our sport, to the organisers of Rally Paraguay and to the President of Paraguay Mr Santiago Peña for his invaluable support."
Based out of the touristic southern city of Encarnacion on the Paraná River, the rally is set to welcome masses of fans from across the border in Argentina, as well as from across the South American continent. Stages will take place throughout the Itapúa region which annually hosts a round of the FIA CODASUR South American Rally Championship on red gravel roads running parallel to the spectacularly stunning Parana River.
Exact dates will be confirmed in due course.
*Subject to World Motor Sport Council approval.
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It showcases high-performance hybrid-powered cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden’s freezing winter to Kenya’s heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles at 13 rallies. More information can be found at wrc.com
24-06-02 Tänak claims shock Italy win in joint-closest WRC finish
Ogier finishes 0.2sec behind after heartbreak in Rally Italia Sardegna’s final stage on Sunday.
Ott Tänak claimed a shock victory at Rally Italia Sardegna on Sunday afternoon after late agony for long-time leader Sébastien Ogier.
The Estonian, driving a Hyundai i20 N, celebrated his maiden success of the season when a damaged tyre in the final rough road speed test denied Ogier a third consecutive FIA World Rally Champonship victory.
Having traded blows with Tänak early in the rally, Ogier led since Saturday afternoon in his Toyota GR Yaris. The Frenchman began the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage with a 6.2sec advantage but ended 0.2sec behind after the deflation slowed him in the closing kilometres.
"There is not much I can do," he said. "That's life. I think we deserved more than that but at least Ott has done a good rally as well."
Today marks the joint-closest finish in WRC history, matching the result of Rally Jordan in 2011. On that occasion, Ogier was on the other side of the ledger and held off his now team boss Jari-Matti Latvala.
Tänak, who scored his previous win in Chile last year, was humble in victory. He faced similar heartbreak on the very same stage in 2019 when a power steering failure cost him a guaranteed win.
“For the emotion it’s good, but obviously I am very sorry for Seb. To lose a win like this is cruel and I’ve been in exactly the same position myself a couple of years ago.”
Dani Sordo made it two Hyundai cars in the top three, helping the Korean marque to remain in the lead of the manufacturers’ championship. The 41-year-old was initially out of sorts but climbed the order as drivers ahead of him hit trouble.
One of those drivers was his team-mate Thierry Neuville, whose podium bid went awry when he slid off the road on SS8. Neuville’s consolation was that he claimed the full 12 points from Super Sunday and retained the driver’s series lead.
Elfyn Evans’ feeling inside his GR Yaris was not optimal for the rough gravel roads but, while he ended almost three minutes back from the lead in fourth, the Welshman did succeed in reducing Neuville’s buffer from 24 to 18 points. He and Tänak now sit on identical scores.
Consistency rewarded Puma youngster Grégoire Munster with a fifth-place finish. His M-Sport Ford team-mate Adrien Fourmaux ran as high as third early in the rally before retiring in Friday’s final test with an electrical fault.
Such was the level of attrition that WRC2 machinery filled the remaining top 10 positions, with Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver Sami Pajari claiming the WRC2 win and sixth overall. Behind him were Yohan Rossel, Jan Solans, Martin Prokop and Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
High-speed action awaits the WRC drivers at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland later this month. The gravel event returns to the series for the first time since 2017 and takes place from 27 – 30 June.
Overall classification:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N 3h 06m 5.6s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +0.2s
3. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +2m 25.8s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +2m 37.8s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +6m 42.9s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +7m 13.4s
Drivers' Championship standings (after round 6 of 13):
1. T Neuville 122
2. O Tänak 104
3. E Evans 104
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-06-01 Ogier’s Saturday charge leaves Tänak trailing in Italy
Frenchman closes on third consecutive win as championship leader Neuville crashes out.
Sébastien Ogier is on course to claim a remarkable third FIA World Rally Championship victory in succession after distancing Ott Tänak on Saturday’s gruelling second leg at Rally Italia Sardegna.
The eight-time WRC champion will start Super Sunday with a 17.1sec advantage over Hyundai i20 N rival Tänak after a turbulent day which included four lead changes and saw championship leader Thierry Neuville bow into the retirement.
Fortune initially favoured Tänak when overnight leader Ogier’s decision to carry only one spare wheel for the morning tests backfired. A deflated tyre forced him to use the same set of rubber for three increasingly rough and abrasive stages and, after trading positions three times, he trailed the Estonian by 3.5sec at the mid-leg tyre fitting zone.
In the afternoon’s legendary stages around Monte Lerno, however, Ogier threw caution to the wind. With Tänak’s pace fading and the 2019 title winner hinting that he was being instructed to play it safe, Ogier stormed back into the lead after just one stage and proceeded to post a trio of benchmark times in his GR Yaris.
A successful Sunday for Ogier would follow back-to-back victories in Croatia and Portugal, and could see the Frenchman confirm his place as the most successful driver in Rally Italia Sardegna history.
"It has been a positive day, and an even more positive afternoon,” he smiled. “This morning's stages were very rough, but I enjoyed the afternoon so much more and it was a pleasure to drive the car.”
Thierry Neuville arrived in Sardinia with a 24-point championship lead over Elfyn Evans and looked set to increase that margin after climbing from fifth to third early in the day. However, his podium hopes went awry when he misjudged a braking point in SS8, sliding his Hyundai off the road and into retirement.
Takamoto Katsuta was elevated to the podium as a result, but the Japanese driver's time inside the top three was short-lived. His Toyota developed a transmission issue which proved terminal on SS9.
The drama up front opened the door for Dani Sordo to complete the leading trio in another Hyundai. Despite struggling to find his rhythm, the Spaniard trailed team-mate Tänak by almost two minutes with Evans a further 30.5sec behind. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five in an M-Sport Ford Puma while WRC2 leader Sami Pajari held sixth.
Sunday’s finale is based north-west of Alghero and includes two loops of two tests, ending with the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage, which finishes amid spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea. The four stages cover 39.30km.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 39m 43.2s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +17.1s
3. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +2m 12.8s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +2m 43.3s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +5m 28.8s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +5m 38.5s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-31 Ogier stars to lead Rally Italia Sardegna on Friday
Frenchman carves out slender lead as championship frontrunners Neuville and Evans struggle.
Sébastien Ogier delivered a near-perfect performance to lead Hyundai Motorsport rival Ott Tänak after Friday’s all-action opening leg at Rally Italia Sardegna.
Ogier capitalised on the increased traction offered by his late starting position to win two of the four sun-kissed gravel speed tests in his Toyota GR Yaris, opening an early 4.5sec advantage over i20 N driver Tänak in this sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The Frenchman’s only blot on the day was an overly cautious first drive through Sedini-Castelsardo, where he yielded 5.9sec to Tänak whilst trying to conserve tyres. In the end, Pirelli’s hard compound rubber stood up to the test of the Mediterranean holiday island’s high heats and rocky roads.
"It's good,” smiled Ogier. “It’s been extremely rough and demanding for the tyres and I am happy that we made it because it was challenging with only five tyres.”
Tänak went fastest on SS2 and, despite losing hybrid boost on two occasions, second place overnight marks the Estonian’s strongest start to a rally so far this season.
His team-mate Dani Sordo completed the podium a hefty 28.7sec behind after grabbing the position when M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux suffered a tyre delamination on SS3. Fourmaux later retired with an electrical issue.
While fourth went the way of Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, it was a testing afternoon for championship frontrunners Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans. They held fifth and sixth respectively after starting first and second on the sandy roads where grip was at its lowest.
A leaking tyre on his GR Yaris during SS1 only compounded Evans’ frustrations as he ended the day almost one minute adrift of the lead.
