Rally

Toyota’s Rovanpera was among the fortunate to enjoy a clean run through a gruelling and incident-filled Saturday morning loop of stages, to open up a 1m27.9s lead over Hyundai’s Neuville, who leapt from fourth to second.Neuville took advantage of a chaotic loop for Evans and Katsuta, who were delayed by double punctures. Katsuta ended the morning in third, where he started the day, albeit ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world champion delivered a dominant display to reel off the fastest times in all six of Friday's stages to open up a commanding 56.9s lead over Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans.Rovanpera's most impressive drive arrived in stage four where he was 11.1s faster than nearest rival Hyundai's Ott Tanak, who retired from the day two stages later. Tanak had managed to stay within 18.6s of the ...Keep readingView the full article

The Rally Sweden winner was forced to surrender second position when his i20 N ground to a halt in stage five with a transmission issue.The Finn cut a frustrated figure, admitting there was no warning of the imminent failure. His exit comes after suffering four propshaft failures during last year's visit to Kenya which triggered the team to fit a stronger version of the component ahead of the 2024 ...Keep readingView the full article

Rovanpera set a blistering pace across the day’s six stages aboard his factory Toyota to lead team-mate Elfyn Evans by 56.9s heading into Saturday.Takamoto Katsuta ended the day in third [+1m00.8s] to set up a provisional Toyota 1-2-3 after a nightmare day for Hyundai.Lappi had trailed Rovanpera by 15.5s heading into the afternoon before a transmission issue ended the Rally Sweden winner’s day ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC points leader suffered a right-rear puncture towards the end of stage three after clipping some loose rocks at the side of the road.Neuville pressed on in the hope not to drop too much time, before his tyre exploded in sight of the finish. The Belgian reached the stage end losing 19.9s but the remains of the rubber had ripped a hole in the right-rear corner of his i20 N Rally1.Prior to ...Keep readingView the full article

Two-time world champion Rovanpera, making the second start of a partial WRC campaign, managed to tame an at times ill-handling GR Yaris to open up a 15.5s lead over Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi.Ott Tanak headed to midday service in third [+16.8s] ahead of Toyota pair Takamoto Katsuta [+41.3s] and Elfyn Evans [+43.1s], with Neuville sixth [+48.0s] after a tyre drama. The top eight was completed by ...Keep readingView the full article

The Safari Rally is renowned as the most gruelling event on the WRC schedule testing drivers and teams to the absolute limit.The event returned to the WRC calendar in 2021 after a 19-year hiatus but in a much shorter format. This year’s edition, operated by a new Kenyan organiser, will be contested over four days with crews covering 367.76 kilometres of timed stages.In the past, the event was ...Keep readingView the full article

A change in FIA regulations that coincides with the Safari Rally moving to a more traditional March date in Kenya's rainy season has allowed Rally1 teams to fit these devices to cars for the first time.Snorkels have long been a feature in the WRC and have been particularly associated with the Safari Rallys of the past. Perhaps the most iconic illustration of these in action is the now famous ...Keep readingView the full article

The Talanta Motorsport Academy is the latest addition to the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS), based near the site of the rally’s opening stage at Kasarani in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi. The academy was launched by Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who described the project as a major milestone in Kenyan sporting history. Kenya has a rich motorsport history through Safari Rally ...Keep readingView the full article

The most gruelling event on the WRC calendar began with its traditional Kasarani side-by-side super special [4.84km] in the centre of the Kenyan capital city Nairobi. Neuville came out on top with a 0.1-second margin over Tanak.Neuville took on Toyota title rival Elfyn Evans in their heat, which resulted in the former posting a time 1.7s faster than the Welshman.“It will be a challenging event ...Keep readingView the full article

Last month, the world motorsport governing body released a raft of proposals designed to improve top-level rallying that included widespread changes to technical and sporting regulations.The proposals, which the FIA wishes to ratify in June, include changes to the Rally1 class that will be implemented next year, two years before the end of the agreed homologation cycle. Hybrid power is set to be ...Keep readingView the full article

The Japanese brand has proven to be the team to beat in Kenya winning the previous three editions of the Safari Rally, known to be the most gruelling event on the WRC calendar.Toyota outlined the speed and bulletproof reliability of its cars by scoring a 1-2-3-4 lock out in 2022 and 2023 on its way to back-to-back Rally1 constructors’ titles.The reigning champion squad is showing no signs of ...Keep readingView the full article

The Safari Rally, which hosts the third round of the WRC season this week, is renowned as a car-breaker thanks to its unique blend of rough terrain and changeable weather.It has proven to be a bogey event for Hyundai since the event returned to the calendar in 2021, with its only podium finish to date achieved by Ott Tanak finishing third three years ago. The last two editions have seen Toyota ...Keep readingView the full article

The South American nation emerged as a candidate to host the WRC earlier this year as the championship aims to form a 14-round 2025 calendar, including two events in the South America region.The championship currently has a deal in place with Chile which expires at the end of the year, although discussions surrounding a possible renewal are ongoing.The WRC has also been fielding interest from ...Keep readingView the full article

Toyota has announced that the eight-time world champion will pilot one of its three factory GR Yaris Rally 1 cars at the asphalt event, which hosts the fourth round of the WRC season, from 18-21 April.Read Also: WRCNeuville clarifies WRC future amid anger over FIA technical reforms Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais will join Toyota’s full-time drivers Elfyn Evans and ...Keep readingView the full article

The famous Italian manufacturer has been linked with a return to the World Rally Championship following reports in Italian media last year. The marque is the most successful in WRC history winning 10 constructor titles (1974-1976, 1983, 1987-1992).Lancia is undergoing a revival as an automotive brand under the Stellantis Group and in February it launched its new all-electric Ypsilon hatchback. The ...Keep readingView the full article

Snorkels were famously adopted by WRC teams in previous editions of the event – prior to its WRC return in 2021 – to help cars navigate through sections of tricky terrain, preventing water and dust from entering the engine. The exhausts made a re-appearance when the Safari Rally returned to the WRC, but regulations prohibited Rally1 cars from using the devices. However, the FIA has this ...Keep readingView the full article

The 36-year-old said in a social media post on Tuesday that KTM had decided not to renew his contract following the 46th running of Dakar in January."KTM has decided to not renew my contract so Dakar 2024 was my last event with them… I do feel like I'm still in my prime and going out there fighting for wins, especially at Dakar so it's unfortunate to not have that opportunity to do it in 2025," ...Keep readingView the full article

Shinozuka shot to fame by becoming the first Japanese driver to claim outright victories in both the WRC and the gruelling Dakar Rally.Born in Tokyo, Shinozuka's greatest success came as a factory Mitsubishi driver. In 1988, he claimed the inaugural Asia-Pacific championship alongside co-driver Fred Gocentas. The pair took the title scoring a solitary rally win in India at the Himalayan Rally ...Keep readingView the full article

The FIA announced last month that the WRC would drop hybrid power from its Rally1 class three years after its introduction in 2022.The change is part of the FIA’s roadmap for the future of top-level rallying, which will also see Rally1 cars undergo a reduction in aerodynamics and the car’s air restrictor, to cut costs and close the gap in performance to the Rally2 class.Removing the hybrid ...Keep readingView the full article