Rally

The WRC runner-up in 2020 and 2021 has struggled to gel with the new hybrid Rally1 machinery as well as his teammates, most notably Kalle Rovanpera, who claimed six wins on his way to the WRC title. Evans ended the year without a victory for the first time since 2019, on the way to finishing fourth in the championship standings. The 33-year-old scored four second place finishes during the ...Keep readingView the full article

The former McLaren, Renault, Caterham and Lotus F1 driver switched to rallying full-time last year to compete in the Japanese Rally Championship, which he won this season, driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 alongside long-time co-driver Sae Kitagawa. Last weekend the duo took on their biggest challenge yet by contesting the WRC season finale in Japan, which used sections of stages the pair have ...Keep readingView the full article

The British team currently produces Rally2, Rally3 and Rally4 specification Fiesta rally cars, which has become a core part of the World Rally Championship squad’s business. Up until the move to Rally1 rules this year that prompted a switch to the Ford Puma body shape, the squad’s top level WRC cars from 2011 have employed the Fiesta body. Last month Ford announced that it will withdraw ...Keep readingView the full article

The eight-time world champion suffered a puncture while leading a WRC event for the third time this season in Japan, which effectively ended any hopes of adding to the win he secured in Spain last month. Ogier has raised concerns over the reliability of the Pirelli tyres this year, having suffered punctures in four of the six rallies he has contested during a partial campaign. Famously he ...Keep readingView the full article

Top Performer - Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were perhaps not the outright fastest pairing, but they made their impressive speed count when it mattered the most. The Hyundai duo were in the victory hunt from the start, and most crucially, avoided all the hazards that Japan's incredibly challenging twisty narrow roads could throw at ...Keep readingView the full article

Thierry Neuville headed teammate Ott Tanak, competing in his final outing for the manufacturer, to clinch victory as Japan returned to the WRC schedule for the first time in 12 years. Neuville had been locked in a fight with Toyota's Elfyn Evans for the majority of the rally before the latter picked up a puncture on Sunday morning, which allowed Hyundai to complete a memorable 1-2 ...Keep readingView the full article

The Japanese driver emerged as the leading Toyota at the WRC season finale, finishing third behind the Hyundai duo of Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak. Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston produced a strong drive through the new asphalt-based Rally Japan as the event returned to the WRC schedule for the first time in 12 years. The duo steadily climbed the leaderboard inheriting a place on the ...Keep readingView the full article

Neuville briefly came under pressure from Toyota’s Elfyn Evans on Sunday morning before a puncture for the latter on Sunday morning gifted Neuville a golden opportunity to prevent Toyota from scoring a victory on home soil. Despite a late heavy rain shower, Neuville and co-driver Wydaeghe went on to score their second win of the season by 1m11.1s from team-mate Ott Tanak, competing his ...Keep readingView the full article

Overnight leader Neuville came under pressure from Evans on Sunday morning as the Belgian witnessed his 4.0s lead reduced to just six tenths of a second. However, a puncture on the morning's second stage cost Evans almost two minutes, dropping the Welshman to fourth. Neuville headed into the final two stages with a comfortable 1m05.6s lead over team-mate Ott Tanak, while home hero Takamoto ...Keep readingView the full article

The Japanese marque has been developing a Rally2 specification GR Yaris for a more than year as it looks to establish a rally customer programme in the future. The FIA-devised four-wheel drive Rally2 formula has proved a popular and affordable class, which forms the basis of the World Rally Championship's second-tier WRC2 category. Rally2 cars also represent the top class in the European ...Keep readingView the full article

A car driven by a member of the public managed to enter Stage 4 on Friday, which was encountered by WRC2 drivers Sami Pajari and Emil Lindholm, before the stage was red-flagged. Both drivers managed to avoid a collision with the vehicle that was travelling in the opposite direction. The incident prompted the FIA to launch an investigation. A stewards report detailing the findings from a ...Keep readingView the full article

Neuville started the day 3.0s adrift of Evans with the gap increasing to 6.5s after a strong morning loop from the Toyota driver. However, a charging Neuville turned the tables across the afternoon stages to move into a 4.0s advantage heading into Sunday. Hyundai’s Ott Tanak headed to service in third (39.9s) having inherited the position after world champion Kalle Rovanpera dropped ...Keep readingView the full article

Toyota driver Evans managed to take time out his Hyundai rival Neuville on two of the morning’s three stages to move into a 6.5s lead after Saturday morning’s loop. Hyundai’s Ott Tanak climbed to third, 26.9s adrift of the lead, after newly crowned world champion Rovanpera picked up a right front puncture following a run in with a rock face. As a result of Rovanpera’s problems, local ...Keep readingView the full article

A car driven by a member of the public travelling in the opposite direction appeared during Stage 4, which was encountered by WRC2 drivers Sami Pajari and title contender Emil Lindholm. Luckily, an accident was avoided and no injuries were sustained. The incident occurred moments after M-Sport's Craig Breen understeered at a right-hander and subsequently crashed through an Armco barrier. The ...Keep readingView the full article

A fire broke out on Sordo's i20 N during Stage 2 (Isegami's Tunnel) which forced the experienced Spaniard to stop the car 16.1km into the stage. Sordo and co-driver Candido Carrera quickly escaped the vehicle before it became engulfed by flames. The pair attempted to extinguish the fire but the blaze became too severe, which resulted in WRC officials red-flagging the stage. The fire was ...Keep readingView the full article

The Toyota driver managed to clock two fastest stage times from the four completed stages on Friday, following the cancellation of Stage 3 and Stage 7. Evans earned a share of the lead with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville after the morning loop, before pulling out a 3.0s advantage over the Belgian in the afternoon. New world champion Kalle Rovanpera also claimed two stage wins to head into ...Keep readingView the full article

The duo returned to service having set an identical overall time after the first four stages of Rally Japan’s return to the WRC schedule for the first time since 2010. Newly crowned world champion Kalle Rovanpera ended the loop 0.7s adrift in third, with Ott Tanak fourth (9.7s) in his final appearance for Hyundai. Local hero Takamoto Katsuta battled handling issues to move into fifth ahead ...Keep readingView the full article

The Spaniard had been navigating through the opening stage (Isegami’s Tunnel 23.29km), when he was forced to stop his i20 N 16.1km into the test after reporting a burning smell. Sordo and co-driver Candido Carrera quickly exited the car before a large fire broke out engulfing the vehicle. Attempts were made to put the fire out but the blaze had become too severe. M-Sport’s Gus Greensmith ...Keep readingView the full article

The South Korean marque has moved swiftly to find a replacement for 2019 world champion Tanak, who exercised an option to end his deal with Hyundai a year early last month. Lappi is however expected to fill the seat vacated by the Estonian and join Thierry Neuville as the team’s two full-time drivers. The move will see Lappi leave Toyota having returned to the WRC’s top flight this year ...Keep readingView the full article

The 2019 world champion has emerged as the key figure in the 2023 WRC driver market following his shock announcement to part ways with Hyundai last month. Speculation regarding the Estonian's future in the championship has been building steadily across the season, with rumours hinting that he would leave the team emerging during the summer. The 35-year-old's early exit from Hyundai has ...Keep readingView the full article