Rally

The WRC champion confirmed he will drive the C3 for four days before the end of the year, with the first two coming through development running in the Algarve. "I have two days on gravel and two days on Tarmac," Ogier told Motorsport.com. "I will try to make the best of it – but don't forget that before 2017, when I joined M-Sport, I had only one and a half days." Ogier admitted he will ... Keep reading View the full article

The WRC champion confirmed he will drive the C3 for four days before the end of the year, with the first two coming through development running in the Algarve. "I have two days on gravel and two days on Tarmac," Ogier told Motorsport.com. "I will try to make the best of it – but don't forget that before 2017, when I joined M-Sport, I had only one and a half days." Ogier admitted he will ... Keep reading View the full article

... Keep reading View the full article

Last Friday Hyundai driver Andreas Mikkelsen was forced to overtake a tractor travelling down the Sherwood stage, and crashed shortly afterwards. The FIA is investigating the incident. The tractor had been used to rebuild a straw-bale chicane displaced by Jari-Matti Latvala and was returning to its off-stage position when Mikkelsen encountered it. Some in the WRC now want to replace chicanes ... Keep reading View the full article

World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier has admitted there have been times he has questioned why he is leaving M-Sport Ford for Citroen in 2019 given his 2017/18 success. Ogier clinched a sixth WRC title in a row in Australia on Sunday, in what will be his final rally with Malcolm Wilson's team before he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia return to Citroen. He had joined M-Sport Ford after ... Keep reading View the full article

The Finn was expected to play the Toyota team game on the final day of the WRC season, first being told to play rear-gunner for title hopeful Ott Tanak who had the overnight lead. Even when Latvala inherited the lead thanks to a Tanak mistake on this morning's loop, it was expected Toyota would swap the pair over to keep Tanak in the title fight. However, the team team never the chance ... Keep reading View the full article

Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia sealed a sixth WRC title with a stage to spare in Coffs Harbour, thanks to title rivals Thierry Neuville and Tanak both crashing out on consecutive stages early in the final loop. Neuville was first to drop out of contention after hitting a stump on the Coramba test, before Tanak clipped a tree on the Sapphire stage and damaged his Yaris' transmission. It ... Keep reading View the full article

Toyota driver Latvala went into the final loop of the season knowing that he'd probably have to concede his lead to Tanak as part of the title showdown with Ogier, however dramas for the Estonian on the penultimate stage opened the door for the Finn to take his first Rally Australia victory. It also secured the title for Ogier, with Thierry Neuville having already crashed out on the first stage ... Keep reading View the full article

The Toyota driver went into the penultimate stage of the season well-placed to win if needed, nestled in behind teammate Jari-Matti Latvala. That meant Toyota could have swapped the two drivers if Ogier had problems on the Power Stage, which would have helped Tanak snatch the title. However the Estonian didn't make it through the penultimate test, appearing to fall victim to the slippery ... Keep reading View the full article

The Belgian had a mountain to climb to snatch the title in the final afternoon of the season in Australia, having spent the majority of the event sweeping the roads thanks to a puncture on Friday. However his slim hopes of overhauling Sebastien Ogier are now done, Neuville clipping a bank and a tree on the Coramba stage that opened this afternoon’s loop in damp conditions. He managed to ... Keep reading View the full article

Latvala set a stunning pace on the first stage of the morning, SS19 Coramba, as he attempted to fend off a potential charge from Kiwi Hyundai driver Hayden Paddon. But Latvala took 13.9s out of Paddon in that first stage of the loop alone, and that put him in position to inherit the lead on the next test. Tanak was caught out by a tightening right-hander which hindered multiple ... Keep reading View the full article

The Finn says that he and Tanak were told not to concentrate on each other's times heading into today's second loop of stages, Latvala having come out of the morning loop with a 3.2s lead. It was then expected that the team would reverse their positions tomorrow if it would help Tanak seal the title ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville. That will not longer be necessary, though ... Keep reading View the full article

Leading Toyota contenders Ott Tanak and Latvala went into the pair of runs through the 1.2-kilometre stage sitting comfortably in first and second, however a burst of rain mid-way through the stage changed the battle at the front of the field. However there is now 20s between the pair, while Hyundai's Hayden Paddon is just 4s behind Latvala in what is a re-invigorated battle for the minor ... Keep reading View the full article

Neuville's on-board camera picked up two people lying millimetres from Rhones Creek Road on the Welshs Creek Reverse stage this afternoon, in what appears to be a dangerous bid to snap a close-up of the car on a camera phone. The footage shows that the Belgian was travelling at 125 km/h at the moment that he raced by the pair of thrill seekers. It's understood that local police have since ... Keep reading View the full article

Toyota didn't need to enforce any team orders between morning leader Jari-Matti Latvala and title contender Tanak, the Estonian overhauling the Finn with superior pace. After setting identical times on the first stage of the afternoon loop, Tanak burst into a 0.8s lead with a stunning run through the Welshs Creek Reverse test that gapped the field by four seconds. Tyre choice then helped ... Keep reading View the full article

The IndyCar driver encountered a road-going Jeep travelling in the wrong direction on a live stage during the desert race, his Honda Ridgeline jumping over the top of the unexpected commuter in a piece of remarkable timing. Early reports suggest Rossi didn't even know it had happened until later. The wild Baja moment follows yesterday's ontroversy at Rally Australia, after Andreas Mikkelsen ... Keep reading View the full article

Latvala and Tanak – who topped three stages in the four-stage loop – jumped erstwhile leader Mads Ostberg in his Citroen on the penultimate stage of the loop – SS11 Ulunga. Ostberg struggled on his tyre choice of two mediums and three hards compared to Latvala and Tanak’s two hards and three mediums. Toyota could employ team orders to swap Latvala and Tanak – who are separated by ... Keep reading View the full article

The Hyundai driver came across a tractor mid-way through his first pass on the Sherwood stage on Friday morning, the near-miss ultimately leading to a rollover that took him out of the rally. Rally Australia organisers have since confirmed that the tractor was driven onto the stage "without authority" to move some hay bales. Reflecting on the encounter, the Norwegian reckons there's little ... Keep reading View the full article

The leading Australian Rally Championship contenders crashed their factory-backed Subaru on the first pass through the Coldwater stage this morning, the car hitting a hay bale guarding a tree and then catching fire. After being treated by medical crews on the scene Taylor and Read were cleared of any major injuries, however the car has been withdrawn from the event. "Following an incident ... Keep reading View the full article

Citroen driver Ostberg continued to benefit from running last in the order, emerging from the repeat of this morning's stages with a 6.2s lead over Jari-Matti Latvala and Craig Breen, who topped the final forest stage of the day. Thierry Neuville, meanwhile, has a lot of work to do to get his title bid back on track, the Hyundai driver set to sweep the road tomorrow after ending the loop well ... Keep reading View the full article