“That has definitely been the hardest day you could imagine to open the road on in Sardinia,” exhaled Hyundai star Neuville, who headed Evans by 24 points in the drivers’ standings before this round. “A tough day for us, but [we will] carry on.”
Grégoire Munster trailed Evans by 11.9sec in seventh overall while Sami Pajari led the WRC2 category as well as holding eighth.
Saturday is the longest leg with 149km of competition and no opportunity for midday service. The morning features double runs of Tempio Pausania and Tula, while the afternoon includes stages in the Monte Lerno area with the breathtaking Micky’s Jump.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 53m 43.1s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +4.5s
3. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +33.2s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +34.5s
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +36.6s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +57.3s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-12 Record-breaking Ogier powers to sixth Portugal win
Frenchman keeps Ott Tänak at bay as Thierry Neuville extends WRC lead on Sunday.
Sébastien Ogier became the first driver to achieve six Vodafone Rally de Portugal victories on Sunday, powering to glory 7.9sec clear of his Hyundai Motorsport rival Ott Tänak.
The Frenchman is now the most successful driver in the 56-year history of the event, which was a founding round of the FIA World Rally Championship back in 1973. Ogier previously shared the record with Finnish WRC legend Markku Alén before his triumph today.
Five different drivers led the gruelling gravel fixture, which utilised roads near the northern Portuguese cities of Porto and Matosinhos and drew attendance from tens of thousands of passionate fans.
Ogier seized the top spot on a tumultuous Saturday, during which his Toyota GR Yaris team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled out of the lead and Takamoto Katsuta retired his similar car with shattered rear suspension.
He headed the i20 N car of Tänak by 11.9sec arriving into Sunday’s four-stage finale and stayed cool to keep the Estonian at bay, soaring high over the legendary Fafe jump to round out this fifth round of the season in style.
"I had nothing against being tied with Markku Alén," Ogier smiled. "He is a legend, but I heard for many years 'when will you beat this record?'
"It was a not a great weekend for the whole team, but it was a good rally for us and I am glad we could bring some points."
Second place marked Tänak’s best result since re-joining Hyundai at the beginning of the year. The additional seven points he earned for topping the Super Sunday classification helped move him ahead of Adrien Fourmaux to third in the championship standings.
Championship wise, it was also a strong weekend for Thierry Neuville, who filled the final podium spot 1min 1.9sec behind his Hyundai colleague. Belgian star Neuville extended his drivers’ series lead to 24 points over Elfyn Evans after the Welshman endured a torrid week, finishing down in sixth having nursed a coolant leakage late in the day.
Fourmaux climbed from fifth to fourth, passing the Hyundai of Dani Sordo on SS19 and pulling more than a minute clear of the Spaniard by the end. The M-Sport Ford youngster has finished all five rallies so far this year, gracing the top five on all but one occasion.
Evans’ coolant leak forced him to crawl out of SS21 in EV mode and exacerbated what had already been a challenging outing for the GR Yaris driver. On Friday his co-driver Scott Martin resorted to reading pace notes from a mobile phone after misplacing his physical book, and the crew failed to post a single top-three stage time.
Citroën C3 Rally2 driver Nikolay Gryazin took seventh overall ahead of Jan Solans, who was the best-placed WRC2-registered driver in eighth. Solans edged Josh McErlean by just 3.2sec while Lauri Joona completed the top 10.
Competitors face more hot weather and rough roads as the WRC moves to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia later this month. Rally Italia Sardegna is based in Alghero from 30 May - 2 June.
Overall classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3h 41m 32.3s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +7.9s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 9.8s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 47.8s
5. D Sordo C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +2m 48.9s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +6m 36.0s
Drivers' Championship standings (after round 5 of 13):
1. T Neuville 110 points
2. E Evans 86
3. O Tänak 79
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-12 Chaotic Saturday puts Ogier in line for record sixth Portugal win
Frenchman surges ahead as Toyota team-mates hit trouble on penultimate day.
Sébastien Ogier stands on the cusp of surpassing Markku Alén’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal record - providing he can maintain his lead over Hyundai Motorsport rival Ott Tänak on the event’s final day tomorrow (Sunday).
A tumultuous Saturday at the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship’s fifth round wreaked havoc among some of the series’ top drivers, reshuffling the leaderboard and granting Ogier an 11.9-sec overnight lead.
The Frenchman’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team began this penultimate leg with all guns blazing, locking out the podium after a near-perfect opening day. However, their fortunes took a dive early this morning when Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta both faltered on the brutal gravel terrain.
Overnight leader Rovanperä looked poised to tighten his grip on the top spot after blitzing the Felgueiras opener, but he misjudged a right-hander in Montim shortly afterwards and rolled out of contention. Katsuta’s exit was less dramatic but equally devastating: a rearward impact shattered his GR Yaris Rally1 car’s suspension as the Japanese driver battled for third.
Toyota’s hopes rested on Ogier’s shoulders. He tussled for the lead with Tänak and briefly relinquished the position on Amarante 1 before going back in front when the Estonian nursed a deflated tyre in the following stage.
Although Tänak maintained the pressure with benchmark times over the first two stages of the repeated afternoon loop, Ogier responded with a brace of stage wins to widen the gap.
Victory for Ogier on Sunday would be his sixth in Portugal. At present he jointly tops the event’s roll of honour with Italian legend Markku Alén, known for his dominance with Fiat and Lancia in the 1970s and 80s.
“It's been a good day,” said Ogier. “A tricky one, we didn't expect so many things happening today. Unfortunately on Toyota’s side it was not a perfect day. For me it was good, but we lost two cars.
“We have to try and finish the job tomorrow now,” he added.
The drama up ahead brought good news for Thierry Neuville, who ended the day 59.5sec behind team-mate Tänak having climbed from sixth to third. With main title rival Elfyn Evans languishing in sixth, Neuville is poised to extend his championship lead and his Saturday standing will earn him 13 points providing he completes Super Sunday.
Neuville overtook Dani Sordo in the first stage of the day but the Spaniard kept touch with his colleague, ending the day 14.2sec further back to make it three Hyundais in the top four.
Behind Sordo by only 7.3sec was M-Sport Ford hotshot Adrien Fourmaux, who held a comfortable buffer of almost two minutes to Evans. Evans struggled to get into a rhythm with his GR Yaris, and an early spin exacerbated his challenges.
Rally2 cars filled the remainder of the leaderboard, with Nikolay Gryazin sitting seventh in his Citroën C3. Jan Solans was the first of the WRC2-registered drivers while Josh McErlean and Yohan Rossel completed the top 10.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3h 1m 55.8s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +11.9s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 11.4s
4. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +1m 25.6s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 32.9s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +3m 23.8s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-11 New agreement confirms Portugal's continued WRC legacy
WRC Promoter commits to a further two years in Portugal.
WRC Promoter and Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) have sealed a new deal which guarantees Vodafone Rally de Portugal's position in the FIA World Rally Championship calendar until at least 2026*.
The agreement, announced today (Friday 10 May), follows an electrifying opening day of action at round five of the 2024 season that drew tens of thousands of spectators to the stages in and around the vibrant northern Portuguese cities of Matosinhos and Porto.
Vodafone Rally de Portugal stands as the pinnacle of sporting excellence in the country, generating in excess 60 million Euros for the nation's economy. With extensive free-to-air live coverage on Portugal’s national broadcaster RTP and every stage broadcast on long-standing WRC partner SportTV, the event captivates audiences nationwide.
Having been a cornerstone of the WRC since its inception in 1973, the rally holds esteemed status as one of the championship's enduring classics and is cherished by competitors and fans alike.
