Rally

Elfyn Evans is refusing to get carried away by the 13-point lead he holds in his quest for a maiden World Rally Championship title with only two rounds of the season remaining. The Toyota driver is bidding to become the first British WRC champion since Richard Burns in 2001 and has so far finished runner-up in the title race four times, but is currently sitting top of the standings as the ...Keep readingView the full article

Developing a brand new car to compete under the World Rally Championship’s new 2027 technical regulations remains the priority for M-Sport , rather than upgrading its Rally2 car. The WRC is gearing up to introduce a new ruleset for 2027, which is designed to be more affordable and flexible in a bid to attract more manufacturers and teams. Built to a €345,000 cost cap, the new WRC27 ...Keep readingView the full article

Martins Sesks will contest next month’s World Rally Championship season finale in Saudi Arabia as part of an expanded four-car M-Sport-Ford operation that includes multiple Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. The WRC rising star joined M-Sport for a six-round WRC programme this year after delivering a series of impressive performances driving the team's Ford Puma last season. The Latvian ...Keep readingView the full article

Thierry Neuville paid tribute to the World Rally Championship’s safety protocols that “saved” himself and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe from injury after a violent crash at the Central European Rally. The reigning world champion crew were transferred to hospital for precautionary checks after a nasty crash into a bridge that was protected by a hay bale. The incident resulted in organisers ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanpera says victory at the Central European Rally has made him even hungrier to leave the World Rally Championship at the end of the season with a third world title. Rovanpera headed into the 18-stage asphalt rally knowing a strong result was required to keep his title hopes alive after falling 21 points behind adrift of the championship lead. That gap has been reduced to 13 points ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanpera boosted his hopes of a third World Rally Championship title after taking a dominant victory at the Central European Rally, helping Toyota seal a ninth constructors’ crown. A matter of days after announcing plans to leave the WRC at the end of the year for a bold career move to single seater racing, the Finn delivered a stunning display to claim a third win of the year as ...Keep readingView the full article

Reigning world rally champion Thierry Neuville has retired from the Central European Rally after a crash with a bridge forced officials to cancel stage 15. Neuville had started Sunday’s leg sitting in seventh position, but just four kilometres into the 12.37km Beyond Borders stage, the Hyundai driver hit trouble. Neuville’s i20 N slid wide entering a narrow bridge, hitting a hay bale that ...Keep readingView the full article

World Rally Championship title contender Kalle Rovanpera opened up a healthy 36.3s lead heading into the final day of the Central European Rally after Sebastien Ogier crashed out of the victory battle. Hyundai’s Ott Tanak completed the day as Rovanpera’s nearest rival after edging fellow title contender Elfyn Evans to second spot by 8.4s across the afternoon stages. Rovanpera started ...Keep readingView the full article

Lancia has announced plans to return to the World Rally Championship next year competing in the second tier WRC2 class with its new Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. The Italian firm announced its plans via a video released on social media accompanied by a brief statement confirming that its newly developed Rally2 car will make its WRC debut in next year’s January season opener in Monte ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier believes there was “nothing he could have done” to prevent his retirement from the Central European Rally, which has blown the World Rally Championship title race wide open. The WRC points leader suffered a high-speed crash in stage 10 while fighting for the rally lead, which he had just lost to title rival and Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera. Ogier ran wide at a ...Keep readingView the full article

World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Ogier has crashed out of the Central European Rally in what could be a pivotal moment in the title race. The eight-time world champion had just lost the lead of the 18-stage asphalt event by 0.7s to Toyota title rival Kalle Rovanpera in Saturday’s first test, before drama struck in stage 10 [Keply, 21.95k]. Pushing hard in wet conditions, Ogier ...Keep readingView the full article

Hyundai’s only option to continue its participation in the World Rally Championship in 2027 will be to field an upgraded Rally2 car, according to team principal Cyril Abiteboul. The Korean marque’s future in the WRC beyond the end of the season has been unclear as it continues to weigh up its options regarding its factory motorsport programmes. Hyundai has been among the most vocal ...Keep readingView the full article

Central European Rally organisers will make changes to anti cut devices that have left World Rally Championship drivers struggling to see the road, particularly in night conditions. Anti cut poles have been placed on the edges of the road throughout the asphalt stages in order to prevent drivers from cutting sections of stages and bringing excess dirt onto the road surface. The devices had ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier managed to fend off a charging Kalle Rovanpera to hold onto the lead at the Central European Rally by 0.6s after a demanding Friday leg. The WRC points leader held onto his overnight lead throughout six tricky asphalt stages spread across Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, but was pushed hard through the afternoon loop by title rival and Toyota team-mate ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier delivered a stunning time in stage five to lead the Central European Rally from World Rally Championship title rival Kalle Rovanpera while Thierry Neuville and Gregoire Munster made costly mistakes. Ogier took a 1.6s advantage into Friday morning’s stages, but managed to end the loop with his lead increasing to 3.9s over Rovanpera, as the Toyota pair began to pull clear of ...Keep readingView the full article

Toyota intends to appeal the five-second penalty handed to Elfyn Evans for making contact with a hay bale in a chicane during the opening stage of the Central European Rally. Evans, co-driven by Scott Martin, clouted a hay bale that formed part of a chicane during the first pass through the 12.83km Golf und Therme test that kicked off the 18-stage asphalt round of the championship on ...Keep readingView the full article

World Rally Championship title contender Elfyn Evans has been handed a five-second penalty after making contact with a hay bale during the opening stage of the Central European Rally. Evans, co-driven by Scott Martin, clouted a hay bale that formed part of a chicane during the first pass through the 12.83km Golf und Therme test that kicked off the 18-stage asphalt round of the championship on ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier moved into an early lead over title rival Kalle Rovanpera after the opening two stages of the World Rally Championship’s return to asphalt at the Central European Rally. Ogier, seeking a record-equalling ninth world title, continued his impressive form by setting the pace in Thursday’s stages to open up a 1.6s lead over Toyota team-mate Rovanpera. Two passes through the ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier will be among those cheering on Kalle Rovanpera as he tackles the “huge” challenge posed by making the transition from the World Rally Championship to single-seater racing in 2026. Eight-time world rally champion Ogier is no stranger in switching to top level circuit racing, having swapped the stages for the World Endurance Championship in 2022, which culminated in a drive ...Keep readingView the full article

Oliver Solberg is hoping to have clarity on his World Rally Championship future in the coming weeks having emerged as a leading contender to replace Kalle Rovanpera at Toyota for 2026. Toyota has a vacancy in its driver line-up for next season following the news that double world champion Rovanpera will leave the WRC to embark on a career in circuit racing, beginning with a stint in Super ...Keep readingView the full article