WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
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2024
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24-06-30 Rovanperä powers to phenomenal Rally Poland victory
Finn defies all odds to win the WRC’s seventh round on Sunday. Kalle Rovanperä claimed one of the most remarkable victories in FIA World Rally Championship history at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland on Sunday.
Reigning world champion Rovanperä, who is undertaking a selected programme of events in 2024, had never even planned to start this rally but was called upon by his Toyota GAZOO Racing team to replace Sébastien Ogier at the final hour. Ogier was sidelined by an accident during reconnaissance on Tuesday, leaving Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen with less than 48 hours to ready themselves.
Those frantic preparations didn’t seem to affect the Finn too much as he romped to his 13th career victory behind the wheel of a GR Yaris Rally1, heading team-mate Elfyn Evans by 28.3sec in a Toyota 1-2 after Hyundai rival Andreas Mikkelsen plummeted down the order on Sunday.
Rovanperä began the final leg 9.4sec in front of Mikkelsen, but the Hyundai driver’s bid for a second Rally Poland victory was foiled when he crawled to the end of the opening stage with a tyre off the rim. He tumbled to sixth by the finish as M-Sport Ford man Adrien Fourmaux completed the podium 14.4sec behind Evans.
“It’s been quite an amazing week,” smiled Rovanperä. “Definitely I have to say we have been working quite hard and we are really tired now. I think the best thing is we came here, and it was not a bad idea to come. We helped the team a lot and took a lot of points for the manufacturers’ championship, so we didn’t waste our time."
Mikkelsen was chasing his first victory since 2016 and led through Friday before slipping behind Rovanperä in the penultimate leg. The flailing rubber ripped his i20 N car’s rear wheel arch apart and the Norwegian chose to cruise through the closing stages.
“It was sad what happened today,” he said. “We were really unlucky. The right thing to do [after that] was to bring the car back for the team.”
The four-day rally was blessed with hot weather throughout and provided edge-of-the-seat drama as drivers traded tenths of a second on blisteringly fast roads.
Barring a tyre delamination on Saturday and a slow puncture in the finale, Evans fared well compared with his main title rivals. The Welshman overtook Ott Tänak to reclaim second in the drivers’ championship and cut Thierry Neuville’s lead to 15 points with six rounds remaining.
An unavoidable impact forced Tänak’s retirement on Friday morning but he restarted on the following days and was able to salvage 11 points from Super Sunday. His Hyundai colleague Neuville, meanwhile, won the Wolf Power Stage but finished fourth after sweeping the road clear of loose stones on Friday.
Puma star Fourmaux, who scored his third podium of the season, ended the rally 28.1sec clear of Belgium’s Neuville while Latvia’s Martinš Sesks delivered a mighty fifth-place finish on his top-flight debut. Sesks, who ran as high as second early in the event, was driving a non-hybrid Puma but will upgrade to a full-spec car for his home round next month.
Mikkelsen limped home over two minutes back from Rovanperä in sixth ahead of Grégoire Munster and Takamoto Katsuta. Ninth place went to Sami Pajari, winner of the WRC2 category, while Oliver Solberg capitalised on a puncture for Robert Virves to sneak into the top 10.
The WRC’s summer speedfest continues next month at Tet Rally Latvia, a brand-new round for the championship, which is based in Liepaja from 18 - 21 July.
Overall classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 37m 7.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +28.3s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +42.7s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 10.8s
5. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma +1m 47.0s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +2m 16.6s
Drivers' Championship standings (after round 7 of 13):
1. T Neuville 136
2. E Evans 121
3. O Tänak 115
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-06-30 Viktiga polska poäng för Solberg
Oliver Solberg kontrollerade säkert andraplatsen i Rally Polen och säkrade värdefulla poäng i kampen om VM-titeln.
Oliver anlände till Polen direkt från sin vinst i EM-tävlingen Royal Rally of Scandinavia på hemmaplan i Karlstad.
Efter fyra problemfria dagar i sin Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, tog Solberg flera värdefulla poäng i jakten på WRC2-titeln.
– Jag är nöjd med resultatet. Även om jag alltid vill vinna så måste man se tävlingen som helhet, ta positionen på vägen och allt annat i beaktande. Andraplatsen representerar hoppet och förväntningarna vi hade inför tävlingen, sa Oliver Solberg.
Tillsammans med kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson säkrade 22-åringen sin fjärde platsplats på de fem senaste starterna.
– Efter en jobbig fredag ??blev dagen därpå bättre. Bilen gav mig lite mer självförtroende och saker fungerade mer som vi vill ha dem. Vi började dagen på femte plats och kom ut i andra änden på andra plats.
Han säkrade sex sträcksegrar på de 19 specialsträckorna.
– Specialsträckorna sista dagen var inte riktigt lika snabba, men lite mer komplicerade och tekniska. Vi var runt en halv minut från ledningen och vi valde att vara vettiga i segerpressen. Vi kom hit för att samla viktiga poäng, och det har vi gjort, sa Solberg.
Om två och en halv vecka åker världsmästerskapet i rally till Lettland
24-06-29 Mikkelsen holds slender lead in Poland
Leading trio blanketed by 2.0s as title contender Tänak retires on Friday.
Andreas Mikkelsen found himself leading an FIA World Rally Championship round for the first time since 2019, heading Kalle Rovanperä by just 1.8sec after Friday at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland.
Just 7.7sec blanketed the leading five drivers at the end of a frantic opening day on super-fast gravel roads. Temperatures touched a humid 30°C in northern Poland although two stage cancellations meant that tyre wear was not much of a concern, even for those running soft compound rubber.
Mikkelsen set the early pace and stormed into the lead on the Stanczyki opener as his title-hunting Hyundai colleague, Ott Tänak – who had led following Friday evening’s super special – retired with front-end damage caused by an unavoidable impact.
The Norwegian star built a buffer of 7.4sec in his i20 N but came under attack from Toyota GR Yaris drivers Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans on the repeated afternoon loop when his late starting position offered less of an advantage on tracks already swept clear of loose gravel.
“I am happy with my day,” said Mikkelsen, who last led a WRC rally in Turkey in 2019. “I was too careful on the first stage after regroup so we will try to adjust for tomorrow.”
Toyota’s super-sub Rovanperä produced one of the drives of the day, pipping team-mate Evans in the final stage to head the Welshman by two-tenths of a second. The Finn was drafted in to replace Sébastien Ogier on Tuesday evening and even collected two stage wins despite having less than ideal pre-event preparations.
“It's quite funny; last night I was watching a [reconnaissance] video on the laptop and I fell asleep on the laptop,” he said. “I think we did a good job today [considering] the situation we are in.”
Evans posted top-three times for all but two stages and is currently poised to close the gap to title rivals Tänak and Thierry Neuville, whom he trailed coming into this seventh round of the season. Neuville, who currently leads the championship, faced slippery conditions on road-sweeping duties and ended down in seventh overall.
Martinš Sesks made a stunning start to his Rally1 debut, stopping the clock just 0.3sec adrift of Mikkelsen’s time on SS2 and holding second overall until midday. Driving a non-hybrid Ford Puma, the 24-year-old Latvian fell to fifth in the afternoon, trailing full-time M-Sport Ford driver Adrien Fourmaux by 0.2sec after yielding position to the Frenchman in the finale.
Grégoire Munster, also driving a Puma, ended 21.3sec adrift of the lead in sixth with Neuville a further 8.5sec behind. Eighth went to Takamoto Katsuta, who struggled to find a comfortable rhythm in his Toyota, while WRC2 frontrunners Sami Pajari and Kajetan Kajetanowicz completed the top 10.
Crews face seven more stages covering 124.10km tomorrow, including a third pass over the short super special stage next to the rally’s Mikolajki base.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N 59m 47.3s
2. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris +1.8s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +2.0s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +7.5s
5. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma +7.7s
6. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +21.3s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-06-26 Rovanperä to the rescue at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland
Kalle Rovanperä has been given just 48 hours to prepare for ORLEN 80th Rally Poland (27 – 30 June) after he was called in to replace Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier late on Tuesday.
While this week’s fixture did not originally form part of the Finnish youngster’s part-time 2024 WRC schedule, a dramatic Tuesday leading up to the event resulted in Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen boarding a plane late Tuesday evening to the rally’s base in Mikolajki.
Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais were forced to withdraw from this seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship after being involved in a road traffic collision during reconnaissance. Although Landais was discharged from the hospital on the same day, Ogier remained under observation overnight, before being discharged on Wednesday morning.
With the approval of the FIA and event stewards, Rovanperä will start the rally instead – joining GR Yaris Rally1 colleagues Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta as the Japanese manufacturer squad bids to overturn its 13-point deficit to championship leaders Hyundai. He has also been granted permission to complete the reconnaissance in an additional time, running into Thursday morning.
“It was good to hear at midday that Séb and Vincent were OK, that was the main thing,” reflected Rovanperä, reliving his Tuesday. “Then I got the call from Kai [Lindström – Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Sporting Director]. I was just changing some spark plugs on my jet-ski to go on the lake and he called…I knew what it was about.
“On a rally like this I would want to fight for the win, maybe this week it is not really so easy to do, but we will of course do our best to bring some good points for the team.”
Back on the calendar following a seven-year hiatus, Poland’s super-fast sandy roads host the first of three high-speed gravel rounds in a row. One main aiming to pick up exactly where he left off is Thierry Neuville, winner last time here and current leader of the championship.
Neuville, who teams up with Ott Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen in a three-strong Hyundai i20 N Rally1 attack, arrives to Mikolajki 18 points clear of Tänak and Evans and is eager to make amends for an error at the previous round in Italy.
“Rally Poland is an event that I really enjoy,” he affirmed. “Starting first could be a huge advantage or disadvantage depending on how much cleaning of the road we will be doing, but we will have to see when we get there. We expect to be consistent and fast to bring home some decent points for all three championships.”
M-Sport Ford has set its sights on a return to the podium after a strong opening half of the year. In addition to Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, the British team fields an additional Puma Rally1 car for Latvia’s Martinš Sesks on his top-level debut. Sesks, who was already showing off his skills at a special demonstration event in Warsaw last Sunday, will drive a non-hybrid Puma this week before upgrading to a full-spec car for his home round in Latvia next month.
The rally begins Thursday evening and includes 19 special stages totalling 303.16km before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
24-06-23 WRC set for Paraguay debut in 2025
WRC Promoter signs long-term agreement to bring the FIA World Rally Championship to Paraguay.
Paraguay will become the 38th country to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship when the South American nation joins the calendar in 2025*.
The announcement was made on Saturday evening in the Paraguayan capital Asunción by President Santiago Peña at the Ceremonial Start of Petrobras Rally Transchaco 2024 – the third round of the Paraguayan national championship.
“Paraguay is big, and the world is in the process of discovering us and hosting world-class events such as the WRC, is yet another way to show the world our greatness,” expressed President Peña.
The significant multi-year agreement realises WRC Promoter's long-held ambition to returning to two events annually in South America.
Paraguay boasts a strong rallying heritage with the sport thriving in the heart of South America. Gustavo Saba was a regular face in Argentinian rounds of the WRC throughout the 2010s and, more recently, Fabrizio Zaldivar has become an established WRC2 competitor while Diego Dominguez is among the Junior WRC and WRC3 title favourites. The last 11 editions of the FIA CODASUR South American Rally Championship have also been won by Paraguayan drivers.
WRC Promoter’s proactive approach in creating a more sustainable pathway for the future of rallying played a major role in Paraguay bidding to be part of the championship. Paraguay generates 100 per cent of its grid electricity from sustainable resources, echoing the sustainable ethos of the WRC, which sees all cars run on 100 per cent fossil-free fuel.
“We have been in discussions with Paraguay already for a number of years and I am incredibly pleased to see this agreement across the line,” expressed WRC Senior Event Director Simon Larkin, who was on-site to mark the special announcement.
“There is no questioning the nation’s passion for rallying and we cannot wait to transmit this passion, as well as Paraguay’s spectacular scenery, around the world.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "Welcoming Paraguay to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2025 is a fantastic opportunity for the series and all its stakeholders to explore new horizons. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my friend Hugo R. Mersan Galli, Chairman of the Touring y Automóvil Club Paraguayo, and his team, for their efforts in developing our sport, to the organisers of Rally Paraguay and to the President of Paraguay Mr Santiago Peña for his invaluable support."
Based out of the touristic southern city of Encarnacion on the Paraná River, the rally is set to welcome masses of fans from across the border in Argentina, as well as from across the South American continent. Stages will take place throughout the Itapúa region which annually hosts a round of the FIA CODASUR South American Rally Championship on red gravel roads running parallel to the spectacularly stunning Parana River.
Exact dates will be confirmed in due course.
*Subject to World Motor Sport Council approval.
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It showcases high-performance hybrid-powered cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden’s freezing winter to Kenya’s heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles at 13 rallies. More information can be found at wrc.com
24-06-02 Tänak claims shock Italy win in joint-closest WRC finish
Ogier finishes 0.2sec behind after heartbreak in Rally Italia Sardegna’s final stage on Sunday.
Ott Tänak claimed a shock victory at Rally Italia Sardegna on Sunday afternoon after late agony for long-time leader Sébastien Ogier.
The Estonian, driving a Hyundai i20 N, celebrated his maiden success of the season when a damaged tyre in the final rough road speed test denied Ogier a third consecutive FIA World Rally Champonship victory.
Having traded blows with Tänak early in the rally, Ogier led since Saturday afternoon in his Toyota GR Yaris. The Frenchman began the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage with a 6.2sec advantage but ended 0.2sec behind after the deflation slowed him in the closing kilometres.
"There is not much I can do," he said. "That's life. I think we deserved more than that but at least Ott has done a good rally as well."
Today marks the joint-closest finish in WRC history, matching the result of Rally Jordan in 2011. On that occasion, Ogier was on the other side of the ledger and held off his now team boss Jari-Matti Latvala.
Tänak, who scored his previous win in Chile last year, was humble in victory. He faced similar heartbreak on the very same stage in 2019 when a power steering failure cost him a guaranteed win.
“For the emotion it’s good, but obviously I am very sorry for Seb. To lose a win like this is cruel and I’ve been in exactly the same position myself a couple of years ago.”
Dani Sordo made it two Hyundai cars in the top three, helping the Korean marque to remain in the lead of the manufacturers’ championship. The 41-year-old was initially out of sorts but climbed the order as drivers ahead of him hit trouble.
One of those drivers was his team-mate Thierry Neuville, whose podium bid went awry when he slid off the road on SS8. Neuville’s consolation was that he claimed the full 12 points from Super Sunday and retained the driver’s series lead.
Elfyn Evans’ feeling inside his GR Yaris was not optimal for the rough gravel roads but, while he ended almost three minutes back from the lead in fourth, the Welshman did succeed in reducing Neuville’s buffer from 24 to 18 points. He and Tänak now sit on identical scores.
Consistency rewarded Puma youngster Grégoire Munster with a fifth-place finish. His M-Sport Ford team-mate Adrien Fourmaux ran as high as third early in the rally before retiring in Friday’s final test with an electrical fault.
Such was the level of attrition that WRC2 machinery filled the remaining top 10 positions, with Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver Sami Pajari claiming the WRC2 win and sixth overall. Behind him were Yohan Rossel, Jan Solans, Martin Prokop and Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
High-speed action awaits the WRC drivers at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland later this month. The gravel event returns to the series for the first time since 2017 and takes place from 27 – 30 June.
Overall classification:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N 3h 06m 5.6s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +0.2s
3. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +2m 25.8s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +2m 37.8s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +6m 42.9s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +7m 13.4s
Drivers' Championship standings (after round 6 of 13):
1. T Neuville 122
2. O Tänak 104
3. E Evans 104
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-06-01 Ogier’s Saturday charge leaves Tänak trailing in Italy
Frenchman closes on third consecutive win as championship leader Neuville crashes out.
Sébastien Ogier is on course to claim a remarkable third FIA World Rally Championship victory in succession after distancing Ott Tänak on Saturday’s gruelling second leg at Rally Italia Sardegna.
The eight-time WRC champion will start Super Sunday with a 17.1sec advantage over Hyundai i20 N rival Tänak after a turbulent day which included four lead changes and saw championship leader Thierry Neuville bow into the retirement.
Fortune initially favoured Tänak when overnight leader Ogier’s decision to carry only one spare wheel for the morning tests backfired. A deflated tyre forced him to use the same set of rubber for three increasingly rough and abrasive stages and, after trading positions three times, he trailed the Estonian by 3.5sec at the mid-leg tyre fitting zone.