“It is a big pleasure for me to confirm 2025 and 2026,” asserted ACP President Carlos Barbosa. "We have an exceptional relationship with the promoter in terms of the event and the activations around it. Over the past 20 years Rally Portugal has asserted itself as one of the best rallies in the world."
“Vodafone Rally de Portugal has once again earned its position on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. This is a deserved recognition and we hope it continues for many years to come,” added WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel.
*Subject to approval by the FIA World Motorsport Council
24-05-10 Rovanperä swoops to Friday lead in Rally de Portugal thriller
Finn heads Toyota podium lockout as top four blanketed by just 5.4sec.
Kalle Rovanperä overcame a challenging Friday to lead a frenzied see-saw battle for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal top spot.
The Toyota-driving Finn topped the fifth round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship by a mere 1.0sec from team-mate Sébastien Ogier on a day marked by five different stage winners, resulting in the top four crews being separated by just 5.4sec.
Rovanperä initially languished in fifth overall after a lacklustre opener but posted top-three times in the remaining seven tests, confidently climbing the standings despite reporting excessive understeer in his GR Yaris.
He seized the lead after overtaking early pacesetter Takamoto Katsuta on the afternoon's second test at Lousã and went fastest on the penultimate stage at Arganil, but Ogier’s blistering run through the Mortágua finale narrowed the gap and intensified the pressure.
“It has been a great battle the whole day,” admitted Rovanperä “I could not do much more [in the last one] because my tyres were in such bad condition at the rear and it was just about surviving.
“[The battle] is only fun if you are winning, so let's see!”
Tyre management played a crucial role. Pirelli's soft compound rubber was favoured for this morning's sandy surfaces, while hard tyres came into play in the afternoon when the repeated stages were rougher and temperatures higher.
Ogier’s late surge propelled him from fourth to second overall. He could have potentially led overnight were it not for an intercom failure during SS5 and a loss of hybrid power on SS8.
Katsuta lived up to his promise to push hard from the outset, clinching the Mortágua 1 stage win as well as setting top-three times on both runs of Arganil. He was happy to bring up the rear of a Toyota 1-2-3 overnight despite falling 3.7sec behind Ogier, while Ott Tänak completed the day just 0.7sec further back in fourth after admitting to a "not nice" feeling behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 N.
Although Toyota enjoyed a successful day, misfortune befell title-hunting GR Yaris driver Elfyn Evans, whose co-driver Scott Martin resorted to using his mobile phone to access a digital copy of their pace notes after misplacing the physical book before SS7. Their frustrations were compounded by a tyre being pushed off the wheel rim in the same stage, costing the British pair almost a minute.
That turn of events was a boon for championship leader Thierry Neuville, who headed Evans by six points before this round.
Despite facing the challenge of opening the road and sweeping a cleaner and faster line for those running behind, Neuville managed to stay in touch with the leaders and ended 0.2sec behind his Hyundai colleague Dani Sordo in sixth. Sordo lost hybrid power for SS5 but still managed to win three of the day's eight stages.
M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux headed Evans on his return to the Matosinhos service park while Grégoire Munster and WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg completed the top 10.
Saturday hosts the longest leg of the rally, with 145km of action packed into two loops of four stages before the Lousada super special stage concludes the day.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. K Rovanerä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1h 25m 0.4s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +1.0s
3. T Katsuta / A Johnston Toyota GR Yaris JPN +4.7s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +5.4s
5. D Sordo C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +17.9
6. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +18.1
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-08 Title-winning team-mates go head-to-head in Portugal
Superstars Rovanperä and Ogier in action as Neuville bids to extend his WRC lead.
Fireworks are guaranteed at Vodafone Rally de Portugal this week (9 – 12 May) as FIA World Rally Championship superstars Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier go head-to-head for the first time this season.
The title-winning team-mates form part of a four-strong Toyota Gazoo Racing line-up for round five of 2024, which is based close to the city of Porto and kicks off a run of seven gravel-based fixtures in a row.
Eight-time title holder Ogier, who received the Legion of Honour medal from French President Emmanuel Macron last week, is a Rally de Portugal expert and tops the event’s roll of honour with five victories to his name. But Rovanperä, the reigning world champion for two years running, is aiming to catch up to his colleague and has claimed victory in the rally's past two editions.
They join Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, and Takamoto Katsuta in identical GR Yaris Rally cars, eager to extend Toyota’s seven-point lead in the manufacturers’ standings. Katsuta will score points for the drivers' championship only.
“I’m excited to be returning to Portugal after a year away,” Ogier said. “The atmosphere is always great there and I look forward to that.”
“Of course, our aim will be to try and win again this year, but it’s never easy,” added Rovanperä. “All of the top drivers know the stages quite well, so the pace is usually pretty high and it can be quite a close fight there.”
At the top of the championship and leading Friday’s running order is Thierry Neuville, currently six points clear of Welshman Evans. The Belgian is hoping for a wet start to the rally, as dry weather will mean he is tasked with sweeping a cleaner and faster line for those following his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 onto the stages.
“Road conditions and position will make a huge difference to how we perform,” he explained. “Whenever it’s raining we will be fast, but when it’s dry we will struggle more because everyone knows the stages well.”
Neuville is joined in the team by 2019 WRC champion Ott Tänak plus Spain’s Dani Sordo, who starts his first rally of the season and the 210th of his career.
Adrien Fourmaux is looking to utilise the confidence he gained from his maiden Wolf Power Stage win in Croatia last month to fuel his performance on the Portuguese stages, which are characterised by roads that vary from soft and sandy to rutted and rocky. He teams up with fellow youngster Grégoire Munster, hailing from Luxembourg.
The rally starts on Thursday and coincides with the Beyond Rally Forum on 9 May, during which WRC Promoter will present an in-depth exploration of its Sustainability Roadbook. This roadmap sets out actionable steps for sustainability initiatives as the championship strives towards a sustainable future.
Competitors tackle 22 stages spanning nearly 340km before reaching the finish on Sunday afternoon.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-07 Mästerskapsledaren Solberg vill slutföra jobbet
Oliver Solberg hoppas på en blöt start i Rally Portugal när 22-åringen kör för att överta tronen ensam i toppen av mästerskapet.
Inför säsongens tredje VM-tävling är Oliver i delad VM-ledning tillsammans med franska Yohan Rossel i mästerskapets näst största klass.
– Jag skulle vilja ha regn, speciellt den första dagen. Vi är bland de första på vägen i vår klass och om det håller sig torrt kommer greppet att bli bättre för våra konkurrenter som startar senare än oss. Men blir det blött så blir förhållandena mer likvärdiga, säger Oliver Solberg.
För ett år sedan ledde han VM-tävlingen i Portugal, men fick en minuts tidsstraff för att ha brutit mot reglerna vid Lousadas specialsträcka. Till sist förlorade han kampen om segern med 1,2 sekunder
Han förväntar sig en tuff fight om segern.
– Konkurrensen i den här tävlingen är kanske den tuffaste under hela säsongen. Många mycket duktiga förare deltar, några av dem med nya bilar. Jag tror att vi har speeden vi behöver för att vinna. Med ett toppresultat har vi goda chanser att ensamma leda mästerskapet. Det är målet för helgen, säger 22-åringen.
Solberg och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson kör en Skoda Fabia RS Rally2-bil i WRC2-klassen. Hittills i år har duon tagit seger i Sverige och andraplats i Kenya.
Rally Portugal startar på torsdag och avslutas på söndag efter 22 specialsträckor.
24-04-23 Ogier snatches Croatia Rally victory on extraordinary Sunday
Frenchman pounces as Neuville and Evans suffer heartbreak on final day.
Sébastien Ogier jumped from third to first overall on a dramatic Sunday at Croatia Rally, claiming a surprise win as Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans faced heartbreak.
