reporter

The Korean marque has faced a challenging start to the new hybrid Rally1 era as a series of issues have stymied the new i20 N on its competitive debut at this weekend’s Monte Carlo Rally. Hyundai made a slow start on Thursday with all three of its cars well adrift of their M-Sport Ford and Toyota rivals. While progress was made on extracting pace throughout Friday, all three of its drivers ...Keep readingView the full article

The M-Sport driver clinched a first stage win of his WRC career in style by beating multiple world champions Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier in their backyard in Monte Carlo. Greensmith has emerged as one of the star performers from the opening two days of WRC’s Rally1 hybrid era having quickly gelled with the new M-Sport-built Puma. The 25-year-old threatened the leading stage times on ...Keep readingView the full article

The nine-time champion quickly acclimatised to the WRC’s new hybrid era aided by a strong debut performance from the much anticipated M-Sport-built Ford Puma. Loeb won four of Friday's six stages to transform an overnight 6.7s deficit to reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier into a 9.9s lead heading into Saturday. The duo that share 15 Monte Carlo wins between them have the luxury of being ...Keep readingView the full article

Smith spoke Thursday night at the Wilkes County (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce’s 75th membership celebration. “The future of North Wilkesboro Speedway is bright,” he said. “There is a great opportunity to revive this fantastic venue to be, not just a race track, but a place that can host lots of events, a place that people will come to from far away and enjoy the community, enjoy the region ...Keep readingView the full article

Nine-time world champion Loeb claimed four of the day's six stages to turn around a 6.7s overnight deficit to eight-time champion Ogier into a 9.9s advantage heading into Saturday. Elfyn Evans dropped significant time on the final stage of the day to slot back into third, 22s adrift. Ogier started the afternoon 15.9s behind leader Loeb but a fightback on the final two stages of the day ...Keep readingView the full article

Hemric has one previous start in the Daytona 500, finishing 34th with Richard Childress Racing in 2019. The 2021 NXS champion will get another opportunity with Kaulig Racing, who he recently joined full-time for the 2022 Xfinity Series season. He won the 2021 title in a spectacular photo finish, beating Austin Cindric and winning his first race while taking the crown. Hemric will pilot the ...Keep readingView the full article

Burton, the 21-year-old son of former NASCAR star Jeff Burton, is taking the helm of the iconic No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford this season. The Wood Brothers – founded in 1950 – is the longest continuously operating Cup Series team in NASCAR history. The team has fielded Fords for many of the sport’s greatest stars, including A.J. Foyt, David Pearson, Neil Bonnett, Ricky Rudd and Bill ...Keep readingView the full article

Loeb and new co-driver Isabelle Galmiche dominated the trio of asphalt stages, held in tricky icy conditions, as the nine-time world champion quickly gelled with the new M-Sport Ford Puma. A series of strong times helped the pair climb to the lead after Ogier and Benjamin Veillas dropped 15.8s on the stage 5, after opting for a curious approach on the ice, allowing Evans to also leap into ...Keep readingView the full article

The M-Sport Ford driver misjudged a left hander resulting in his Puma ploughing into a rock face, triggering a series of rolls over the Armco barriers, with the car coming to rest 30 metres into a ravine. Luckily, Fourmaux and co-driver Alexandre Coria emerged unscathed from the crash but the Puma suffered significant damage. Fourmaux had been sitting fourth in the overall standings, 17.9s ...Keep readingView the full article

The opening stages held on mountain roads at night proved to be a battle of the two WRC legends that aren't contesting the full 2022 season, as eight-time champion Ogier and nine-time champion Loeb continued their earlier shakedown tussle. Ogier, eight times a Monte winner, once again showed his class on the chilly asphalt to open out a 6.7-second lead over Loeb, the seven-time Monte winner ...Keep readingView the full article

A short and narrow Sainte-Agnès/Peille shakedown stage provided the first glimpse of the new Rally1 cars in a timed environment as they completed final preparations for the rally which begins on Thursday night. Newly-crowned eight-time champion Ogier, partnered with new co-driver Benjamin Veillas following the retirement of his long-time partner Julien Ingrassia, clocked the fastest time after ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC is set for its most unpredictable season for decades courtesy of sweeping new Rally1 regulations, built around hybrid-powered cars. Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford have worked around the clock designing and constructing all-new cars from the ground up. Heading into this weekend's season opener it's unclear which team or driver has adapted to the new rules the best during the ...Keep readingView the full article