In the afternoon’s legendary stages around Monte Lerno, however, Ogier threw caution to the wind. With Tänak’s pace fading and the 2019 title winner hinting that he was being instructed to play it safe, Ogier stormed back into the lead after just one stage and proceeded to post a trio of benchmark times in his GR Yaris.
A successful Sunday for Ogier would follow back-to-back victories in Croatia and Portugal, and could see the Frenchman confirm his place as the most successful driver in Rally Italia Sardegna history.
"It has been a positive day, and an even more positive afternoon,” he smiled. “This morning's stages were very rough, but I enjoyed the afternoon so much more and it was a pleasure to drive the car.”
Thierry Neuville arrived in Sardinia with a 24-point championship lead over Elfyn Evans and looked set to increase that margin after climbing from fifth to third early in the day. However, his podium hopes went awry when he misjudged a braking point in SS8, sliding his Hyundai off the road and into retirement.
Takamoto Katsuta was elevated to the podium as a result, but the Japanese driver's time inside the top three was short-lived. His Toyota developed a transmission issue which proved terminal on SS9.
The drama up front opened the door for Dani Sordo to complete the leading trio in another Hyundai. Despite struggling to find his rhythm, the Spaniard trailed team-mate Tänak by almost two minutes with Evans a further 30.5sec behind. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five in an M-Sport Ford Puma while WRC2 leader Sami Pajari held sixth.
Sunday’s finale is based north-west of Alghero and includes two loops of two tests, ending with the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage, which finishes amid spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea. The four stages cover 39.30km.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 39m 43.2s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +17.1s
3. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +2m 12.8s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +2m 43.3s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +5m 28.8s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +5m 38.5s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-31 Ogier stars to lead Rally Italia Sardegna on Friday
Frenchman carves out slender lead as championship frontrunners Neuville and Evans struggle.
Sébastien Ogier delivered a near-perfect performance to lead Hyundai Motorsport rival Ott Tänak after Friday’s all-action opening leg at Rally Italia Sardegna.
Ogier capitalised on the increased traction offered by his late starting position to win two of the four sun-kissed gravel speed tests in his Toyota GR Yaris, opening an early 4.5sec advantage over i20 N driver Tänak in this sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The Frenchman’s only blot on the day was an overly cautious first drive through Sedini-Castelsardo, where he yielded 5.9sec to Tänak whilst trying to conserve tyres. In the end, Pirelli’s hard compound rubber stood up to the test of the Mediterranean holiday island’s high heats and rocky roads.
"It's good,” smiled Ogier. “It’s been extremely rough and demanding for the tyres and I am happy that we made it because it was challenging with only five tyres.”
Tänak went fastest on SS2 and, despite losing hybrid boost on two occasions, second place overnight marks the Estonian’s strongest start to a rally so far this season.
His team-mate Dani Sordo completed the podium a hefty 28.7sec behind after grabbing the position when M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux suffered a tyre delamination on SS3. Fourmaux later retired with an electrical issue.
While fourth went the way of Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, it was a testing afternoon for championship frontrunners Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans. They held fifth and sixth respectively after starting first and second on the sandy roads where grip was at its lowest.
A leaking tyre on his GR Yaris during SS1 only compounded Evans’ frustrations as he ended the day almost one minute adrift of the lead.
“That has definitely been the hardest day you could imagine to open the road on in Sardinia,” exhaled Hyundai star Neuville, who headed Evans by 24 points in the drivers’ standings before this round. “A tough day for us, but [we will] carry on.”
Grégoire Munster trailed Evans by 11.9sec in seventh overall while Sami Pajari led the WRC2 category as well as holding eighth.
Saturday is the longest leg with 149km of competition and no opportunity for midday service. The morning features double runs of Tempio Pausania and Tula, while the afternoon includes stages in the Monte Lerno area with the breathtaking Micky’s Jump.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 53m 43.1s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +4.5s
3. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +33.2s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +34.5s
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +36.6s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +57.3s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-12 Record-breaking Ogier powers to sixth Portugal win
Frenchman keeps Ott Tänak at bay as Thierry Neuville extends WRC lead on Sunday.
Sébastien Ogier became the first driver to achieve six Vodafone Rally de Portugal victories on Sunday, powering to glory 7.9sec clear of his Hyundai Motorsport rival Ott Tänak.
The Frenchman is now the most successful driver in the 56-year history of the event, which was a founding round of the FIA World Rally Championship back in 1973. Ogier previously shared the record with Finnish WRC legend Markku Alén before his triumph today.
Five different drivers led the gruelling gravel fixture, which utilised roads near the northern Portuguese cities of Porto and Matosinhos and drew attendance from tens of thousands of passionate fans.
Ogier seized the top spot on a tumultuous Saturday, during which his Toyota GR Yaris team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled out of the lead and Takamoto Katsuta retired his similar car with shattered rear suspension.
He headed the i20 N car of Tänak by 11.9sec arriving into Sunday’s four-stage finale and stayed cool to keep the Estonian at bay, soaring high over the legendary Fafe jump to round out this fifth round of the season in style.
"I had nothing against being tied with Markku Alén," Ogier smiled. "He is a legend, but I heard for many years 'when will you beat this record?'
"It was a not a great weekend for the whole team, but it was a good rally for us and I am glad we could bring some points."
Second place marked Tänak’s best result since re-joining Hyundai at the beginning of the year. The additional seven points he earned for topping the Super Sunday classification helped move him ahead of Adrien Fourmaux to third in the championship standings.
Championship wise, it was also a strong weekend for Thierry Neuville, who filled the final podium spot 1min 1.9sec behind his Hyundai colleague. Belgian star Neuville extended his drivers’ series lead to 24 points over Elfyn Evans after the Welshman endured a torrid week, finishing down in sixth having nursed a coolant leakage late in the day.
Fourmaux climbed from fifth to fourth, passing the Hyundai of Dani Sordo on SS19 and pulling more than a minute clear of the Spaniard by the end. The M-Sport Ford youngster has finished all five rallies so far this year, gracing the top five on all but one occasion.
Evans’ coolant leak forced him to crawl out of SS21 in EV mode and exacerbated what had already been a challenging outing for the GR Yaris driver. On Friday his co-driver Scott Martin resorted to reading pace notes from a mobile phone after misplacing his physical book, and the crew failed to post a single top-three stage time.
Citroën C3 Rally2 driver Nikolay Gryazin took seventh overall ahead of Jan Solans, who was the best-placed WRC2-registered driver in eighth. Solans edged Josh McErlean by just 3.2sec while Lauri Joona completed the top 10.
Competitors face more hot weather and rough roads as the WRC moves to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia later this month. Rally Italia Sardegna is based in Alghero from 30 May - 2 June.
Overall classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3h 41m 32.3s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +7.9s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 9.8s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 47.8s
5. D Sordo C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +2m 48.9s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +6m 36.0s
Drivers' Championship standings (after round 5 of 13):
1. T Neuville 110 points
2. E Evans 86
3. O Tänak 79
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-12 Chaotic Saturday puts Ogier in line for record sixth Portugal win
Frenchman surges ahead as Toyota team-mates hit trouble on penultimate day.
Sébastien Ogier stands on the cusp of surpassing Markku Alén’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal record - providing he can maintain his lead over Hyundai Motorsport rival Ott Tänak on the event’s final day tomorrow (Sunday).
A tumultuous Saturday at the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship’s fifth round wreaked havoc among some of the series’ top drivers, reshuffling the leaderboard and granting Ogier an 11.9-sec overnight lead.
The Frenchman’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team began this penultimate leg with all guns blazing, locking out the podium after a near-perfect opening day. However, their fortunes took a dive early this morning when Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta both faltered on the brutal gravel terrain.
Overnight leader Rovanperä looked poised to tighten his grip on the top spot after blitzing the Felgueiras opener, but he misjudged a right-hander in Montim shortly afterwards and rolled out of contention. Katsuta’s exit was less dramatic but equally devastating: a rearward impact shattered his GR Yaris Rally1 car’s suspension as the Japanese driver battled for third.
Toyota’s hopes rested on Ogier’s shoulders. He tussled for the lead with Tänak and briefly relinquished the position on Amarante 1 before going back in front when the Estonian nursed a deflated tyre in the following stage.
Although Tänak maintained the pressure with benchmark times over the first two stages of the repeated afternoon loop, Ogier responded with a brace of stage wins to widen the gap.
