Rally

Evans guided his Toyota GR Yaris to two fastest times from the three stages, to open up a 2.6s-lead over Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen, as the WRC endured a spectacular return to South America's gravel roads.M-Sport’s Ott Tanak headed to midpoint service in third, 0.1s adrift of Suninen, despite suffering a spin and loss of hybrid. Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera, who could seal a second world ...Keep readingView the full article

Lappi misjudged the final corner of the opening gravel test (Pulperia, 19.77km) which resulted in instant retirement from the first day of action from the championship’a return to Chile after a four-year hiatus.The Finn appeared to clip a concrete culvert with the front left which pitched his i20N into a series of rolls with the finish line in sight.Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm emerged from ...Keep readingView the full article

The Japanese marque is yet to make any official announcements regarding its plan for next season, with all of its drivers currently out of contract at the end of the year.Toyota’s management had stated its wish to maintain its driver line-up of world champion Kalle Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans, part-time driver Sebastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta into 2024.While contacts are yet to be signed between ...Keep readingView the full article

The British operation’s participation in rallying’s top tier was called into question during the Acropolis Rally earlier this month.Team founder Malcolm Wilson has since reiterated that M-Sport has no intention to stop its Rally1 programme and “will be doing whatever we can to try and find a way to stay in at the highest level”.The Ford-supported team has endured a challenging 2023 season ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world champion has an opportunity to seal a second consecutive world title this weekend, although the Finn rates his chances of achieving the feat as "small" heading into the gravel rally.Rovanpera holds a 33-point lead over his Toyota team-mate Evans with 90 points remaining from the final three events of the season.To successfully defend his world title this weekend he would need to ...Keep readingView the full article

The release of a new rally computer game is always a cause for celebration among motorsport gamers but the latest offering, EA Sports WRC, could actually help tackle a hot topic currently in the World Rally Championship.Barring the age-defying talent that is Kalle Rovanpera, who appears set to become a two-time world champion at the age of 23, the Finn is the only driver under the age of 25 ...Keep readingView the full article

The championship battle is realistically between Evans and Rovanpera now after Rovanpera increased his lead to 33 points over the former following a third win of the season in Greece earlier this month.With three rounds of the season remaining, reigning world champion Rovanpera can seal a second crown this week when the WRC heads to Chile.The Finn will need to win the rally and finish at least ...Keep readingView the full article

Establishing a return to the USA for the first time since 1988 has been a long-term ambition for the WRC, which is looking likely to come to fruition in the future through the Rally USA project, based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee.However, a move into China is also high on the WRC's wish list once it achieves its return to the USA.China has previously hosted a WRC round in 1999, won by then Toyota ...Keep readingView the full article

The 23-year-old Estonian and co-driver Siim Oja claimed third at Rally Nova Gorica, which also hosted the third round of the inaugural FIA Rally Star talent search competition. Organised and funded by the FIA, six driver and co-driver pairings have been selected from regional finals held across the world to tackle six European rallies this year behind the wheel of an M-Sport Ford Fiesta ...Keep readingView the full article

As reported earlier this month, the FIA ad WRC Promoter had asked WRC drivers to nominate a representative to join the WRC Commission to offer competitors a voice and feedback on key topics and possible regulation changes.The decision to create this new position has come in response to criticism from drivers and teams this year over concerns that championship’s appeal is diminishing.This has ...Keep readingView the full article

Following an initial reveal for EA SPORTS WRC, further information has been revealed. Gameplay has been shown for the first time in a preview video hosted by World Rally Championship journalist Molly Petit – who it transpires will also be a voice within the title.It's previously been confirmed that it uses the Unreal Engine technology platform for the graphics paired with an evolution of DiRT ...Keep readingView the full article

WRC Promoter has collated a raft of ideas over the last three months to improve the championship, having faced criticism from drivers concerned by the WRC's appeal and perceived lack of direction.These proposals are set to be discussed by the WRC Commission on Friday to decide which changes will be voted on by the FIA to be included at events next year.As previously reported, condensing events ...Keep readingView the full article

The 2019 world champion is out of contract for next season having penned a one-year deal with M-Sport Ford for the 2023 campaign, after leaving Hyundai with a year remaining on his contract.Tanak has endured a difficult return to the Ford squad that offered him his first full-time WRC season in 2012.The Estonian claimed victory in Sweden and finished second in Croatia, although those results are ...Keep readingView the full article

The eight-time world champion moved away from full-time competition after lifting the 2021 title with Toyota, and has since contested partial campaigns driving for the Japanese marque.Ogier has insisted during the last two years that he has no desire to return to full-time competition and has been enjoying the flexibility of a part-time campaign that allows him to spend more time with his family ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC is set to change its control rubber from 2025 after Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli announced last Friday that it had chosen not to submit a bid in response to the FIA’s 2025-2027 tyre tender. Pirelli won the previous tender supplying tyres to all WRC categories from 2021-2024, returning to rallying’s top level for the first time since 2010. Motorsport.com understands Michelin ...Keep readingView the full article

The Italian manufacturer is currently the official tyre supplier to all categories within the WRC after winning the FIA's last tender in 2019. Its deal to supply tyres from 2021 to 2024 included the last season of the WRC generation car and the first three campaigns under Rally1 hybrid regulations.The FIA launched a WRC tyre tender in July inviting tyre brands to submit their interest in becoming ...Keep readingView the full article

The moment many World Rally Championship fans have been waiting for – EA SPORTS WRC’s full car list has been published, and for the cognoscenti, it’s arguably one of the greatest collections of virtual time-based motorsport vehicles ever seen.The full list is below, courtesy of the game’s website, which covers 78 additions across 18 different classes. A stand-out highlight ...Keep readingView the full article

1. Rovanpera’s brilliance, resilience and lucky “buckaroo” momentKalle Rovanpera may have inherited the rally lead after Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier suffered suspension failures, but the reigning world champion thoroughly deserved his third win of 2023.The stats again outline what a special drive this was from the 22-year-old Toyota driver. Despite facing the ...Keep readingView the full article

The Finn was promoted to Hyundai’s third factory i20 N Rally1 car, shared with Dani Sordo, for WRC rounds in Estonia and Finland, filling the position left by the late Craig Breen.Last month the Korean marque revealed that Suninen will also be handed an opportunity for a third gravel rally when the WRC returns to Chile, for the first time since 2019, at the end of the month.PRIME: How the WRC ...Keep readingView the full article

There's no hiding from the fact that the World Rally Championship is entering a crucial phase as it wishes to establish its future, improve its appeal and attract more manufacturers. And last weekend's Acropolis Rally gave both the series and the FIA every incentive to ensure that its pathway is defined when the governing body's president Mohammed Ben Sulayem uttered the words the majority of ...Keep readingView the full article