The newly-crowned, eight-time WRC champion will scale back his rally commitments to four or five rallies for Toyota this year, meaning he won’t defend his title as rallying’s top tier enters a new hybrid Rally1 era this season. Ogier revealed last year that he wishes to dovetail a partial rally programme in Toyota’s third GR Yaris alongside possible outings in the World Endurance ...Keep readingView the full article

The nine-time champion is set to make a return to the WRC this weekend having agreed a deal to pilot a fourth M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 at the famous Monte Carlo event he’s won seven times. Discussions regarding Loeb’s WRC return began midway through last year before talks concluded with an agreement for one event only as it stands. In order to take up the drive, Loeb was released from a ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC is set for a voyage into the unknown at this weekend’s Monte Carlo opener as Hyundai, Toyota and M-Sport Ford debut all-new hybrid cars built to Rally1 regulations. Such a seismic shift in the rules has left drivers unsure what will unfold on the famous Monte Carlo asphalt. Faced with the prospect of adjusting to hybrid power, reduced aerodynamics and simpler front and rear ...Keep readingView the full article

New Rally1 regulations centred on hybrid-powered cars have provided the series with arguably its biggest rules shake-up for a generation, and promise to deliver the most unpredictable season for decades. Last year the WRC said goodbye to its ‘modern Group B’ monsters, and the all-new 500bhp beasts are set to be unleashed on the world’s toughest stages. Toyota, Hyundai and a rejuvenated ...Keep readingView the full article

Gary Crotty, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief legal counsel, has been elected by the FIA General Assembly as one of 36 judges to serve on the FIA Courts. His term began Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2025. As a FIA judge, Crotty may be appointed to sit on the FIA International Tribunal or International Court of Appeal. The International Tribunal is the first instance level of ...Keep readingView the full article

Since making his debut in NASCAR competition in 2015 with Brad Keselowski’s Truck Series programme, the 23-year-old son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric has faced questions about whether his career advancement was tied to his pedigree. But since joining Team Penske’s Xfinity Series programme for his first race in 2017, Cindric has been one of the series’ top contenders, amassing 13 ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC’s two most successful drivers are set to do battle on the famous Monte Carlo asphalt, where they have shared 15 victories between them, for the first time since 2020. Newly-crowned eight-time champion Ogier is set to contest the event as part of a partial campaign for Toyota, following a decision to scale back his WRC commitments this year. He'll face off against nine-time champion ...Keep readingView the full article

Since making his debut in NASCAR competition in 2015 with Brad Keselowski’s Truck Series program, the 23-year-old son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric has faced questions about whether his career advancement was tied to his pedigree. Yet, since joining Team Penske’s Xfinity Series program for his first race in 2017, Austin has been one of the series’ top contenders, amassing 13 wins ...Keep readingView the full article

The WRC released a 13-round schedule last year including a tarmac TBC meeting to be held from 18-21 August, with Rally Northern Ireland strongly tipped to fill the slot. However, Motorsport.com understands that plans to host a rally out of Belfast are no longer viable for 2022. As a result, the UK will be once more without a WRC round this year, having been absent from the calendar since the ...Keep readingView the full article

The new M-Sport Ford signing saw his Monte Carlo pre-event test this week cut short after clipping a bridge parapet, which sent his Ford Puma off the road and into a roll down a 15 metre drop, before coming to rest on its roof. Luckily Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle were able to escape from the cockpit unhurt and M-Sport was able to retrieve the car from the mountainside with a crane and ...Keep readingView the full article

The Japanese marque unveiled its new weapon at the WRC’s official 2022 season launch at Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria, in front of new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Toyota has elected to continue with the same red, black and white factory livery that made its debut on the Yaris last season. However, to highlight the new Rally1 regulations there is clear hybrid branding on the flanks of ...Keep readingView the full article

The semi-works Ford squad has unveiled a bold new livery for its voyage into the WRC’s new hybrid era, with the team opting for a striking purple and blue colour scheme, featuring sponsorship from energy drinks manufacturer Red Bull. M-Sport was the first of the three WRC manufacturers to showcase its Rally1 prototype, choosing to launch at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed ...Keep readingView the full article

After dropping the best part of an hour behind Al-Attiyah with a mechanical failure and navigational drama in the first week, Loeb mounted a strong comeback in the second half of the rally, setting a series of quick times - including victory in Stage 8 - in a bid to unseat his Qatari rival. However, the gap to Al-Attiyah ultimately proved too large to overcome and he was forced to settle for ...Keep readingView the full article