Victory for Ogier on Sunday would be his sixth in Portugal. At present he jointly tops the event’s roll of honour with Italian legend Markku Alén, known for his dominance with Fiat and Lancia in the 1970s and 80s.
“It's been a good day,” said Ogier. “A tricky one, we didn't expect so many things happening today. Unfortunately on Toyota’s side it was not a perfect day. For me it was good, but we lost two cars.
“We have to try and finish the job tomorrow now,” he added.
The drama up ahead brought good news for Thierry Neuville, who ended the day 59.5sec behind team-mate Tänak having climbed from sixth to third. With main title rival Elfyn Evans languishing in sixth, Neuville is poised to extend his championship lead and his Saturday standing will earn him 13 points providing he completes Super Sunday.
Neuville overtook Dani Sordo in the first stage of the day but the Spaniard kept touch with his colleague, ending the day 14.2sec further back to make it three Hyundais in the top four.
Behind Sordo by only 7.3sec was M-Sport Ford hotshot Adrien Fourmaux, who held a comfortable buffer of almost two minutes to Evans. Evans struggled to get into a rhythm with his GR Yaris, and an early spin exacerbated his challenges.
Rally2 cars filled the remainder of the leaderboard, with Nikolay Gryazin sitting seventh in his Citroën C3. Jan Solans was the first of the WRC2-registered drivers while Josh McErlean and Yohan Rossel completed the top 10.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3h 1m 55.8s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +11.9s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 11.4s
4. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +1m 25.6s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 32.9s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +3m 23.8s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-11 New agreement confirms Portugal's continued WRC legacy
WRC Promoter commits to a further two years in Portugal.
WRC Promoter and Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) have sealed a new deal which guarantees Vodafone Rally de Portugal's position in the FIA World Rally Championship calendar until at least 2026*.
The agreement, announced today (Friday 10 May), follows an electrifying opening day of action at round five of the 2024 season that drew tens of thousands of spectators to the stages in and around the vibrant northern Portuguese cities of Matosinhos and Porto.
Vodafone Rally de Portugal stands as the pinnacle of sporting excellence in the country, generating in excess 60 million Euros for the nation's economy. With extensive free-to-air live coverage on Portugal’s national broadcaster RTP and every stage broadcast on long-standing WRC partner SportTV, the event captivates audiences nationwide.
Having been a cornerstone of the WRC since its inception in 1973, the rally holds esteemed status as one of the championship's enduring classics and is cherished by competitors and fans alike.
“It is a big pleasure for me to confirm 2025 and 2026,” asserted ACP President Carlos Barbosa. "We have an exceptional relationship with the promoter in terms of the event and the activations around it. Over the past 20 years Rally Portugal has asserted itself as one of the best rallies in the world."
“Vodafone Rally de Portugal has once again earned its position on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. This is a deserved recognition and we hope it continues for many years to come,” added WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel.
*Subject to approval by the FIA World Motorsport Council
24-05-10 Rovanperä swoops to Friday lead in Rally de Portugal thriller
Finn heads Toyota podium lockout as top four blanketed by just 5.4sec.
Kalle Rovanperä overcame a challenging Friday to lead a frenzied see-saw battle for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal top spot.
The Toyota-driving Finn topped the fifth round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship by a mere 1.0sec from team-mate Sébastien Ogier on a day marked by five different stage winners, resulting in the top four crews being separated by just 5.4sec.
Rovanperä initially languished in fifth overall after a lacklustre opener but posted top-three times in the remaining seven tests, confidently climbing the standings despite reporting excessive understeer in his GR Yaris.
He seized the lead after overtaking early pacesetter Takamoto Katsuta on the afternoon's second test at Lousã and went fastest on the penultimate stage at Arganil, but Ogier’s blistering run through the Mortágua finale narrowed the gap and intensified the pressure.
“It has been a great battle the whole day,” admitted Rovanperä “I could not do much more [in the last one] because my tyres were in such bad condition at the rear and it was just about surviving.
“[The battle] is only fun if you are winning, so let's see!”
Tyre management played a crucial role. Pirelli's soft compound rubber was favoured for this morning's sandy surfaces, while hard tyres came into play in the afternoon when the repeated stages were rougher and temperatures higher.
Ogier’s late surge propelled him from fourth to second overall. He could have potentially led overnight were it not for an intercom failure during SS5 and a loss of hybrid power on SS8.
Katsuta lived up to his promise to push hard from the outset, clinching the Mortágua 1 stage win as well as setting top-three times on both runs of Arganil. He was happy to bring up the rear of a Toyota 1-2-3 overnight despite falling 3.7sec behind Ogier, while Ott Tänak completed the day just 0.7sec further back in fourth after admitting to a "not nice" feeling behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 N.
Although Toyota enjoyed a successful day, misfortune befell title-hunting GR Yaris driver Elfyn Evans, whose co-driver Scott Martin resorted to using his mobile phone to access a digital copy of their pace notes after misplacing the physical book before SS7. Their frustrations were compounded by a tyre being pushed off the wheel rim in the same stage, costing the British pair almost a minute.
That turn of events was a boon for championship leader Thierry Neuville, who headed Evans by six points before this round.
Despite facing the challenge of opening the road and sweeping a cleaner and faster line for those running behind, Neuville managed to stay in touch with the leaders and ended 0.2sec behind his Hyundai colleague Dani Sordo in sixth. Sordo lost hybrid power for SS5 but still managed to win three of the day's eight stages.
M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux headed Evans on his return to the Matosinhos service park while Grégoire Munster and WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg completed the top 10.
Saturday hosts the longest leg of the rally, with 145km of action packed into two loops of four stages before the Lousada super special stage concludes the day.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. K Rovanerä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1h 25m 0.4s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +1.0s
3. T Katsuta / A Johnston Toyota GR Yaris JPN +4.7s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +5.4s
5. D Sordo C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +17.9
6. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +18.1
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-08 Title-winning team-mates go head-to-head in Portugal
Superstars Rovanperä and Ogier in action as Neuville bids to extend his WRC lead.
Fireworks are guaranteed at Vodafone Rally de Portugal this week (9 – 12 May) as FIA World Rally Championship superstars Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier go head-to-head for the first time this season.
The title-winning team-mates form part of a four-strong Toyota Gazoo Racing line-up for round five of 2024, which is based close to the city of Porto and kicks off a run of seven gravel-based fixtures in a row.
Eight-time title holder Ogier, who received the Legion of Honour medal from French President Emmanuel Macron last week, is a Rally de Portugal expert and tops the event’s roll of honour with five victories to his name. But Rovanperä, the reigning world champion for two years running, is aiming to catch up to his colleague and has claimed victory in the rally's past two editions.
They join Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, and Takamoto Katsuta in identical GR Yaris Rally cars, eager to extend Toyota’s seven-point lead in the manufacturers’ standings. Katsuta will score points for the drivers' championship only.
“I’m excited to be returning to Portugal after a year away,” Ogier said. “The atmosphere is always great there and I look forward to that.”
“Of course, our aim will be to try and win again this year, but it’s never easy,” added Rovanperä. “All of the top drivers know the stages quite well, so the pace is usually pretty high and it can be quite a close fight there.”
At the top of the championship and leading Friday’s running order is Thierry Neuville, currently six points clear of Welshman Evans. The Belgian is hoping for a wet start to the rally, as dry weather will mean he is tasked with sweeping a cleaner and faster line for those following his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 onto the stages.
“Road conditions and position will make a huge difference to how we perform,” he explained. “Whenever it’s raining we will be fast, but when it’s dry we will struggle more because everyone knows the stages well.”
Neuville is joined in the team by 2019 WRC champion Ott Tänak plus Spain’s Dani Sordo, who starts his first rally of the season and the 210th of his career.
Adrien Fourmaux is looking to utilise the confidence he gained from his maiden Wolf Power Stage win in Croatia last month to fuel his performance on the Portuguese stages, which are characterised by roads that vary from soft and sandy to rutted and rocky. He teams up with fellow youngster Grégoire Munster, hailing from Luxembourg.
The rally starts on Thursday and coincides with the Beyond Rally Forum on 9 May, during which WRC Promoter will present an in-depth exploration of its Sustainability Roadbook. This roadmap sets out actionable steps for sustainability initiatives as the championship strives towards a sustainable future.
