Rally

Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli is currently the official tyre supplier to all categories within the WRC after winning the FIA’s last WRC tyre tender in 2019 to supply tyres from 2021 to 2024. This included the last season of the WRC generation car and the first three campaigns under Rally1 hybrid regulations.French brand Michelin had previously supplied WRC teams until the end of 2020 prior ...Keep readingView the full article

Suninen returned to rallying’s top tier last weekend after receiving a call up from Hyundai to drive the third i20 N Rally1 that has been shared between Dani Sordo and the late Craig Breen this season. Estonia marked Suninen’s first top-level WRC outing since standing in for Ott Tanak at Hyundai for the 2021 Rally Monza season finale after parting company with M-Sport mid-season during a ...Keep readingView the full article

1. Kalle Rovanpera at his very best is Sebastien Loeb-likeKalle Rovanpera racked up his 10th World Rally Championship victory of his already record-breaking career but last weekend's runaway performance was perhaps his best yet.The reigning world champion's slow start to his title defence this year raised questions that were answered by his dominant victory in Portugal, but his total domination in ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC is currently undergoing an extensive review in a bid to improve its appeal following recent criticism from drivers, teams and fans.A list of ideas put forward by stakeholders has been collated following several meetings over the last two months. The WRC Promoter and FIA are now working on a proposal of changes for 2024 that will eventually be tabled to the FIA World Motor Sport Council ...Keep readingView the full article

The high-speed gravel rally is likely to be omitted from the 2024 calendar with neighbouring Latvia already confirmed to be joining next year's schedule. Long-time European Rally Championship event, Rally Liepaja is expected to take Estonia's place.Estonia made its WRC debut in 2020 becoming the first rally of WRC's return from its hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic.The rally has since grown ...Keep readingView the full article

The Hyundai driver emerged as the best of the rest behind a dominant rally winner Kalle Rovanpera last weekend, finishing 52.7s behind the inspired Toyota driver who recorded 13 consecutive stage wins.While the gap to the winner was significant, Neuville delivered arguably his best showing on fast, smooth gravel stages since finishing second at Rally Finland in 2013.The surface has proved to be a ...Keep readingView the full article

Rovanpera produced arguably the most crushing WRC victory of his career to date to defeat Hyundai's Thierry Neuville by 46.5s on Estonia's fast gravel roads.The reigning world rally champion emerged in the rally lead on Friday despite opening the road. He then went unbeaten across Saturday and Sunday, racking up 13 consecutive stage wins mirroring similar displays by nine-time world champion ...Keep readingView the full article

The Toyota driver clinched his second win of the season in stunning fashion, beating Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by 52.7s after a streak of 13 consecutive stage wins.Rovanpera claimed maximum points after winning the rally-ending Power Stage as the Finn went unbeaten across Saturday and Sunday’s stages. The feat sparked comparisons to when Sebastien Loeb won all 12 stages to win the 2005 Tour ...Keep readingView the full article

Following the decision to cancel Saturday's RX1e races, a brief statement issued on Friday evening stated that World RX's second-tier RX2e championship and the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy would continue as planned but with no track action for the RX1e cars.A further update was issued late on Satuday evening that explained the decision "to permanently stop round four of the ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world champion remained in a class of his own to claim the three morning stages to increase his rally lead to 46.5s over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville.Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi managed to continue to hold onto third, increasing his margin over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by 9.1s ahead of the rally-ending Power Stage this afternoon.Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen remained in fifth (+2m12.7s) but ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world rally champion won all nine of the day’s stages held on Estonia’s fast gravel roads, to open up a 34.9s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville heading into Sunday.It is the first time the 22-year-old factory Toyota pilot has achieved the feat of nine consecutive stage wins in his WRC career.Rovanpera was never really threatened by his rivals throughout the day as he and ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world champion delivered his best display of the season to date to transform a 3.0s overnight advantage into a 34.9s over Hyundai's Thierry Neuville.Neuville lost 6.5s to a slow puncture during the morning loop but was unable to match the pace of the Toyota driver.Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi will head into Sunday with a 7.3s margin over Toyota's Elfyn Evans after an intense battle over ...Keep readingView the full article

Tanak was handed a five-minute penalty when his M-Sport team was forced to change the engine on his Ford Puma after it developed a significant fault during Thursday's shakedown before the rally had begun.Under the current regulations, WRC teams are restricted to two engines per chassis across the season as part of cost-saving measures under the Rally1 regulations introduced last year.The ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world champion delivered a perfect start to Saturday's high-speed gravel stages to extend his overnight advantage to 20.3s over Neuville, who lost time to a slow puncture.Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi edged Toyota's Elfyn Evans in an intense fight for third, as 1.9s separated the pair. Teemu Suninen maintained his fifth position (+1m02.0s) in the third Hyundai i20 N.M-Sport's Pierre-Louis ...Keep readingView the full article

On Friday morning a fire broke out at the Kent track which has wrecked Special ONE Racing’s entire paddock equipment and cars, including both Loeb and team-mate Guerlain Chicherit’s Lancia Delta Evo-E RX machines. Nobody was injured in the fire.Due to an ongoing investigation into the fire the World Rallycross track action and races scheduled for Saturday have been cancelled, with a review ...Keep readingView the full article

The reigning world champion made light work of sweeping the fast gravel stages to end Friday with a 3.0s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville heading into Saturday’s nine stages.Rovanpera’s surge to the rally lead included two stages wins in the afternoon despite facing the disadvantage of facing the rutted roads first. The 22-year-old’s stage winning performances provided another reminder ...Keep readingView the full article

Tanak has largely dominated the times to claim six of the event’s eight stages to date, winning five of Friday’s seven tests including a clean sweep of the morning loop.The performance would have translated into a rally lead had the 2019 world champion avoided a five-minute penalty for an engine change on Thursday before the rally begun.Tanak’s stirring effort in difficult circumstances has ...Keep readingView the full article

The Toyota driver appeared to make light work of opening the roads to end the day with a slender 3.0s lead over Neuville. Neuville assumed the rally lead on stage two and held the advantage until stage six when Rovanpera managed to overhaul the Belgian after claiming his second stage win of the event.However, M-Sport’s Ott Tanak delivered the drive of the day to win five of the seven stages to ...Keep readingView the full article

The Hyundai driver was reported to have started stage three late which left the Finn potentially facing a time penalty.However, Lappi has since explained that he started the stage on time but was briefly delayed due to a miscommunication with the startline marshals.Lappi headed to the stage start having lost hybrid power following a heavy landing in the day's opening test and was initially told he ...Keep readingView the full article

Hyundai driver Neuville produced head-turning speed on the fast gravel roads to leap into a 6.8s-lead over championship leader Kalle Rovanpera, having started the day sitting fourth overall.Rovanpera produced an impressive damage limitation drive considering the Toyota driver had to open the loose gravel stages.However, it was a determined Tanak, hit by a five-minute engine change penalty ...Keep readingView the full article