After three days of neck and neck competition on spectator-packed asphalt roads around capital city Zagreb, victory looked set to be decided between Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N, and Welshman Evans in a Toyota GR Yaris. However, as they headed into the second stage of this final day separated by just 2.6sec, the tables suddenly turned.
A late pace note meant overnight leader Neuville arrived too fast into a left-hander and slid wide before riding up a bank and into a tree. The impact destroyed his Hyundai’s rear aerodynamics package but, more importantly, cost him almost 25sec.
Unaware of his rival’s problem, Evans misjudged a tightening right-hand bend in the very same stage and spun, dropping 20sec as he tried to get his car pointing in the right direction. It meant that Ogier, who had occupied third place since the opening stage on Friday morning, suddenly gained a 9.1sec lead with two stages remaining.
Unlike his peers, Ogier would make no such errors and kept Toyota team-mate Evans at bay – celebrating his second Croatia Rally triumph by 9.7sec along with a milestone 100th WRC podium.
"It's been a tough weekend,” admitted Ogier, who was co-driven by Vincent Landais. “We knew coming here that our start position would be an issue, but we never gave up and kept the pressure on for the whole weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many moments in one rally, but it's nice to get the win for the team.”
Toyota’s 1-2 result extended the Japanese marque's lead in the manufacturers’ championship to seven points over Hyundai. But all was not lost for Neuville, who nursed his battered car to the end 36.1sec behind Evans in third.
The 18 points Neuville earned by leading on Saturday evening helped to retain his drivers’ series lead, and he heads Evans by six points after round four of 13.
“It is what it is,” Neuville reflected. “We had a great few days, but unfortunately today didn't go so well. At the end we're taking important points so it's not so bad. We would have liked to push harder in the Power Stage but these cars without a rear wing are undriveable.”
Ott Tänak had a high-speed scare in SS18 when his Hyundai mounted a grass embankment, but the Estonian recovered quickly to secure a fourth-place finish. He initially faced pressure from M-Sport Ford hotshot Adrien Fourmaux before the Frenchman plummeted down the order after damaging his Puma’s steering, hitting an anti-cut marker on the same test that caught out Neuville and Evans.
Takamoto Katsuta claimed the maximum seven points available for being the fastest driver across Super Sunday, climbing to fifth in his Toyota after Fourmaux’s troubles. Andreas Mikkelsen and Grégoire Munster were sixth and seventh while Rally2 runners Nikolay Gryazin, Yohan Rossel and Sami Pajari completed the top 10.
WRC turns to gravel next month for Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Round five of the season is based in Matosinhos and takes place from 9 – 12 May.
Overall classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 40m 23.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +9.7s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +49.8s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +58.6s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston Toyota GR Yaris JPN +1m 55.5s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen Hyundai i20 N NOR +4m 1.0s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 4 of 13):
1. T Neuville 86pts
2. E Evans 80pts
3. A Fourmaux 59pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-04-17 WRC leader Thierry Neuville seeks redemption at Croatia Rally
Belgian driver aims to shake off his recent slump in the Balkan capital city.
Points leader Thierry Neuville is in need of a change of fortunes if he is to stay ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Elfyn Evans at Croatia Rally this week (18 – 21 April), round four of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship.
Neuville, who drives an i20 N Rally1 car for Hyundai Motorsport, opened his season in fine fashion by winning Rallye Monte-Carlo, but issues in Sweden and Kenya have prevented the Belgian from recording a podium finish since.
He arrives in the capital city Zagreb eager to reverse his fortunes and secure a much-needed win to maintain his six-point lead over Welshman Evans, who triumphed here last year.
“Croatia is one of the most demanding Tposearmac rallies I have ever competed in,” he said. “There are lots of blind corners, crests and jumps – something very unusual for a Tarmac event.
“Finishing in the top three is crucial to maintaining the championship lead, [but] our biggest target is to push for a top-step finish.”
Attended by over 300,000 spectators in 2022 and 2023, Croatia Rally presents a unique mix of surfaces ranging from smooth asphalt to badly broken concrete.
Fluctuating grip levels on the undulating roads pose a challenge and, despite the overall high speeds, narrow passages and numerous blind crests and turns demand a cautious approach from competitors. Weather adds another layer of complexity to the already demanding conditions as, if it rains, the surface becomes muddier and slipperier with each car that passes.
It’s a rally that has previously suited Toyota well, with Japanese machinery topping the podium in every edition since 2021. Eight-time world champion and past winner Sébastien Ogier joins Evans in the GR Yaris line-up, as does Takamoto Katsuta.
Hyundai fields three cars for Neuville, Ott Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen while M-Sport has entered a pair of Puma Rally1s for Adrien Fourmaux, currently third in the points, and Grégoire Munster.
Just three years ago, Fourmaux raised eyebrows when he took a Fiesta World Rally car to fifth overall on his top-flight debut in Croatia. This time he starts the rally fresh from back-to-back podiums in Sweden and Kenya, eager to net his maiden victory.
The rally starts in Zagreb on Thursday (18 April). Ahead lie 20 stages totalling 283.28km before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-31 Pride of the plains Kalle Rovanperä takes dominant Safari Rally win
Toyota driver celebrates victory on Sunday after mastering Kenya's tough terrain for the second time.
Kalle Rovanperä became a two-time winner of Safari Rally Kenya on Sunday afternoon after he finished the legendary African fixture with a 1m 37.8s victory margin having led since Friday morning.
In by far the most gruelling FIA World Rally Championship round so far this season, it was Rovanperä’s meticulous balance of both speed and maturity that ultimately secured his 12th career victory.
The Finn, co-driven by Jonne Halttunen, built a lead of almost one minute after winning all of Friday’s rock-strewn stages around Lake Naivasha, then kept his nose clean to end Saturday two minutes clear as the chasing pack ran into mechanical troubles and tyre damage.
That buffer allowed the two-time WRC champion to drive for a finish in Sunday’s final leg, which culminated amid stunning scenery at Hell's Gate with Kenyan President William Ruto in attendance.
Takamoto Katstuta completed a Toyota GR Yaris 1-2 as the Japanese marque extended its manufacturers’ championship lead to four points over Hyundai Motorsport, while M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux bagged his second consecutive podium 47.3s behind.
“It’s always special to win here,” Rovanperä beamed. “Also, a legendary event for Toyota. We’ve always been so good here and that’s continuing. Like they say in Africa: the car in front is always a Toyota!
“A big thanks to the team, everybody made a big effort to make the car work so well. I think me and Jonne did a good job, I don’t think you can have a better Safari Rally than we did. No issues, clever driving and I think it was a good effort.”
Elfyn Evans ended Friday in contention for a podium but a fraught Saturday, which saw the Welshman stop twice to carry out stage-side wheel changes, meant he finished over four minutes back from his team-mate Rovanperä in fourth overall. He remains second in the drivers’ championship behind leader Thierry Neuville, who trailed him by almost six minutes in fifth.
Neuville now heads Evans by six points but endured a troublesome week aboard his Hyundai i20 N. Fuel pressure problems on Saturday cost the Belgian several minutes and suspension damage on Sunday, inflicted by a rock on the racing line, added insult to injury. His colleagues, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak fared worse.
Lappi’s problems included two broken gearboxes over the course of the week while Tänak could only climb back to eighth overall behind WRC2 runners Gus Greensmith and Oliver Solberg after his car sustained broken suspension on Friday.
Completing the top 10 were gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis in a Puma and Škoda Fabia Rally2 star Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
The WRC returns to asphalt for next month's Croatia Rally which takes place from 18 - 21 April. The event is based in capital city Zagreb.
