WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2022
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2022
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22-01-21 Ogier and Loeb in battle royale
Sébastien Ogier outgunned arch-rival Sébastien Loeb as the two Rallye Monte-Carlo masters went head-to-head in a spectacular opening night of the FIA World Rally Championship season on Thursday.
Ogier, an eight-time winner in the French Alps, opened the series’ pioneering new hybrid-powered era by winning both speed tests in his Toyota GR Yaris to build a 6.7sec lead.
Snapping on his heels was seven-time Monte winner Loeb. In his first WRC drive for more than a year, the French master finished second in both stages in M-Sport Ford’s Puma.
It was hard to imagine a more daunting opening to the sport’s new generation. Two stages on winding roads in darkness, including the crossing of the iconic Col de Turini, with frost settling on the asphalt and drivers yet to learn the mix of electric and combustion engine power in competition.
“It didn’t feel so great in the first stage, there was a lot of humidity and frost in places,” explained Ogier. “It was a little better in the second one. We are just trying little things in the car and we are happy to be through.”
Loeb was the first of three pouncing Pumas in the top five and his performance turned the clock back to memories of his last Monte victory in 2013.
“We had a good start in the first one, but it was very tricky on the top with some white parts and ice,” he smiled. “I didn’t want to make a mistake on the ice so I was a bit too careful. The second one was hard on the tyres. I overheated them before the middle of the stage and struggled to keep the car in the right position.”
Elfyn Evans, championship runner-up in 2021, was third in another GR Yaris, the Welshman struggling to acclimatise to the additional hybrid power. He was third in both stages and returned to the overnight halt in Monaco 11.2sec off the lead.
Puma pilots Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith were fourth and fifth and separated by 4.0sec after rousing opening night drives. Just 6.6sec back was Thierry Neuville’s Hyundai i20 N. The Belgian gambled on tyre choice but struggled with overheating rubber and brake issues.
Craig Breen in seventh headed a downbeat Ott Tänak, whose ‘long list’ of woes included engine and hydraulic troubles in his i20 N.
Takamoto Katsuta was ninth in another GR Yaris, with Oliver Solberg completing the leaderboard despite a spin at the top of the Turini. He also endured intercom problems meaning he could not hear co-driver Elliott Edmondson’s pace notes.
Friday heads further north for two loops of three stages in the Mercantour National Park covering 97.86km. As if the challenge of the Alps was not enough for the first full day of hybrid action, there is no service from leaving Monaco in the morning until returning at night. Drivers must make do with a tyre change only in Puget-Théniers between loops.
Leading positions:
1. S Ogier / B Veillas FRA Toyota GR Yaris 25min 48.4sec
2. S Loeb / I Galmiche FRA Ford Puma +6.7sec
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +11.2sec
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +17.9sec
5. G Greensmith / J Andersson GBR Ford Puma +21.9sec
6. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 +28.5sec
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
22-01-19 WRC’s pioneering hybrid era breaks cover at Rallye Monte-Carlo
It's a fresh start for the WRC stars as new season begins in Monaco. The curtain is raised on a ground-breaking new FIA World Rally Championship era at this week’s Rallye Monte-Carlo as hybrid-powered cars launch the series into an exciting future.
Innovative new Rally1 cars blend a 100kW electric motor with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine as the WRC celebrates its 50th season with new regulations to drive the championship towards a more sustainable future.
Energy regeneration from the plug-in hybrid system, a 100 percent hydrocarbon fossil-free fuel and sustainable energy supplies are key to the WRC’s commitment to a greener outlook.
The new cars pack a punch. Peak performance will soar above 500hp on the mountain roads in the French Alps, while two Monte masters return to renew rivalries as the door opens on the new generation.
Sébastien Ogier, who clinched his eighth crown last year before stepping back to a part-programme, goes head-to-head with fellow Frenchman and arch-rival Sébastien Loeb, whose nine titles make him the sport’s most successful driver. Ogier has eight Monte victories compared to Loeb’s seven.
Ogier drives Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR Yaris with new co-driver Benjamin Veillas.
“I’m at the beginning of a different stage in my career and, as I’m not taking part in the full championship, the feeling is a little bit different to usual for me at this time of the year. But I’m still a competitor and I still want to win,” he said.
“I know the team has been working very hard to be ready with this new generation of car and big steps have been made in every test. It’s quite a big change and it’s an exciting challenge to try and adapt to that. There’s more uncertainty than ever going into this rally.”
Loeb hopes to pounce in his first WRC drive in more than a year in M-Sport Ford’s Puma. He starts less than a week after finishing second in Saudi Arabia’s desert at the Dakar Rally.
He is partnered by Isabelle Galmiche following the retirement of Daniel Elena, with whom Loeb has tackled every one of his previous 180 WRC starts.
“It’s a radical change of scenery after spending three weeks on the Dakar Rally!” quipped Loeb, who squeezed in a brief test at the start of the week.
“For this rally, I will certainly be less prepared than the other drivers, but the feeling with the Puma Rally1 was immediately very good and everything just came together,” he said.
Manufacturers’ champions Toyota also field 2021 drivers’ runner-up Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta steers a fourth GR Yaris in Toyota’s second-string squad.
Loeb is joined by new signing Craig Breen and Adrien Fourmaux at M-Sport Ford. Gus Greensmith drives a fourth entry.
Hyundai Motorsport is fired up after a disappointing 2021 campaign. Former world champion Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville and youngster Oliver Solberg pilot i20 N cars.
Unpredictable mountain weather means competitors can encounter snow, ice and dry asphalt within a handful of kilometres. Cunning tyre selection in such conditions is key and while the forecast suggests this might not be a true winter Monte, nobody will be lulled into a false sense of security.
