Rally

Hyundai Motorsport’s World Rally Championship programme manager Christian Loriaux has left the team ahead of the 2025 season. Loriaux has played a critical role within the Korean marque since first joining the operation in 2021 as a technical consultant, before graduating to the role of WRC programme manager. Shock news of Loriaux’s departure arrives after a 2024 season where Hyundai ...Keep readingView the full article

Josh McErlean will graduate to the World Rally Championship’s top tier in 2025 after securing a deal to join M-Sport-Ford. The 25-year-old will pilot M-Sport’s second Ford Puma Rally1 in a full 14-round WRC campaign next year, joining Gregoire Munster, who was announced as the British squad’s team leader on Wednesday. McErlean will be joined by fellow Irish co-driver Eoin Treacy next ...Keep readingView the full article

Gregoire Munster will team up with M-Sport-Ford for a second full-time season in the World Rally Championship next year. Munster has agreed a new deal with the British squad to pilot one of two Ford Puma Rally1 cars after completing a maiden full season in the WRC’s top tier with the operation this year. The Luxembourger, who will turn 26 on Christmas Eve, had been in the running to ...Keep readingView the full article

Mattias Ekstrom has said he is willing to contest the Dakar Rally for the next 15 years if that is what it takes to win the world’s most prestigious rally-raid. Although best known for his success in the DTM where he claimed two titles with Abt Audi, Ekstrom has increasingly shifted his focus to avenues outside of circuit racing in recent years. After success in the World Rallycross ...Keep readingView the full article

Citroen Racing will field brothers Yohan and Leo Rossel as its driver line-up to tackle the 2025 World Rally Championship. The French manufacturer has elected to continue its relationship with Yohan Rossel following a 2024 season where the 29-year-old challenged for the WRC2 title. Yohan took victory in the Monte Carlo and Chile rounds driving the C3 Rally2, run by DG Sport, but his title ...Keep readingView the full article

Adrien Fourmaux clinched victory on his first competitive outing for Hyundai after beating Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera at Rallye National Hivernal du Devoluy. Hyundai and Toyota opted to field Fourmaux and Rovanpera in the French rally to kick start their drivers’ preparations for next month’s 2025 World Rally Championship season opener in Monte Carlo. The 10 stage asphalt rally also ...Keep readingView the full article

Rally legend Michele Mouton picked up the FIA Lifetime Achievement Award at the world motorsport governing body's prize-giving in Rwanda. Mouton has enjoyed a 50-year career in motorsport acting as a trailblazer for women drivers while playing a vital role in improving safety. Mouton is most famous for her exploits competing in the World Rally Championship, where she won four rallies and ...Keep readingView the full article

Thierry Neuville is worried that the current Rally2 cars will be faster than the top-level cars under the new 2027 World Rally Championship technical regulations. From 2027 top-level WRC cars will be more versatile and built to a cost cap of €345,000 in a bid to encourage more teams and manufacturers to compete. Read Also: WRCFIA reveals 2027 WRC regulations, new points system ...Keep readingView the full article

The FIA has revealed the future pathway for the World Rally Championship with the release of the 2027 technical regulations and a new-look points system to be introduced next year. The World Motor Sport Council has confirmed the new look ‘WRC27’ cars will be more versatile and built to a cost cap of €345,000 in a bid to encourage more teams and manufacturers to compete. Reducing costs ...Keep readingView the full article

Hyundai has been fined €25,000 and issued a further suspended €25,000 fine for breaching regulations at the World Rally Championship season finale in Japan.A lengthy stewards’ hearing that concluded on Tuesday deemed that rear differential cases on the i20 N Rally1 cars driven by new world champion Thierry Neuville and team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen “were found to be not in compliance with ...Keep readingView the full article

Iron Dames has announced plans to expand its move into rallying by fielding an all-female crew in the 2025 World Rally Championship.The Italian team, working in conjunction with renowned rally squad Sarrazin Motorsport, headed by former Formula 1, WRC and WEC driver Stephane Sarrazin, will field an entry in the WRC2 class for Sarah Rumeau and co-driver Julie Amblard.Rumeau and Amblard’s ...Keep readingView the full article

Adrien Fourmaux says his sights are set on scoring a maiden World Rally Championship victory next year with Hyundai after completing an emotional M-Sport farewell.Fourmaux’s anticipated move to pilot Hyundai’s third i20 N rally entry was announced last week, just days ahead of his final outing with M-Sport at the Monza Rally Show last weekend, that celebrated Pirelli’s four-year stint as ...Keep readingView the full article

Oliver Solberg will drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in 2025 as he sets his sights on lifting the World Rally Championship second-tier title.The son of 2003 world rally champion Petter will join the Printsport team that pipped him to the WRC2 title by three points this year, with Sami Pajari aboard the GR Yaris Rally2.Solberg will take the seat vacated by Pajari following the Finn’s promotion to ...Keep readingView the full article

Hyundai will delay the debut of its upgraded World Rally Championship challenger after electing to run its 2024-specification car in next month's Monte Carlo season opener.The Korean manufacturer had planned to homologate a practically all-new version of its i20 N Rally1 for next year before plans were abandoned amid uncertainty over the 2025 regulations.Following the FIA's U-turn on 2025 ...Keep readingView the full article

FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley has left his position at the governing body, Motorsport.com understands.Wheatley’s sudden departure comes in the wake of several personnel changes and upheaval at the FIA in recent weeks. The details regarding his exit are yet to be made clear.Read Also: Formula 1Why FIA crisis talks only served to fire up combative Ben Sulayem even ...Keep readingView the full article

After narrowly missing out on the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title to Toyota, Hyundai has changed its strategy for 2025 by employing a full-time third car driver it hopes can deliver the prize. Adrien Fourmaux is the driver tasked with the honour of piloting a third factory Hyundai i20 N Rally1 in next season’s expanded 14-round calendar, in a move that team principal Cyril ...Keep readingView the full article

Adrien Fourmaux will join Hyundai to pilot its third entry on a full-time basis in the World Rally Championship next year.The five-time WRC podium finisher’s future has been the subject of speculation having been linked to a move from M-Sport-Ford to the Korean marque for several months.Fourmaux and co-driver Alex Coria will form part of an experienced driver line-up that includes newly-crowned ...Keep readingView the full article

Safari Rally Kenya is set to cover more competitive kilometres next year although general changes to World Rally Championship event formats are likely to be “evolutionary” rather than “revolutionary”.Changes to event formats have been a topic of discussion in 2024 with the FIA and the WRC Promoter keen to offer event organisers more flexibility regarding itineraries within the fixed ...Keep readingView the full article

Toyota's new World Rally Championship signing Sami Pajari has announced that Marko Salminen will be his co-driver for his first full-time season in the Rally1 class next year.Pajari has spent the last three years working alongside Enni Malkonen, but that partnership recently ended after winning the WRC2 title at last month's Rally Japan. The 23-year-old Finn cited that at this point of ...Keep readingView the full article

Road order regulations appear set to remain unchanged in the World Rally Championship next year after a proposal to introduce a form of qualifying was rejected, Motorsport.com understands.The debate surrounding road position was ignited earlier this season, which prompted a proposal to alter the regulations for next year with the reintroduction of qualifying to determine road order for the first ...Keep readingView the full article