Overall classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 3h 36m 4.4s
2. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 37.8s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 25.1s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +4m 20.2s
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +10m 17.5s
6. G Greensmith / J Andersson GBR Škoda Fabia +18m 5.4s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 3 of 13):
1. T Neuville 67pts
2. E Evans 61pts
3. A Fourmaux 46pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-31 Punktering "grusade” chansen till seger, men utökad ledning
Två punkteringar skilde Oliver Solberg från segern i helgens Safari Rally Kenya, men Solberg utökade sin totalledning i rally-VM.
Mästerskapsledaren Solberg var väl nöjd med Safari-prestationen även om det inte blev någon seger.
Punktering på den tredje (1.51,5 minuter efter) och fjärde specialsträckan (1.46,8) förstörde segerchansen. I mål var britten Gus Greensmith med svenske kartläsaren Jonas Andersson 1.23,1 minuter snabbare än Solberg. Teamkamraten i Skoda vann VM-tävlingen i näst största klassen (WRC2).
Oliver Solberg och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson var snabbast eller näst snabbast på varje etapp där de inte fick punktering. Av 17 problemfria sträckor vann duon 11.
– Jag får vara nöjd med det här resultatet, men jag är förstås också är lite besviken. Jag kom hit för att vinna, men samtidigt är det bra att öka ledningen i mästerskapet, sa Oliver Solberg.
22-åringen vann förra VM-tävlingen på hemmaplan i Sverige.
– Chansen till seger gick förlorad första dagen. Även om punktering på två sträckor efter varandra är ren otur, visste vi att Safari Rally bjuder på överraskningar och spänning. Det är en del av den här tävlingen, sa han.
Solbergs nästa WRC2-start är inte helt fastställd. Det enda som är klart är att 22-åringen inte kommer till start i nästa tävling i VM-kalendern, Rally Kroatien.
– Vi måste vara strategiska kring programmet. Jag vill verkligen vinna titeln den här säsongen. Allt är riktat mot det målet. På så sätt är andraplatsen i Kenya en framgång, sa Oliver Solberg.
24-03-30 Kalle keeps it clean on Saturday to close in on Safari triumph
Finn avoids trouble on drama-filled penultimate day in Kenya.
Kalle Rovanperä took a significant step towards clinching his second Safari Rally Kenya victory, steering clear of trouble while his WRC counterparts encountered difficulties on Saturday.
Amidst the most eventful day of this FIA World Rally Championship season thus far, which was marked by fluctuating conditions ranging from dry and dusty to wet and muddy, Rovanperä was one of few stars to enjoy a clean run. He widened his lead to an impressive 2m 8.9s as drivers including Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta faced significant setbacks.
Despite dominating every stage the previous day, Rovanperä adopted a more conservative approach on Saturday's roads near Lake Elmenteita, located south of the rally's Naivasha base. He initially headed Toyota GR Yaris team-mates Evans and Katsuta until the pair fell behind after sustaining punctures in the morning.
Thierry Neuville emerged as Rovanperä's closest threat, but his challenge was short-lived after his Hyundai i20 N encountered a fuel system issue during the afternoon’s first stage at Soysambu. Neuville dropped more than two-and-a-half minutes as he nursed the problem through the remaining two stages, which opened the door for Katsuta to reclaim the runner-up spot ahead of M-Sport Ford Puma man Adrien Fourmaux.
Rovanperä’s Saturday standing will earn him 18 points provided he completes Sunday’s stages. Katsuta will receive 15 while Fourmaux, who ended 3m 13.3s off the lead, gets 13.
"The lead is now quite good,” said the two time world champion, “so of course we took it carefully.
“It's not so enjoyable when you have a big lead and in a stage like [Sleeping Warrior] you just go around every rock, it's scary. Tomorrow is still a tough day and we will try to finish the job.
Fourmaux survived a front-left tyre delamination in the final stage and is now on track to secure his second top-three finish in consecutive rallies following his maiden podium in Sweden. He led fourth-placed Evans, who suffered a total of four punctures, by over two minutes.
A visibly upset Neuville completed the top five more than 11 minutes adrift of the leading pace with WRC2 frontrunners Gus Greensmith and Oliver Solberg behind.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz was eighth ahead of Jourdan Serderidis and Ott Tänak, who restarted following his Friday retirement. Tänak faced further problems which included a loose bonnet pin, malfunctioning intercom and excessive dust inside his Hyundai, but remains within touching distance of the two drivers ahead of him.
Sunday’s finale features three stages - each run twice - covering both sides of Lake Naivasha.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 48m 50.2s
2. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 8.9s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +3m 13.3s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +5m 35.6s
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +11m 48.6s
6. G Greensmith / J Andersson GBR Škoda Fabia +15m 2.0s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
23-03-29 Unstoppable Rovanperä leads Toyota top three in Kenya
Finnish star dominates Friday as Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak retire.
Kalle Rovanperä dominated Friday’s opening leg of Safari Rally Kenya to build a 56.9-second lead on a dream day for his Toyota Gazoo Racing team.
The Finn, winner of the FIA World Rally Championship for two years running, was simply untouchable as he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen romped to fastest times on all six of Friday’s rugged gravel speed tests around Lake Naivasha.
His team-mates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta made it a GR Yaris 1-2-3, the Japanese marque capitalising on what unravelled into a disastrous afternoon for rival team Hyundai Motorsport after its drivers Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak bowed into retirement.
Lappi had been Rovanperä’s nearest challenger at the day’s midpoint, but a transmission failure sidelined his i20 N car in the first stage after service. That elevated Tänak to second until his similar machine stopped in the following Geothermal test with broken steering after hitting a rock.
Evans and Katsuta were on hand to pick up the pieces and complete Toyota’s podium lockout. They were split by just 3.9s after Evans moved ahead in the final stage of the day.
“I have to be happy with that,” Rovanperä smiled. “For sure, on the last one the conditions were quite rough, and I think from every car [the ruts] get a bit deeper in places. I didn't take any risks and I was going around all the stones to try and keep the car in one piece. I would have loved to go even faster, but at this point this is okay!”
Championship leader Thierry Neuville became Hyundai’s only hope, although the Belgian encountered troubles himself with tyre damage in SS3. The flailing rubber punched a hole in his Hyundai’s bodywork, forcing the Belgian and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe to don goggles and dust masks for the final stage of the morning.
A more positive afternoon saw Neuville edge closer to podium position. Beaten only by Rovanperä in Kedong 2, he trails Katsuta by a mere 6.5s heading into Saturday’s penultimate leg.
M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux had to contend with his Puma surfing on its sump guard in some of the rougher sections, but he coped well to hold fifth after a relatively clean day. The Frenchman ended almost two minutes back from the lead with team-mate Grégoire Munster – contesting his first Safari in Rally1 machinery – a similar distance behind.
With Oliver Solberg hampered by tyre troubles, Gus Greensmith built a commanding lead in WRC2 and also placed seventh overnight. Jourdan Serderidis, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Solberg completed the top 10.
Saturday is the longest day of the rally and features six stages totalling 160.96km. Up first is Soysambu, which starts at 08:01 (local).
Leading positions after Friday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1h 16m 22.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +56.9s
3. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 0.8s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 7.3s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 46.6s
6. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +3m 34.2s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-28 President William Ruto welcomes WRC to Kenya
Head of state gets into the Safari Rally spirit as Thierry Neuville wins opening stage on Thursday.
Kenyan President William Ruto launched the 71st edition of Safari Rally Kenya from Nairobi, the capital city, today (Thursday 28 March). The event marks the third round of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.