Competitors tackle 22 stages spanning nearly 340km before reaching the finish on Sunday afternoon.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-05-07 Mästerskapsledaren Solberg vill slutföra jobbet
Oliver Solberg hoppas på en blöt start i Rally Portugal när 22-åringen kör för att överta tronen ensam i toppen av mästerskapet.
Inför säsongens tredje VM-tävling är Oliver i delad VM-ledning tillsammans med franska Yohan Rossel i mästerskapets näst största klass.
– Jag skulle vilja ha regn, speciellt den första dagen. Vi är bland de första på vägen i vår klass och om det håller sig torrt kommer greppet att bli bättre för våra konkurrenter som startar senare än oss. Men blir det blött så blir förhållandena mer likvärdiga, säger Oliver Solberg.
För ett år sedan ledde han VM-tävlingen i Portugal, men fick en minuts tidsstraff för att ha brutit mot reglerna vid Lousadas specialsträcka. Till sist förlorade han kampen om segern med 1,2 sekunder
Han förväntar sig en tuff fight om segern.
– Konkurrensen i den här tävlingen är kanske den tuffaste under hela säsongen. Många mycket duktiga förare deltar, några av dem med nya bilar. Jag tror att vi har speeden vi behöver för att vinna. Med ett toppresultat har vi goda chanser att ensamma leda mästerskapet. Det är målet för helgen, säger 22-åringen.
Solberg och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson kör en Skoda Fabia RS Rally2-bil i WRC2-klassen. Hittills i år har duon tagit seger i Sverige och andraplats i Kenya.
Rally Portugal startar på torsdag och avslutas på söndag efter 22 specialsträckor.
24-04-23 Ogier snatches Croatia Rally victory on extraordinary Sunday
Frenchman pounces as Neuville and Evans suffer heartbreak on final day.
Sébastien Ogier jumped from third to first overall on a dramatic Sunday at Croatia Rally, claiming a surprise win as Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans faced heartbreak.
After three days of neck and neck competition on spectator-packed asphalt roads around capital city Zagreb, victory looked set to be decided between Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N, and Welshman Evans in a Toyota GR Yaris. However, as they headed into the second stage of this final day separated by just 2.6sec, the tables suddenly turned.
A late pace note meant overnight leader Neuville arrived too fast into a left-hander and slid wide before riding up a bank and into a tree. The impact destroyed his Hyundai’s rear aerodynamics package but, more importantly, cost him almost 25sec.
Unaware of his rival’s problem, Evans misjudged a tightening right-hand bend in the very same stage and spun, dropping 20sec as he tried to get his car pointing in the right direction. It meant that Ogier, who had occupied third place since the opening stage on Friday morning, suddenly gained a 9.1sec lead with two stages remaining.
Unlike his peers, Ogier would make no such errors and kept Toyota team-mate Evans at bay – celebrating his second Croatia Rally triumph by 9.7sec along with a milestone 100th WRC podium.
"It's been a tough weekend,” admitted Ogier, who was co-driven by Vincent Landais. “We knew coming here that our start position would be an issue, but we never gave up and kept the pressure on for the whole weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many moments in one rally, but it's nice to get the win for the team.”
Toyota’s 1-2 result extended the Japanese marque's lead in the manufacturers’ championship to seven points over Hyundai. But all was not lost for Neuville, who nursed his battered car to the end 36.1sec behind Evans in third.
The 18 points Neuville earned by leading on Saturday evening helped to retain his drivers’ series lead, and he heads Evans by six points after round four of 13.
“It is what it is,” Neuville reflected. “We had a great few days, but unfortunately today didn't go so well. At the end we're taking important points so it's not so bad. We would have liked to push harder in the Power Stage but these cars without a rear wing are undriveable.”
Ott Tänak had a high-speed scare in SS18 when his Hyundai mounted a grass embankment, but the Estonian recovered quickly to secure a fourth-place finish. He initially faced pressure from M-Sport Ford hotshot Adrien Fourmaux before the Frenchman plummeted down the order after damaging his Puma’s steering, hitting an anti-cut marker on the same test that caught out Neuville and Evans.
Takamoto Katsuta claimed the maximum seven points available for being the fastest driver across Super Sunday, climbing to fifth in his Toyota after Fourmaux’s troubles. Andreas Mikkelsen and Grégoire Munster were sixth and seventh while Rally2 runners Nikolay Gryazin, Yohan Rossel and Sami Pajari completed the top 10.
WRC turns to gravel next month for Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Round five of the season is based in Matosinhos and takes place from 9 – 12 May.
Overall classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 40m 23.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +9.7s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +49.8s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +58.6s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston Toyota GR Yaris JPN +1m 55.5s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen Hyundai i20 N NOR +4m 1.0s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 4 of 13):
1. T Neuville 86pts
2. E Evans 80pts
3. A Fourmaux 59pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-04-17 WRC leader Thierry Neuville seeks redemption at Croatia Rally
Belgian driver aims to shake off his recent slump in the Balkan capital city.
Points leader Thierry Neuville is in need of a change of fortunes if he is to stay ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Elfyn Evans at Croatia Rally this week (18 – 21 April), round four of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship.
Neuville, who drives an i20 N Rally1 car for Hyundai Motorsport, opened his season in fine fashion by winning Rallye Monte-Carlo, but issues in Sweden and Kenya have prevented the Belgian from recording a podium finish since.
He arrives in the capital city Zagreb eager to reverse his fortunes and secure a much-needed win to maintain his six-point lead over Welshman Evans, who triumphed here last year.
“Croatia is one of the most demanding Tposearmac rallies I have ever competed in,” he said. “There are lots of blind corners, crests and jumps – something very unusual for a Tarmac event.
“Finishing in the top three is crucial to maintaining the championship lead, [but] our biggest target is to push for a top-step finish.”
Attended by over 300,000 spectators in 2022 and 2023, Croatia Rally presents a unique mix of surfaces ranging from smooth asphalt to badly broken concrete.
Fluctuating grip levels on the undulating roads pose a challenge and, despite the overall high speeds, narrow passages and numerous blind crests and turns demand a cautious approach from competitors. Weather adds another layer of complexity to the already demanding conditions as, if it rains, the surface becomes muddier and slipperier with each car that passes.
It’s a rally that has previously suited Toyota well, with Japanese machinery topping the podium in every edition since 2021. Eight-time world champion and past winner Sébastien Ogier joins Evans in the GR Yaris line-up, as does Takamoto Katsuta.
Hyundai fields three cars for Neuville, Ott Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen while M-Sport has entered a pair of Puma Rally1s for Adrien Fourmaux, currently third in the points, and Grégoire Munster.
Just three years ago, Fourmaux raised eyebrows when he took a Fiesta World Rally car to fifth overall on his top-flight debut in Croatia. This time he starts the rally fresh from back-to-back podiums in Sweden and Kenya, eager to net his maiden victory.
The rally starts in Zagreb on Thursday (18 April). Ahead lie 20 stages totalling 283.28km before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-31 Pride of the plains Kalle Rovanperä takes dominant Safari Rally win
Toyota driver celebrates victory on Sunday after mastering Kenya's tough terrain for the second time.
Kalle Rovanperä became a two-time winner of Safari Rally Kenya on Sunday afternoon after he finished the legendary African fixture with a 1m 37.8s victory margin having led since Friday morning.
In by far the most gruelling FIA World Rally Championship round so far this season, it was Rovanperä’s meticulous balance of both speed and maturity that ultimately secured his 12th career victory.
The Finn, co-driven by Jonne Halttunen, built a lead of almost one minute after winning all of Friday’s rock-strewn stages around Lake Naivasha, then kept his nose clean to end Saturday two minutes clear as the chasing pack ran into mechanical troubles and tyre damage.
That buffer allowed the two-time WRC champion to drive for a finish in Sunday’s final leg, which culminated amid stunning scenery at Hell's Gate with Kenyan President William Ruto in attendance.
Takamoto Katstuta completed a Toyota GR Yaris 1-2 as the Japanese marque extended its manufacturers’ championship lead to four points over Hyundai Motorsport, while M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux bagged his second consecutive podium 47.3s behind.
“It’s always special to win here,” Rovanperä beamed. “Also, a legendary event for Toyota. We’ve always been so good here and that’s continuing. Like they say in Africa: the car in front is always a Toyota!
