Rally

Plans to add a second Asia/Pacific round to future World Rally Championship calendars is among the reasons for a reshuffle in the schedule of events for 2026. The WRC unveiled its 14-round calendar last week, which featured several changes including the omission of Rally USA and the Central European Rally. However, one of the most notable alterations was the decision for Japan and Italy to ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier is setting his sights on a push for a record-equalling ninth World Rally Championship title after finishing third in Rally Finland. Ogier’s sixth podium from six events contested during a part-time season this year has cut the deficit to new championship leader and team-mate Elfyn Evans to 13 points, with rounds in Paraguay, Chile, Central Europe, Japan and Saudi Arabia ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanpera says finally achieving a Rally Finland victory is both an amazing feeling and a relief after ending an eight-year wait for a Finnish winner at the World Rally Championship event. Two-time world champions Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen bounced back after struggling in recent gravel events to claim a perfect 35-point victory on home soil, heading a historic Toyota ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanpera claimed a maiden Rally Finland World Rally Championship victory after producing a dominant performance to head a Toyota top-five lockout. Two-time world champions Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen claimed 10 stage wins to defeat Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta by 39.2s in the fastest rally in WRC history, as the pair took the win with an average speed of ...Keep readingView the full article

Thierry Neuville says any hope of defending his World Rally Championship title are “lost” after a puncture derailed his shot of a podium in Rally Finland. The reigning world champion felt a strong result on Finland’s fast gravel roads would be crucial in closing the gap to his title rivals, now sitting 48 points behind leader and Hyundai team-mate Ott Tanak with six rounds ...Keep readingView the full article

Toyota is on course for a Rally Finland top-five lockout after Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux witnessed their World Rally Championship victory hopes vanish following punctures. Kalle Rovanpera benefited from the drama that hit his nearest rivals Neuville and Fourmaux, who were sitting second and third respectively in the rally, to open up a 36.1s lead over Toyota team-mate ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanpera extended his Rally Finland lead on Saturday morning despite suffering a puncture, as changeable weather continued to create drama at the World Rally Championship event. The Toyota driver picked up from where he left off on Friday, winning three of the four gravel stages to increase his 4.9s overnight advantage over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville to 14.7s. Rovanpera admitted he ...Keep readingView the full article

Stewards have handed Ott Tanak a five-minute penalty and a suspended World Rally Championship 35-point deduction following an incident involving a scrutineer at Rally Finland. The incident occurred at the end of Friday’s stage seven, which proved to be eventful for the championship leader after sliding off the road and striking a tree. The impact caused damage to the cooling system of ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanperä has explained the factors behind new speed that elevated the Toyota driver to the lead of a World Rally Championship gravel event for the first time in almost a year. The two-time world champion has been renowned for his impressive pace on loose surface rallies particularly when the conditions become slippery, having racked up 13 of his 16 WRC wins on gravel. “Obviously it ...Keep readingView the full article

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä emerged from an intense multi-crew fight with a slender Rally Finland lead after battling through tricky changeable conditions on Friday. There were question marks over the two-time World Rally Championship champion’s form having struggled on gravel this year, and despite not being overly comfortable with his “flat out” approach, it was enough to end Friday ...Keep readingView the full article

Kalle Rovanpera has rediscovered some form on gravel to lead Rally Finland in what proved to be an intense World Rally Championship fight for the lead on Friday morning. The two-time world champion has struggled on gravel this season but has found speed from his Toyota GR Yaris package to open up a 4.4s lead over Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux after four morning stages. Rovanpera clocked a ...Keep readingView the full article

NASCAR champion and Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch believes the World Rally Championship has the potential to crack America after receiving a taste of the series at Rally Finland. The 2004 NASCAR Cup champion and 2017 Daytona 500 winner made the trip to Finland to experience the WRC for the first time. The 46-year-old has been a long-time admirer of rallying and in 2014 competed in the Monza ...Keep readingView the full article

Sebastien Ogier says he would be interested in a World Rally Championship title bid and will consider doing more events if his impressive partial campaign continues. The eight-time world champion has enjoyed a stellar season to date having recorded three wins (Monte Carlo, Portugal, Sardinia) and two second place finishes (Canary Islands, Greece) from the five rallies he has contested thus ...Keep readingView the full article

Hyundai Motorsport has confirmed it will continue its factory World Rally Championship programme next year. The Korean marque’s future competing in rallying’s top tier has been the subject of speculation for several months. However, in recent weeks Hyundai’s management had been making positive comments regarding its 2026 future. On the eve of this week’s Rally Finland, Hyundai has ...Keep readingView the full article

The FIA is confident the World Rally Championship is on track to host a round in the USA in 2027 following its omission from the 2026 schedule. The WRC has long held an ambition to return to the USA for the first time since the 1988 Olympus Rally, with the project a key part of its plan to grow the category. Last year, the championship announced it had developed a “clear roadmap” to ...Keep readingView the full article

The World Rally Championship will once again be contested over 14 rounds in 2026, although much anticipated plans to host a round in the USA have not come to fruition. Next year the schedule will begin in Monte Carlo in January and end in Saudi Arabia in November, but will undertake a slightly different complexion compared to 2025. The most notable change sees Rally Japan moving from its ...Keep readingView the full article

A super special stage utilising the Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 circuit is being planned for the 2026 Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of next year’s World Rally Championship. Rally organisers have unveiled the planned route for the WRC’s traditional curtain-raiser, which will take place from 22-25 January, and is set to feature 17 asphalt stages. Among the stages planned is a return ...Keep readingView the full article

Oliver Solberg has “definitely proven” he is ready to make the step up to the World Rally Championship’s top flight after his Rally Estonia win, according to 2019 world champion Ott Tanak. Solberg’s sensational run to a maiden WRC Rally1 victory in Estonia has caused shockwaves in the world of rallying, with the achievement arriving on his debut driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car - ...Keep readingView the full article

Oliver Solberg has said his stunning maiden World Rally Championship victory at Rally Estonia was the ‘best day of his life’ and proof that never giving up after setbacks yields results. Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson shocked the rallying world by pulling off a commanding victory on debut for the Toyota factory team, after receiving a late call-up to its Rally1 squad for the fast ...Keep readingView the full article

Oliver Solberg stunned the World Rally Championship field to score a commanding maiden win on his Rally1 return in Estonia and deliver Toyota's 100th WRC victory. After receiving a call to join Toyota’s Rally1 ranks two weeks ago, WRC2 leader Solberg and his co-driver Elliott Edmondson delivered a masterclass performance claiming nine stage wins from the 20 fast gravel tests. It has come two ...Keep readingView the full article