Dressed for the occasion in WRC-branded racing overalls, Ruto flagged away the leading crews as they drove over the ramp in downtown Nairobi. From there, the cars headed to the rally-opening super special stage at the nearby Kasarani Stadium where thousands of fans were vying for every possible vantage point.
Neuville, who carries a three-point championship lead into this round, edged his Hyundai i20 N partner Ott Tänak by a single tenth over the 4.84km opener, while reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä completed the top three just 0.7s further back.
Having recorded two non-finishes in Kenya from three previous attempts, Neuville is well aware that the going will get tougher from Friday onwards.
"It will be a challenging event,” he affirmed. “Our fingers are crossed that, this time, we can get through without any technical problems or mistakes. I think we are well prepared, and I am feeling good in the car, so it's always good to start a rally like this.”
Africa has been home to two of Takamoto Katsuta’s four WRC podiums. Driving a Toyota GR Yaris identical to Rovanperä’s, he dropped just 0.9s whilst posting the fourth-best time ahead of Hyundai rival Esapekka Lappi.
Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, went sixth-quickest in his Toyota with M-Sport Ford Puma youngster Adrien Fourmaux following closely behind. Gus Greensmith set the pace in WRC2, taking eighth overall in a Škoda Fabia RS, while Grégoire Munster and Oliver Solberg completed the top 10.
The action resumes at 08:15 local time on Friday morning with the first of the day’s six stages. The biggest challenge will be the 31.50km Kedong test, which makes up the finale of the morning and afternoon loops.
Leading positions after Thursday:
1. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3m 19.9s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +0.1s
3. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +0.7s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +0.9s
5. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Hyundai i20 N +1.5s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1.7s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-27 WRC’s most gruelling challenge awaits at Safari Rally Kenya
Africa beckons as the WRC hits gravel for the first time this season.
This week's Safari Rally Kenya (28 – 31 March) promises to deliver one of the most arduous tests since its triumphant return to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar three years ago.
After a six-week break since navigating the sub-zero forests of Sweden, drivers and teams now face a completely different challenge as round three of the season begins on Thursday amidst the captivating plains and vibrant wildlife of Africa.
This year’s Safari Rally has been strategically moved forward in the calendar to reclaim its historic March slot, aligning perfectly with Kenya’s rainy season. Pre-rally downpours muddied some of the roads during recce, and many of the cars are running snorkels – which allow the engine to breathe - to deal with potentially flooded sections.
In Kenya, all eyes are on Toyota Gazoo Racing. The GR Yaris Rally1 team has won every edition since 2021, and even claimed a sensational top-four sweep here 12 months ago. Despite its formidable track record, however, Toyota is still searching for its first triumph of the season.
Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä will each hope to change that. Rovanperä topped the podium in 2022, while Katsuta – who hails from Japan – has netted an impressive two podiums from three Safari starts.
Hyundai Motorsport stands ready to challenge Toyota's African supremacy, and to extend its success streak with i20 N drivers Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi. Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Neuville currently leads the drivers’ championship by three points from Evans, while a hungry Lappi recorded his second career victory last time out in Sweden.
M-Sport Ford enters Kenya on a high after young Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux scored his maiden podium at the previous round. The British team fields a trio of Puma Rally1 cars for Fourmaux, Grégoire Munster and gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis.
The rally starts in capital city Nairobi on Thursday lunchtime. Ahead lie 19 gruelling special stages around Lakes Naivasha and Elmenteita covering 367.76km before Sunday afternoon's finish in Naivasha.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-25 WRC stars stunned by Magical Kenya
Safari Rally Kenya launches with up-close wildlife encounters in the breathtaking Maasai Mara.
The legendary Safari Rally Kenya began with a unique twist as the FIA World Rally Championship’s (WRC) top drivers embarked on an extraordinary safari adventure in the world-renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Leading drivers including current championship leader Thierry Neuville of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team and second-placed Elfyn Evans of Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team immersed themselves in a complete two-day safari experience alongside M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster and the WRC2 pairing of Nicolas Ciamin and Yannick Roche.
Away from the intense rally schedules, the drivers bonded amidst Kenya’s breathtaking landscapes, immersing themselves in the rich and colourful Maasai culture and indulging in once-in-a-lifetime encounters with the region’s iconic wildlife.
Highlights included a hot air balloon ride at sunrise, providing panoramic views of rhinoceroses and elephants in their stunning natural habitat. They were also treated to close-up encounters with lions, water buffalo, giraffes and hippopotamuses, among other awe-inspiring creatures.
“It has been a great experience, it was a really nice welcome,” expressed Neuville. “The hot air balloon was the highlight. In such a beautiful landscape it was very unique.
“It was beautiful scenery and a great experience getting very close to the elephants.”
For Evans, it was an opportunity to do something out of the norm. He said: “It is a different experience to normally when we travel, especially in Europe, so [it was] nice to do.”
Meanwhile, Munster appreciated the chance to bond with his fellow competitors outside of the rallying environment. The Luxemburg driver said: “When you are on the rally between stages you don’t have a lot of time to really socialise and you have a bit of pressure and a lot of mechanical stuff to do. So here, having two days just to socialise and experience things you wouldn’t do normally, is quite nice.”
Accompanying the WRC stars was Kenya’s Principal Secretary of Tourism John Ololtuaa, who emphasised the significance of showcasing Kenya’s natural beauty to the world.
“It is important that [the drivers] came to the Maasai Mara.” Ololtuaa said. “We wanted them to experience the beauty that is here. It becomes part and parcel of projecting to the world what we have as Kenya.”
The rally official starts on Thursday (28 March) from the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi.
24-03-23 Oliver Solberg vill nå toppen ensam
Seger i tävlingen och utökad ledning i rally-VM är Oliver Solbergs mål i kommande helgens Safari Rally Kenya.
Skoda-fabriksföraren och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson anländer till Naivasha i Kenya i delad ledning i mästerskapets näst största klass (WRC2).
Fransmannen Yohan Rossel vann säsongens första VM-tävling i Monte-Carlo och delar förstaplatsen med Solberg.
Grundliga förberedelser och intensiva ansträngningar på varenda specialsträcka krävs för att säkra de eftertraktade 25 VM-poängen som en seger ger.
– Safari Rallyt är en unikt tävling på VM-kalendern. Det gör en enorm skillnad att ersätta snö i Sverige med extrem värme i Afrika. Varje sträcka kan upplevas som helt olika tävlingar, säger Oliver Solberg.
Solberg vann förra VM-tävlingen. På sin hemmatävlingen i Sverige skapade han också rallyhistoria genom att bli den första WRC2-föraren att avsluta en tävlingsdag (första dagen) bland de tre bästa totalt i tävlingen.
VM-tävlingen i Afrika är säsongens tredje av 13. Den körs över 19 specialsträckor och 368 kilometer fördelade på tre dagar. 22-åringen har startat Safari Rally Kenya tre gånger. Två av dem slutade han bland de tio bästa totalt i respektive klass.
24-03-11 Rally Islas Canarias set to join WRC Calendar in 2025
The FIA World Rally Championship is set to visit Canary Islands in the next two seasons, marking the championship's return to Spain.*
The FIA World Rally Championship is set to return to Spain next season to take on the fast-paced asphalt roads of the Canary Islands, it was announced today (Monday 11 March).
Following in the footsteps of Tet Rally Latvia and ORLEN 80th Rally Poland, both of which have used the pathway of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) to join WRC in 2024, Rally Islas Canarias will move from the ERC to WRC in 2025 and 2026.
First run in 1977, Rally Islas Canarias has continuously been part of the ERC since 2016 and in 2026 will celebrate its 50th edition, as part of the pinnacle of rallying. It is intended to run exclusively on Gran Canaria in 2025, before expanding to include other islands for its 50th anniversary.