“A big thanks to the team, everybody made a big effort to make the car work so well. I think me and Jonne did a good job, I don’t think you can have a better Safari Rally than we did. No issues, clever driving and I think it was a good effort.”
Elfyn Evans ended Friday in contention for a podium but a fraught Saturday, which saw the Welshman stop twice to carry out stage-side wheel changes, meant he finished over four minutes back from his team-mate Rovanperä in fourth overall. He remains second in the drivers’ championship behind leader Thierry Neuville, who trailed him by almost six minutes in fifth.
Neuville now heads Evans by six points but endured a troublesome week aboard his Hyundai i20 N. Fuel pressure problems on Saturday cost the Belgian several minutes and suspension damage on Sunday, inflicted by a rock on the racing line, added insult to injury. His colleagues, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak fared worse.
Lappi’s problems included two broken gearboxes over the course of the week while Tänak could only climb back to eighth overall behind WRC2 runners Gus Greensmith and Oliver Solberg after his car sustained broken suspension on Friday.
Completing the top 10 were gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis in a Puma and Škoda Fabia Rally2 star Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
The WRC returns to asphalt for next month's Croatia Rally which takes place from 18 - 21 April. The event is based in capital city Zagreb.
Overall classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 3h 36m 4.4s
2. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 37.8s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 25.1s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +4m 20.2s
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +10m 17.5s
6. G Greensmith / J Andersson GBR Škoda Fabia +18m 5.4s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 3 of 13):
1. T Neuville 67pts
2. E Evans 61pts
3. A Fourmaux 46pts
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-31 Punktering "grusade” chansen till seger, men utökad ledning
Två punkteringar skilde Oliver Solberg från segern i helgens Safari Rally Kenya, men Solberg utökade sin totalledning i rally-VM.
Mästerskapsledaren Solberg var väl nöjd med Safari-prestationen även om det inte blev någon seger.
Punktering på den tredje (1.51,5 minuter efter) och fjärde specialsträckan (1.46,8) förstörde segerchansen. I mål var britten Gus Greensmith med svenske kartläsaren Jonas Andersson 1.23,1 minuter snabbare än Solberg. Teamkamraten i Skoda vann VM-tävlingen i näst största klassen (WRC2).
Oliver Solberg och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson var snabbast eller näst snabbast på varje etapp där de inte fick punktering. Av 17 problemfria sträckor vann duon 11.
– Jag får vara nöjd med det här resultatet, men jag är förstås också är lite besviken. Jag kom hit för att vinna, men samtidigt är det bra att öka ledningen i mästerskapet, sa Oliver Solberg.
22-åringen vann förra VM-tävlingen på hemmaplan i Sverige.
– Chansen till seger gick förlorad första dagen. Även om punktering på två sträckor efter varandra är ren otur, visste vi att Safari Rally bjuder på överraskningar och spänning. Det är en del av den här tävlingen, sa han.
Solbergs nästa WRC2-start är inte helt fastställd. Det enda som är klart är att 22-åringen inte kommer till start i nästa tävling i VM-kalendern, Rally Kroatien.
– Vi måste vara strategiska kring programmet. Jag vill verkligen vinna titeln den här säsongen. Allt är riktat mot det målet. På så sätt är andraplatsen i Kenya en framgång, sa Oliver Solberg.
24-03-30 Kalle keeps it clean on Saturday to close in on Safari triumph
Finn avoids trouble on drama-filled penultimate day in Kenya.
Kalle Rovanperä took a significant step towards clinching his second Safari Rally Kenya victory, steering clear of trouble while his WRC counterparts encountered difficulties on Saturday.
Amidst the most eventful day of this FIA World Rally Championship season thus far, which was marked by fluctuating conditions ranging from dry and dusty to wet and muddy, Rovanperä was one of few stars to enjoy a clean run. He widened his lead to an impressive 2m 8.9s as drivers including Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta faced significant setbacks.
Despite dominating every stage the previous day, Rovanperä adopted a more conservative approach on Saturday's roads near Lake Elmenteita, located south of the rally's Naivasha base. He initially headed Toyota GR Yaris team-mates Evans and Katsuta until the pair fell behind after sustaining punctures in the morning.
Thierry Neuville emerged as Rovanperä's closest threat, but his challenge was short-lived after his Hyundai i20 N encountered a fuel system issue during the afternoon’s first stage at Soysambu. Neuville dropped more than two-and-a-half minutes as he nursed the problem through the remaining two stages, which opened the door for Katsuta to reclaim the runner-up spot ahead of M-Sport Ford Puma man Adrien Fourmaux.
Rovanperä’s Saturday standing will earn him 18 points provided he completes Sunday’s stages. Katsuta will receive 15 while Fourmaux, who ended 3m 13.3s off the lead, gets 13.
"The lead is now quite good,” said the two time world champion, “so of course we took it carefully.
“It's not so enjoyable when you have a big lead and in a stage like [Sleeping Warrior] you just go around every rock, it's scary. Tomorrow is still a tough day and we will try to finish the job.
Fourmaux survived a front-left tyre delamination in the final stage and is now on track to secure his second top-three finish in consecutive rallies following his maiden podium in Sweden. He led fourth-placed Evans, who suffered a total of four punctures, by over two minutes.
A visibly upset Neuville completed the top five more than 11 minutes adrift of the leading pace with WRC2 frontrunners Gus Greensmith and Oliver Solberg behind.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz was eighth ahead of Jourdan Serderidis and Ott Tänak, who restarted following his Friday retirement. Tänak faced further problems which included a loose bonnet pin, malfunctioning intercom and excessive dust inside his Hyundai, but remains within touching distance of the two drivers ahead of him.
Sunday’s finale features three stages - each run twice - covering both sides of Lake Naivasha.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 48m 50.2s
2. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 8.9s
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +3m 13.3s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +5m 35.6s
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +11m 48.6s
6. G Greensmith / J Andersson GBR Škoda Fabia +15m 2.0s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
23-03-29 Unstoppable Rovanperä leads Toyota top three in Kenya
Finnish star dominates Friday as Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak retire.
Kalle Rovanperä dominated Friday’s opening leg of Safari Rally Kenya to build a 56.9-second lead on a dream day for his Toyota Gazoo Racing team.
The Finn, winner of the FIA World Rally Championship for two years running, was simply untouchable as he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen romped to fastest times on all six of Friday’s rugged gravel speed tests around Lake Naivasha.
His team-mates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta made it a GR Yaris 1-2-3, the Japanese marque capitalising on what unravelled into a disastrous afternoon for rival team Hyundai Motorsport after its drivers Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak bowed into retirement.
Lappi had been Rovanperä’s nearest challenger at the day’s midpoint, but a transmission failure sidelined his i20 N car in the first stage after service. That elevated Tänak to second until his similar machine stopped in the following Geothermal test with broken steering after hitting a rock.
Evans and Katsuta were on hand to pick up the pieces and complete Toyota’s podium lockout. They were split by just 3.9s after Evans moved ahead in the final stage of the day.
“I have to be happy with that,” Rovanperä smiled. “For sure, on the last one the conditions were quite rough, and I think from every car [the ruts] get a bit deeper in places. I didn't take any risks and I was going around all the stones to try and keep the car in one piece. I would have loved to go even faster, but at this point this is okay!”
Championship leader Thierry Neuville became Hyundai’s only hope, although the Belgian encountered troubles himself with tyre damage in SS3. The flailing rubber punched a hole in his Hyundai’s bodywork, forcing the Belgian and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe to don goggles and dust masks for the final stage of the morning.
A more positive afternoon saw Neuville edge closer to podium position. Beaten only by Rovanperä in Kedong 2, he trails Katsuta by a mere 6.5s heading into Saturday’s penultimate leg.
M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux had to contend with his Puma surfing on its sump guard in some of the rougher sections, but he coped well to hold fifth after a relatively clean day. The Frenchman ended almost two minutes back from the lead with team-mate Grégoire Munster – contesting his first Safari in Rally1 machinery – a similar distance behind.
With Oliver Solberg hampered by tyre troubles, Gus Greensmith built a commanding lead in WRC2 and also placed seventh overnight. Jourdan Serderidis, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Solberg completed the top 10.
Saturday is the longest day of the rally and features six stages totalling 160.96km. Up first is Soysambu, which starts at 08:01 (local).
