Rally

WRC crews' tyre selections were the biggest differentiator on the loop, with Hyundai drivers Neuville, Sebastien Loeb and Andreas Mikkelsen benefitting from bolder choices when the morning's opening stage was cancelled due to spectator safety concerns. SS3 was expected to contain the morning's iciest conditions, so the Hyundai crews - which had each selected at least three dry tyres - were well ...Keep reading View the full article

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After a two-year absence, publishers Bigben Interactive and Kylotonn claim to have used that time period to improve the game with "better graphics, more technical routes, smoother pace notes and a more comprehensive career mode". WRC 8 is said to have 100 stages across 14 countries, maximising its use of the official WRC license to include real-world locations. The publishers ...Keep reading View the full article

In his first WRC start for Toyota, Meeke was Tanak's closest challenger as the Yaris duo set a commanding pace on the La Breole-Selonnet stage that kicked the season off – the pair five seconds apart at the finish. But Meeke then picked up a puncture in the final miles of the following Avancon-Notre Dame du Laus stage and tumbled to seventh overall. That did little to dent his mood, however ...Keep reading View the full article

The WRC returnee refused to read anything into his time, which was a tenth of a second faster than six-time Monte winner and defending champion Sebastien Ogier. Meeke completed five runs at the two-mile stage which was run in dry, sunny conditions. “It’s shakedown,” he said. “In fact, in those conditions, it was probably a good test for Corsica! It was bone dry, different to the ...Keep reading View the full article

Loeb will make his first start in a Hyundai i20 on the WRC season opener, and has faced a hectic build-up to the rally. He and co-driver Daniel Elena flew out of Peru hours after finishing the Dakar Rally last Thursday, landing in Europe in time to drive to Hyundai's final Monte test in the French Alps on Saturday. Loeb began testing at the Col du Noyer to the north of Gap, taking over from ...Keep reading View the full article

The KTM rider tackled the gruelling Dakar just weeks after breaking his right scaphoid during training and undergoing surgery in Barcelona. While the initial surgery was successful, the strain of riding through the dunes for that long before the injury was properly healed has led to more damage, centred around a screw that's now worn through the bone. That means a trip straight to the ...Keep reading View the full article

Bottas is contesting the Arctic Rally in Finland in a Ford Fiesta WRC, co-driven by Timo Rautiainen - who won two world championships alongside Marcus Gronholm in the early 2000s. Though Suninen will not be present at the Rovaniemi-based event as it clashes with the WRC season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, he has given Bottas tips on what to expect. "I know him quite well, we have the same ...Keep reading View the full article

Though Latvala is going into his 13th full season in the WRC and joined Toyota a year ahead of Tanak, it was the Estonian who emerged as the team's title contender in 2018. Latvala believes he can use Tanak's approach to get more out of the Yaris WRC this year. "We know Ott will be strong," Latvala told Motorsport.com. "When I saw this performance from him last year, I knew I had to do ...Keep reading View the full article

Rich Millener steps up to the team principal role at M-Sport this season, with Wilson focusing on the commercial side. Wilson admitted the last two WRC campaigns - both of which ended with drivers' titles for Ogier - had taken their toll on the company, as had dwindling sales of cars to customers. "It's no secret that I need to get my business back on track to shore up the foundations for ...Keep reading View the full article

The KTM rider secured an unexpected second Dakar crown in Peru last week, braving a broken wrist throughout the gruelling rally raid. The scale of that achievement was recognised in fitting fashion at Brisbane Airport on Sunday, a huge turn out of fans putting on a hero's homecoming for Price. It even included a traffic-stopping bike salute. According to Price, support from back home was ...Keep reading View the full article

Last year, Sanz was struck down by Epstein Barr virus - the same illness that curtailed the career of MotoGP rider Jonas Folger in 2017 - and then also contracted Q-fever. Although she was forced onto the sidelines for much of the year, and missed the traditional Dakar warm-up event Rally Morocco, she recovered in time to take part in her ninth consecutive Dakar as part of the KTM factory ...Keep reading View the full article

The Vienna-based Austrian firm announced last month that it had retained Latvian driver Janis Baumanis for a third season, and while it had run a Fiesta Mk7 since entering the series, is now creating a Supercar based on the newest Mk8 iteration of Ford’s hatchback. “For 2019 we took the decision to develop a completely new car, which also gave us the chance to choose a new platform,” said ...Keep reading View the full article

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Two-time champion Roma finished runner-up on this year's Dakar, leading X-raid's charge and scoring his first podium since his 2014 victory - but falling 46 minutes short of Al-Attiyah in the fight for overall honours. Reflecting on his run to second, the Spaniard said he was "very satisfied", but also felt he was penalised by the fact that he couldn't rely on any of the other X-raid 4x4 ...Keep reading View the full article

Rivals in competition, the toughest rally in the world imposes high respect out of the cockpit. After 10 race days and 5,601 km, the four Iveco trucks of the De Rooy Team made it to the finish line with Gerard De Rooy on the third step of the podium, behind the two Kamaz drivers: Nikolav and Dimitry Sotnikov. We asked Gerard for his thoughts on the 2019 event… Are you satisfied with the ...Keep reading View the full article

Al-Attiyah claimed his third Dakar triumph in his Toyota Hilux on Thursday by 46 minutes over his nearest rival, X-raid Mini's Nani Roma, marking the first time Toyota has ever won the event. It follows the Qatari driver’s previous successes with the factory Volkswagen team in 2011 and with the X-raid squad in 2015. Toyota’s Dakar effort is run under the same Gazoo Racing banner used ...Keep reading View the full article

Sunderland was penalised after Stage 8 for modifying his Iritrack monitoring system to get a more advantageous road position, and was consequently ruled out of contention for the title. He ended the rally eighth as a result, but after the finish, stewards received a test result which showed the Briton did not break the rules, and the penalty was withdrawn. Sunderland moved up to third as a ...Keep reading View the full article

Price went into the event under a serious injury cloud after breaking his right scaphoid during pre-Dakar training last December, last-minute surgery in Spain and a short recovery in his native Australia not enough for the injury to heal before getting to Peru. However the KTM rider defied the odds by not only making it through the gruelling event, but claiming a second career win in stunning ...Keep reading View the full article

Dakar was left with a route contained entirely within Peru for the 2019 event, with the likes of Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia all failing to reach an agreement with organisers ASO midway through last year. There was further instability when the Peruvian government reportedly baulked at costs in June, before finally deciding to go ahead with the event. Now organisers are faced with the ...Keep reading View the full article