Today's announcement was made in front of media on Gran Canaria and, in addition to WRC Promoter and Todo Sport, was attended among others by Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo, President of the Island Council of Gran Canaria Antonio Morales and FIA World Motor Sport Council Member and Real Federación Española de Automovilismo (RFEDA) President Manuel Aviñó.
“Bringing the Rally Islas Canarias to the WRC has been the reward for many years of work. It was a goal desired by several generations, and now, together with WRC Promoter, it has become within reach,” expressed Germán Morales, CEO of the event promoter Club Deportivo Todo Sport.
“Since adding the European Rally Championship to our portfolio of championships, we have been left with little doubts about the capabilities of the rally management team to run this rally next year on the WRC calendar,” expressed WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel.
“We are enthusiastic about having Spain back on the WRC calendar and are encouraged to see our clearly defined strategy to have an opportunity for ERC events to have a pathway to WRC coming to fruition as Rally Islas Canarias follows on from Latvia and Poland in 2024.”
Moving from the ERC to WRC calendar will have the added benefit of the expected influx of thousands of fans who will make their way to the popular European holiday destination, combining the fast-paced action on the blistering-quick stages with a kickstart to their summer.
The rally promises smooth, twisting asphalt surfaces which rise and dip across the volcanic inlands. While coastal temperatures are renowned for favourable year-round beach-going weather, drivers need to be prepared for changeable weather conditions as the stages snake their way through the islands’ mountainous interiors.
The WRC most recently visited Spain in 2022 when the rally was based out of the Catalunyan beachside resort of Salou.
*Pending World Motor Sport Council approval
24-01-28 Masterful Neuville opens 2024 campaign with victory in Monte-Carlo
Belgian keeps Sébastien Ogier at bay to bank his 20th FIA World Rally Championship win.
Thierry Neuville celebrated his 20th world rally win at Rallye Monte-Carlo on Sunday afternoon, banking a perfect score of 30 points alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe.
The Hyundai i20 N star opened his 2024 FIA World Rally Championship title bid with a sublime performance in the French Alps, mastering the ice-patched mountain roads to head Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sébastien Ogier by 16.1sec.
Neuville shrugged aside early engine issues before launching an attack on Saturday, overtaking both Ogier and his GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to storm into the lead with a slender 3.3sec advantage. A clean sweep of fastest times in Sunday’s final leg cemented his position ahead of the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner.
"I don't have the words, to be honest,” beamed an elated Neuville after finishing the final stage on the iconic Col de Turini. “It was just so great this weekend, I felt so comfortable in the car.
“The whole team was doing an amazing job and I think the whole package was working really well. There are always things to improve so of course we need to continue working, but we are very happy to win this rally,” he added.
Ogier led for a single stage on Saturday afternoon, but the Frenchman could not repel Neuville despite his best efforts. “It's been a nice battle with Thierry. Well done to him, he has been really fast this weekend,” he admitted.
Evans held the upper hand after the first two legs but time ebbed away from him on Saturday, not helped by a hybrid unit problem. He eventually finished 29.1sec behind his team-mate Ogier.
Ott Tänak placed fourth on his first rally back in Hyundai colours. Mystery engine problems hindered the 2019 WRC champion throughout the rally although a stage win on Saturday morning proved his potential with the i20 N car.
Adrien Fourmaux equalled his career-best result by finishing fifth overall in his M-Sport Ford Puma. Behind him was Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen, with Takamoto Katsuta almost three minutes further back after sliding off the road on Friday.
Yohan Rossel claimed the WRC2 victory with a last-gasp Wolf Power Stage push, climbing to eighth overall in the process. He passed Pepe López in the finale while Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top 10. Jan Cerný took victory in WRC3 and Mauro Miele won the WRC Masters Cup, while López topped the WRC2 Challenger standings.
Round two of the WRC takes place on the snow and ice of Sweden. The series' only pure winter fixture is based in Umeå on 15 – 18 February.
Overall classification:
1. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3h 9m 30.9s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +16.1s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +45.2s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 59.8s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +3m 36.9s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +5m 34.6s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 1 of 13):
1. T Neuville 30pts
2. S Ogier 24pts
3. E Evans 21pts
24-01-28 Oflyt i VM-genrepet för Oliver Solberg
Oliver Solberg visade upp sig med fyra sträcksegrar i Rally Monte-Carlo, men två punkteringar förstörde chansen till en topplacering i genrepet till fighten om VM-titeln.
22-åringen fortsatte att imponera i säsongens första VM-tävling som avslutades i hamnen i Monaco på söndagseftermiddagen.
Tävlingen i Monte-Carlo räknades inte med i mästerskapet för Oliver Solberg, så ett sämre resultat i helgen påverkar alltså inte hans mästerskapssäsong.
Under fredagen tog Skoda-föraren fyra segrar på de totalt sex specialsträckorna med sin Fabia RS Rally2 och höll en fjärdeplats totalt i den näst största klassen. Men dagen efter bjöds på två punkteringar i snabb följd och bara ett reservhjul.
– Det var vårt eget val att bara ta med ett reservhjul. Om vi ??hade haft två hade det varit bra och vi kunde ha fortsatt tävlingen. Men reglerna är tydliga; du måste ha fyra däck med luft på bilen, sa Oliver Solberg.
Tävlingen tjuvstartade med två specialsträckor i mörker på torsdagen.
– Det var utmanande att hitta komforten och känslan i bilen. Vi gjorde lite ändringar efteråt och i fredags var bilen riktigt fin att köra. Att vinna sträckor är bra, men jag tror att vi fortfarande hade mer i oss. Vi var långt ifrån maxgränsen för vad vi kan prestera.
Solbergs officiella säsongspremiär i WRC2-mästerskapet äger rum i hemmatävlingen Rally Sweden i Umeå den 15-18 februari.
24-01-27 Neuville heads Ogier in Rallye Monte-Carlo thriller
Belgian ends Saturday with 3.3s lead over eight-time WRC champion.
Thierry Neuville has set up the perfect Sunday showdown at Rallye Monte-Carlo after dethroning Sébastien Ogier in Saturday’s final stage, provisionally netting himself 18 points.
Hyundai i20 N star Neuville was undoubtedly the man to beat in the morning. Having held third last night, he pinched second place from Ogier on the day’s first ice-patched speed test and stormed into the top spot before midday as time ebbed away from overnight leader Elfyn Evans.
Ogier seized control by reeling off back-to-back stage wins early in the repeated afternoon loop, but Neuville retaliated by outpacing the Toyota GR Yaris-driving Frenchman in the closing kilometres to carry a 3.3sec advantage into Sunday.
With Rallye Monte-Carlo marking the debut of the all-new WRC points structure, Neuville’s late charge will earn him 18 points providing he completes Sunday’s stages. Ogier will receive 15 while Evans, who ended the day 34.9sec off the lead in third, gets 13.
"It was perfection,” Neuville said of his drive on Pellafol - Agnières-en-Dévoluy. “Everything went well and I really enjoyed the car - it was incredible.
“It was important to take the points tonight but we also needed to keep the car on the road. I had a good feeling, so I went for it and it seems like it paid off," he added.
Ogier’s stage win at Les Nonières - Chichilianne was the 700th of his career. That feat moved him ahead of Finnish legend Juha Kankkunen (699 stage wins) into fourth on the all-time WRC list of stagewinners.
"I have been trying since the beginning of the rally, basically,” admitted the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner. “This [final stage] was no different, but Thierry did a good stage. It looks like we need to try harder tomorrow.”
Super Sunday brings the opportunity for the top performers over the course of the final day to collect up to seven points, in addition to the five bonus points also up for grabs in the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.