The rally starts in Monaco’s refurbished Casino Square on Thursday evening. Crews will face 17 mountain stages covering 296.03km before Sunday afternoon’s finish there.
22-01-19 Säsongsstart i värstingklassen för Oliver Solberg
20-årige Oliver Solberg är med från start som fabriksförare för Hyundai Motorsport i WRC-klassen när årets Rally-VM går av stapeln i Monte-Carlo på torsdag.
Efter fyra VM-tävlingar som "lärling" i ett satellitteam 2021, står Oliver Solberg officiellt på första raden i den sydkoreanska bilfabriken tillsammans med teamkamraterna Thierry Neuville och Ott Tänak i den 90-åringe klassikern Rally Monte-Carlo.
-Det ska bli väldigt speciellt att köra den första tävlingen med officiella färger på kläder och bil. Det känns extra spännande att få vara med om allt från start och jag är helt klart väldigt förväntansfull. Det här är något jag har drömt om och arbetat för väldigt länge. Att få börja säsongen som en fullblodsfabriksförare är något helt fantastiskt, säger Oliver Solberg - den yngsta deltagaren i WRC-klassen (Rally1).
Planen är att unge Solberg ska dela teamets tredje Hyundai i20 N Rally1-bil med den spanske veteranen Daniel Sordo under hela säsongen.
I det 50:e världsmästerskapet i rally görs radikala tekniska förändringar. För första gången kommer hybridbilar att användas i VM-serien. Rally1-bilarna blandar en elmotor med 100 kilowatt prestanda och en tävlingstestad 1,6-liters turboladdad bensinmotor, som har drivit sportens toppbilar sedan 2011. Allt är uppbyggt kring ett uppgraderat säkerhetscells-chassi. Muskelpaketet når prestandanivåer till mer än 500 hästkrafter (tidigare cirka 350), samtidigt som de skadliga utsläppen minskar då alla Rally1-bilar kommer att köras med 100 procent hållbart bränsle.
-Jag tror att alla går runt och är exalterade över allt nytt. Man är ganska nervös över om man har förstått all teknik och hur den kan utnyttjas. Den första tävlingen kommer att ge svar på vem av förarna som har förstått det bäst av alla, säger Solberg.
Efter att ha slutat sjua i sin WRC-debut i Arctic Rally Finland förra säsongen, avslutade Oliver säsongen 2021 med en femteplats i ACI Rally Monza. Det var även första tävlingen med ny kartläsare Elliott Edmondson (27).
Rally Monte-Carlo innehåller totalt 17 specialsträckor fördelade på fyra dagar. De två första kör i mörker på torsdagskvällen. Säsongsöppningen avslutas tidigt på söndag eftermiddag.
Rally-VM 2022 består av 13 tävlingar fördelade på fyra kontinenter.
Efter säsongsinledningen i Monte-Carlo åker mästerskapet vidare till Umeå i Sverige om en månad. Säsongen avslutas enligt plan i Japan den 13 november.
22-01-15 FIA World Rally Championship’s new hybrid era hits top gear
Covers come off the all-new Rally1 cars during live Hangar-7 launch event. Star drivers and pioneering new hybrid cars delivered a high-voltage introduction to the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship in Austria on Saturday evening. The WRC’s ground-breaking new Rally1 cars from the three manufacturers gathered for the first time in Salzburg’s Hangar-7 as the 2022 season was launched five days before the opening round at Rallye Monte-Carlo (January 20-23). Here is all you need to know:
- In the presence of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, reigning champions Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford revealed their stunning all-new cars which will compete across 13 rounds on four continents.
- Among those attending were Toyota’s 2021 championship runner-up Elfyn Evans and team-mate Kalle Rovanperä, who became the youngest WRC rally winner in history last season.
- Also present were Hyundai’s lead drivers Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak. New M-Sport Ford signing Craig Breen appeared alongside the team’s hotly-tipped youngster, Adrien Fourmaux.
- In the championship’s 50th season, the WRC will undergo major environmental changes as new FIA technical regulations drive the series towards a more sustainable future.
- Plug-in hybrid-powered cars built around an upgraded safety cell chassis, 100 percent fossil-free fuel and sustainable energy supplies are key to the sport’s commitment to a greener future.
- The new hybrid cars blend a 100kW electric motor with a competition-proven 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which has powered the sport’s top-tier cars since 2011. The package raises peak performance levels to more than 500bhp whilst also reducing harmful emissions.
- President Ben Sulayem, a former WRC competitor himself, said: “Today’s launch of the new Rally1 era is a very proud and significant moment for the FIA, the entire rally family and I would like to congratulate WRC Promoter for delivering a great show at the start of the championship’s 50th anniversary season.
- “The enthusiasm for the FIA’s new technical regulations has been very much in evidence in recent months and the event further underlined the momentum coming from the teams and manufacturers, with Rallye Monte-Carlo just a few days away.
- “Beside the hybrid technology adding a new dynamic layer of performance combined with safety improvements, Rally1 cars will be using 100 percent sustainable fuel and work is also ongoing to achieve greater sustainability in the organisation of each round of the series. I look forward to an exciting season.”
- WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel welcomed the start of a ‘landmark period’ for the championship: “Tonight we’ve seen what the future of the WRC looks like. I applaud the manufacturers’ hard work and commitment in readying these amazing and innovative Rally1 cars for the WRC’s new era."
“This evening was a marvellous opportunity to showcase the WRC and exhibit the strong desire to create an environment where both fiercely competitive motorsport and the planet can thrive together.”
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