Leading positions after Friday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1h 16m 22.6s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +56.9s
3. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 0.8s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 7.3s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 46.6s
6. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +3m 34.2s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-28 President William Ruto welcomes WRC to Kenya
Head of state gets into the Safari Rally spirit as Thierry Neuville wins opening stage on Thursday.
Kenyan President William Ruto launched the 71st edition of Safari Rally Kenya from Nairobi, the capital city, today (Thursday 28 March). The event marks the third round of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.
Dressed for the occasion in WRC-branded racing overalls, Ruto flagged away the leading crews as they drove over the ramp in downtown Nairobi. From there, the cars headed to the rally-opening super special stage at the nearby Kasarani Stadium where thousands of fans were vying for every possible vantage point.
Neuville, who carries a three-point championship lead into this round, edged his Hyundai i20 N partner Ott Tänak by a single tenth over the 4.84km opener, while reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä completed the top three just 0.7s further back.
Having recorded two non-finishes in Kenya from three previous attempts, Neuville is well aware that the going will get tougher from Friday onwards.
"It will be a challenging event,” he affirmed. “Our fingers are crossed that, this time, we can get through without any technical problems or mistakes. I think we are well prepared, and I am feeling good in the car, so it's always good to start a rally like this.”
Africa has been home to two of Takamoto Katsuta’s four WRC podiums. Driving a Toyota GR Yaris identical to Rovanperä’s, he dropped just 0.9s whilst posting the fourth-best time ahead of Hyundai rival Esapekka Lappi.
Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, went sixth-quickest in his Toyota with M-Sport Ford Puma youngster Adrien Fourmaux following closely behind. Gus Greensmith set the pace in WRC2, taking eighth overall in a Škoda Fabia RS, while Grégoire Munster and Oliver Solberg completed the top 10.
The action resumes at 08:15 local time on Friday morning with the first of the day’s six stages. The biggest challenge will be the 31.50km Kedong test, which makes up the finale of the morning and afternoon loops.
Leading positions after Thursday:
1. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3m 19.9s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +0.1s
3. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +0.7s
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +0.9s
5. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Hyundai i20 N +1.5s
6. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1.7s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-27 WRC’s most gruelling challenge awaits at Safari Rally Kenya
Africa beckons as the WRC hits gravel for the first time this season.
This week's Safari Rally Kenya (28 – 31 March) promises to deliver one of the most arduous tests since its triumphant return to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar three years ago.
After a six-week break since navigating the sub-zero forests of Sweden, drivers and teams now face a completely different challenge as round three of the season begins on Thursday amidst the captivating plains and vibrant wildlife of Africa.
This year’s Safari Rally has been strategically moved forward in the calendar to reclaim its historic March slot, aligning perfectly with Kenya’s rainy season. Pre-rally downpours muddied some of the roads during recce, and many of the cars are running snorkels – which allow the engine to breathe - to deal with potentially flooded sections.
In Kenya, all eyes are on Toyota Gazoo Racing. The GR Yaris Rally1 team has won every edition since 2021, and even claimed a sensational top-four sweep here 12 months ago. Despite its formidable track record, however, Toyota is still searching for its first triumph of the season.
Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä will each hope to change that. Rovanperä topped the podium in 2022, while Katsuta – who hails from Japan – has netted an impressive two podiums from three Safari starts.
Hyundai Motorsport stands ready to challenge Toyota's African supremacy, and to extend its success streak with i20 N drivers Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi. Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Neuville currently leads the drivers’ championship by three points from Evans, while a hungry Lappi recorded his second career victory last time out in Sweden.
M-Sport Ford enters Kenya on a high after young Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux scored his maiden podium at the previous round. The British team fields a trio of Puma Rally1 cars for Fourmaux, Grégoire Munster and gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis.
The rally starts in capital city Nairobi on Thursday lunchtime. Ahead lie 19 gruelling special stages around Lakes Naivasha and Elmenteita covering 367.76km before Sunday afternoon's finish in Naivasha.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-03-25 WRC stars stunned by Magical Kenya
Safari Rally Kenya launches with up-close wildlife encounters in the breathtaking Maasai Mara.
The legendary Safari Rally Kenya began with a unique twist as the FIA World Rally Championship’s (WRC) top drivers embarked on an extraordinary safari adventure in the world-renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Leading drivers including current championship leader Thierry Neuville of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team and second-placed Elfyn Evans of Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team immersed themselves in a complete two-day safari experience alongside M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster and the WRC2 pairing of Nicolas Ciamin and Yannick Roche.
Away from the intense rally schedules, the drivers bonded amidst Kenya’s breathtaking landscapes, immersing themselves in the rich and colourful Maasai culture and indulging in once-in-a-lifetime encounters with the region’s iconic wildlife.
Highlights included a hot air balloon ride at sunrise, providing panoramic views of rhinoceroses and elephants in their stunning natural habitat. They were also treated to close-up encounters with lions, water buffalo, giraffes and hippopotamuses, among other awe-inspiring creatures.
“It has been a great experience, it was a really nice welcome,” expressed Neuville. “The hot air balloon was the highlight. In such a beautiful landscape it was very unique.
“It was beautiful scenery and a great experience getting very close to the elephants.”
For Evans, it was an opportunity to do something out of the norm. He said: “It is a different experience to normally when we travel, especially in Europe, so [it was] nice to do.”
Meanwhile, Munster appreciated the chance to bond with his fellow competitors outside of the rallying environment. The Luxemburg driver said: “When you are on the rally between stages you don’t have a lot of time to really socialise and you have a bit of pressure and a lot of mechanical stuff to do. So here, having two days just to socialise and experience things you wouldn’t do normally, is quite nice.”
Accompanying the WRC stars was Kenya’s Principal Secretary of Tourism John Ololtuaa, who emphasised the significance of showcasing Kenya’s natural beauty to the world.
“It is important that [the drivers] came to the Maasai Mara.” Ololtuaa said. “We wanted them to experience the beauty that is here. It becomes part and parcel of projecting to the world what we have as Kenya.”
The rally official starts on Thursday (28 March) from the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi.
24-03-23 Oliver Solberg vill nå toppen ensam
Seger i tävlingen och utökad ledning i rally-VM är Oliver Solbergs mål i kommande helgens Safari Rally Kenya.
Skoda-fabriksföraren och kartläsaren Elliott Edmondson anländer till Naivasha i Kenya i delad ledning i mästerskapets näst största klass (WRC2).
Fransmannen Yohan Rossel vann säsongens första VM-tävling i Monte-Carlo och delar förstaplatsen med Solberg.
Grundliga förberedelser och intensiva ansträngningar på varenda specialsträcka krävs för att säkra de eftertraktade 25 VM-poängen som en seger ger.
– Safari Rallyt är en unikt tävling på VM-kalendern. Det gör en enorm skillnad att ersätta snö i Sverige med extrem värme i Afrika. Varje sträcka kan upplevas som helt olika tävlingar, säger Oliver Solberg.
Solberg vann förra VM-tävlingen. På sin hemmatävlingen i Sverige skapade han också rallyhistoria genom att bli den första WRC2-föraren att avsluta en tävlingsdag (första dagen) bland de tre bästa totalt i tävlingen.
VM-tävlingen i Afrika är säsongens tredje av 13. Den körs över 19 specialsträckor och 368 kilometer fördelade på tre dagar. 22-åringen har startat Safari Rally Kenya tre gånger. Två av dem slutade han bland de tio bästa totalt i respektive klass.
24-03-11 Rally Islas Canarias set to join WRC Calendar in 2025
The FIA World Rally Championship is set to visit Canary Islands in the next two seasons, marking the championship's return to Spain.*
The FIA World Rally Championship is set to return to Spain next season to take on the fast-paced asphalt roads of the Canary Islands, it was announced today (Monday 11 March).
Following in the footsteps of Tet Rally Latvia and ORLEN 80th Rally Poland, both of which have used the pathway of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) to join WRC in 2024, Rally Islas Canarias will move from the ERC to WRC in 2025 and 2026.
First run in 1977, Rally Islas Canarias has continuously been part of the ERC since 2016 and in 2026 will celebrate its 50th edition, as part of the pinnacle of rallying. It is intended to run exclusively on Gran Canaria in 2025, before expanding to include other islands for its 50th anniversary.
Today's announcement was made in front of media on Gran Canaria and, in addition to WRC Promoter and Todo Sport, was attended among others by Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo, President of the Island Council of Gran Canaria Antonio Morales and FIA World Motor Sport Council Member and Real Federación Española de Automovilismo (RFEDA) President Manuel Aviñó.