Evans completed SS10 with no hybrid boost on his GR Yaris. Even with the issue fixed, he could not find an answer to the sudden speed of his peers. “I don’t know what's going on,” the Welshman admitted after yielding 16.9sec in SS12. “It didn't feel great, but that’s chronic.”
Hyundai man Ott Tänak’s hold on fourth was strengthened as he pulled away from his closest challenger Adrien Fourmaux, helped by his stage win on Pellafol / Agnières-en-Dévoluy. The pair were split by over one minute at close of play, with Fourmaux doubling down on his conservative approach after seeing his M-Sport Ford Puma colleague Grégoire Munster off the road in SS12.
Munster’s demise allowed Andreas Mikkelsen to claim sixth in his Hyundai, while Takamoto Katsuta climbed up to seventh following his costly ditch excursion on Friday.
Eighth place went to Nikolay Gryazin, who currently heads Pepe López in a thrilling duel for WRC2 supremacy. Yohan Rossel is also involved in the support category scrap and completed the top 10.
Sunday's final leg features three stages as crews journey south to Monaco. The trio add up to 52.12km before the rally finishes in the principality.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 2h 37m 58.5s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +3.3s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +34.9s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 46.9s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 54.0s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +4m 21.2s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-01-26 Leader Evans under attack from Rallye Monte-Carlo expert Ogier
Toyota pair split by just 4.5s after leg two of WRC season opener.
Elfyn Evans leads Rallye Monte-Carlo after Friday’s second leg, but the Welshman is under increasing pressure from his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sébastien Ogier.
Evans had been 21.6sec clear of his GR Yaris Rally1 colleague after Thursday’s night-time loop, but Ogier is now looming large in the Welshman’s rear mirror after a stunning drive over Friday’s French Alps roads near Gap saw him whittle that deficit down to just 4.5sec.
Ogier won two of the morning’s three speed tests and climbed from third to second after Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville spun his i20 N in SS4. The Frenchman had moved to within 10.7sec of Evans by the day’s midpoint, with the bulk of the time being gained over the ice-patched special stage from La Bréole to Selonnet.
The pair were closely matched for much of the repeated afternoon loop, but it was again at La Bréole / Selonnet – held in darkness on its second run – where Ogier shone, outpacing his colleague by 4.1sec to set-up a thrilling showdown going into Saturday’s penultimate leg.
“It was a difficult start to the rally, but we expected that with our start position,” said Ogier, a nine-time winner of this event. “Now I am glad that we managed to be very close - tomorrow will be fun.”
Evans, who was never outside the top three times, admitted that conditions had been difficult to read.
“It never gets easier, this rally,” he explained. “[The last stage was] very difficult in the dark. I had a lot of information, but I couldn't see a lot of it to be honest - I just had to trust it. It's very difficult to read the conditions on the road. I'm happy to get through today without any issues.”
Neuville remained very much in the fight at the sharp-end and trailed Ogier by 11.6sec in third. He won three of the day’s six special stages and enjoyed a trouble-free run aside from his early-morning spin.
Ott Tänak was lucky to end the day 57.5sec further back in fourth after ice on a right-hander sent his Hyundai sliding into a ditch during SS3. It took spectators just 40sec to get the Estonian back on the road. Grégoire Munster and Takamoto Katsuta also went off at the same location, with the latter dropping more than five minutes.
Adrien Fourmaux repaid M-Sport Ford’s faith in him by delivering an impressive third-best time in SS5. The 28-year-old is returning to the WRC’s top level having contested WRC2 in 2023, and he completed the top five aboard a Puma.
Andreas Mikkelsen, also returning to the top-flight for the first time since 2019, ended the day over one minute back from Fourmaux in sixth overall. Driving a Hyundai, the Norwegian found it difficult to trust the information in his pace notes with surface conditions changing constantly.
Seventh-placed Munster reached the overnight halt 28.2sec further back in his Puma, while WRC2 contenders Nikolay Gryazin, Pepe López and Yohan Rossel completed the top 10.
Saturday brings another full-on schedule with Esparron / Ozenet launching the day at 08.05. Les Nonières / Chichilianne and Pellafol / Agnières-en-Dévoluy follow before the trio are repeated, bringing the day's total competitive distance to 120.40km.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 1h 25m 28.9s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +4.5s
3. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +16.1s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 13.6s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 38.0s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +2m 58.9s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-01-23 Legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo opens 52nd WRC season
It's a fresh start for the WRC stars as a new season begins in the French Alps.
The curtain rises on a brand-new FIA World Rally Championship season this week as the world’s toughest motorsport series roars back into action at the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo (25 – 28 January).
Thirteen rounds await across four continents during the WRC’s 52nd season. Kicking off the new year in style, this week’s famous fixture has attracted a capacity entry of 70 cars.
Rallye Monte-Carlo, the oldest fixture on the WRC calendar and arguably the most unpredictable rally of the year, moves its base away from the Principality of Monaco and back into the French alpine town of Gap, where it was most recently based in 2021. The relatively straightforward asphalt roads high in the mountains are complicated by winter weather, placing an emphasis on cunning tyre choices.
Tactical twists: New points structure adds fresh dimension
The WRC now features a revamped points system that brings more excitement and intrigue to the rally’s closing stages on Sunday morning. The structure awards up to 18 points based on the general classification after Saturday, up to a further seven points for performances on Sunday, and maintains the traditional five bonus points for the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.
These updates maintain the core concept of determining an overall rally victor. As always, the crew with the lowest total time across the entire event will be crowned the winner.
Driver line-ups: Market shuffles and fresh faces
Reigning manufacturers’ champion Toyota Gazoo Racing fields three cars for the season opener, led by last year’s runner-up Elfyn Evans who is starting his fifth season with the team. The Welshman is joined by Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta, who steps up to a full-time seat in one of Toyota’s point-scoring GR Yaris Rally1 cars. Nine-time Monte-Carlo winner Sébastien Ogier pilots the third Yaris while reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä will complete a partial programme for Toyota in 2024, starting in Sweden next month.
Hyundai Motorsport has re-signed Ott Tänak after the Estonian spent last season with M-Sport Ford. Tänak won nine rallies with the Korean manufacturer between 2020 and 2022. Now he aims to make history and land a maiden drivers’ crown for the marque, having previously claimed the title himself behind the wheel of a Yaris in 2019.
Five-time championship runner-up Thierry Neuville of Belgium leads the i20 N Rally1 attack with Tänak, while reigning WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen – back at WRC’s top level for the first time since 2019 - returns to pilot the team’s third car this week. He will alternate drives with Spain’s Dani Sordo and Finland’s Esapekka Lappi throughout the season.
M-Sport Ford fields a youthful line-up with Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster both tackling full campaigns aboard Puma Rally1 cars. Frenchman Fourmaux returns full-time to Rally1 with M-Sport, having competed in WRC2 – the WRC’s main support category - in 2023, while 2024 marks Munster’s first full season at the pinnacle of rallying, making him the first Luxembourger to achieve the feat.
Monte master Ogier aims to break records
Ogier bids for a record 10th Rallye Monte-Carlo victory on roads close to his birthplace near the host town of Gap. But the 40-year-old is taking nothing for granted, knowing exactly how challenging the roads can be.
“For me this is a must-do event and there’s a lot of hopes for this first rally,” he said. “I think it’s the rally that you need to respect more than any other as the conditions can be so challenging, which means that nothing is guaranteed. Numbers are never my main motivation, but if I could get a 10th win on this event it would be something very special.”
The rally starts in Monaco’s Casino Square on Thursday afternoon. Competitors face 17 speed tests covering 324.44km before Sunday afternoon’s finish back in downtown Monaco.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
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