“Bringing the Rally Islas Canarias to the WRC has been the reward for many years of work. It was a goal desired by several generations, and now, together with WRC Promoter, it has become within reach,” expressed Germán Morales, CEO of the event promoter Club Deportivo Todo Sport.
“Since adding the European Rally Championship to our portfolio of championships, we have been left with little doubts about the capabilities of the rally management team to run this rally next year on the WRC calendar,” expressed WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel.
“We are enthusiastic about having Spain back on the WRC calendar and are encouraged to see our clearly defined strategy to have an opportunity for ERC events to have a pathway to WRC coming to fruition as Rally Islas Canarias follows on from Latvia and Poland in 2024.”
Moving from the ERC to WRC calendar will have the added benefit of the expected influx of thousands of fans who will make their way to the popular European holiday destination, combining the fast-paced action on the blistering-quick stages with a kickstart to their summer.
The rally promises smooth, twisting asphalt surfaces which rise and dip across the volcanic inlands. While coastal temperatures are renowned for favourable year-round beach-going weather, drivers need to be prepared for changeable weather conditions as the stages snake their way through the islands’ mountainous interiors.
The WRC most recently visited Spain in 2022 when the rally was based out of the Catalunyan beachside resort of Salou.
*Pending World Motor Sport Council approval
24-01-28 Masterful Neuville opens 2024 campaign with victory in Monte-Carlo
Belgian keeps Sébastien Ogier at bay to bank his 20th FIA World Rally Championship win.
Thierry Neuville celebrated his 20th world rally win at Rallye Monte-Carlo on Sunday afternoon, banking a perfect score of 30 points alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe.
The Hyundai i20 N star opened his 2024 FIA World Rally Championship title bid with a sublime performance in the French Alps, mastering the ice-patched mountain roads to head Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sébastien Ogier by 16.1sec.
Neuville shrugged aside early engine issues before launching an attack on Saturday, overtaking both Ogier and his GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to storm into the lead with a slender 3.3sec advantage. A clean sweep of fastest times in Sunday’s final leg cemented his position ahead of the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner.
"I don't have the words, to be honest,” beamed an elated Neuville after finishing the final stage on the iconic Col de Turini. “It was just so great this weekend, I felt so comfortable in the car.
“The whole team was doing an amazing job and I think the whole package was working really well. There are always things to improve so of course we need to continue working, but we are very happy to win this rally,” he added.
Ogier led for a single stage on Saturday afternoon, but the Frenchman could not repel Neuville despite his best efforts. “It's been a nice battle with Thierry. Well done to him, he has been really fast this weekend,” he admitted.
Evans held the upper hand after the first two legs but time ebbed away from him on Saturday, not helped by a hybrid unit problem. He eventually finished 29.1sec behind his team-mate Ogier.
Ott Tänak placed fourth on his first rally back in Hyundai colours. Mystery engine problems hindered the 2019 WRC champion throughout the rally although a stage win on Saturday morning proved his potential with the i20 N car.
Adrien Fourmaux equalled his career-best result by finishing fifth overall in his M-Sport Ford Puma. Behind him was Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen, with Takamoto Katsuta almost three minutes further back after sliding off the road on Friday.
Yohan Rossel claimed the WRC2 victory with a last-gasp Wolf Power Stage push, climbing to eighth overall in the process. He passed Pepe López in the finale while Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top 10. Jan Cerný took victory in WRC3 and Mauro Miele won the WRC Masters Cup, while López topped the WRC2 Challenger standings.
Round two of the WRC takes place on the snow and ice of Sweden. The series' only pure winter fixture is based in Umeå on 15 – 18 February.
Overall classification:
1. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3h 9m 30.9s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +16.1s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +45.2s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 59.8s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +3m 36.9s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +5m 34.6s
Drivers' championship standings (after round 1 of 13):
1. T Neuville 30pts
2. S Ogier 24pts
3. E Evans 21pts
24-01-28 Oflyt i VM-genrepet för Oliver Solberg
Oliver Solberg visade upp sig med fyra sträcksegrar i Rally Monte-Carlo, men två punkteringar förstörde chansen till en topplacering i genrepet till fighten om VM-titeln.
22-åringen fortsatte att imponera i säsongens första VM-tävling som avslutades i hamnen i Monaco på söndagseftermiddagen.
Tävlingen i Monte-Carlo räknades inte med i mästerskapet för Oliver Solberg, så ett sämre resultat i helgen påverkar alltså inte hans mästerskapssäsong.
Under fredagen tog Skoda-föraren fyra segrar på de totalt sex specialsträckorna med sin Fabia RS Rally2 och höll en fjärdeplats totalt i den näst största klassen. Men dagen efter bjöds på två punkteringar i snabb följd och bara ett reservhjul.
– Det var vårt eget val att bara ta med ett reservhjul. Om vi ??hade haft två hade det varit bra och vi kunde ha fortsatt tävlingen. Men reglerna är tydliga; du måste ha fyra däck med luft på bilen, sa Oliver Solberg.
Tävlingen tjuvstartade med två specialsträckor i mörker på torsdagen.
– Det var utmanande att hitta komforten och känslan i bilen. Vi gjorde lite ändringar efteråt och i fredags var bilen riktigt fin att köra. Att vinna sträckor är bra, men jag tror att vi fortfarande hade mer i oss. Vi var långt ifrån maxgränsen för vad vi kan prestera.
Solbergs officiella säsongspremiär i WRC2-mästerskapet äger rum i hemmatävlingen Rally Sweden i Umeå den 15-18 februari.
24-01-27 Neuville heads Ogier in Rallye Monte-Carlo thriller
Belgian ends Saturday with 3.3s lead over eight-time WRC champion.
Thierry Neuville has set up the perfect Sunday showdown at Rallye Monte-Carlo after dethroning Sébastien Ogier in Saturday’s final stage, provisionally netting himself 18 points.
Hyundai i20 N star Neuville was undoubtedly the man to beat in the morning. Having held third last night, he pinched second place from Ogier on the day’s first ice-patched speed test and stormed into the top spot before midday as time ebbed away from overnight leader Elfyn Evans.
Ogier seized control by reeling off back-to-back stage wins early in the repeated afternoon loop, but Neuville retaliated by outpacing the Toyota GR Yaris-driving Frenchman in the closing kilometres to carry a 3.3sec advantage into Sunday.
With Rallye Monte-Carlo marking the debut of the all-new WRC points structure, Neuville’s late charge will earn him 18 points providing he completes Sunday’s stages. Ogier will receive 15 while Evans, who ended the day 34.9sec off the lead in third, gets 13.
"It was perfection,” Neuville said of his drive on Pellafol - Agnières-en-Dévoluy. “Everything went well and I really enjoyed the car - it was incredible.
“It was important to take the points tonight but we also needed to keep the car on the road. I had a good feeling, so I went for it and it seems like it paid off," he added.
Ogier’s stage win at Les Nonières - Chichilianne was the 700th of his career. That feat moved him ahead of Finnish legend Juha Kankkunen (699 stage wins) into fourth on the all-time WRC list of stagewinners.
"I have been trying since the beginning of the rally, basically,” admitted the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner. “This [final stage] was no different, but Thierry did a good stage. It looks like we need to try harder tomorrow.”
Super Sunday brings the opportunity for the top performers over the course of the final day to collect up to seven points, in addition to the five bonus points also up for grabs in the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.
Evans completed SS10 with no hybrid boost on his GR Yaris. Even with the issue fixed, he could not find an answer to the sudden speed of his peers. “I don’t know what's going on,” the Welshman admitted after yielding 16.9sec in SS12. “It didn't feel great, but that’s chronic.”
Hyundai man Ott Tänak’s hold on fourth was strengthened as he pulled away from his closest challenger Adrien Fourmaux, helped by his stage win on Pellafol / Agnières-en-Dévoluy. The pair were split by over one minute at close of play, with Fourmaux doubling down on his conservative approach after seeing his M-Sport Ford Puma colleague Grégoire Munster off the road in SS12.
Munster’s demise allowed Andreas Mikkelsen to claim sixth in his Hyundai, while Takamoto Katsuta climbed up to seventh following his costly ditch excursion on Friday.
Eighth place went to Nikolay Gryazin, who currently heads Pepe López in a thrilling duel for WRC2 supremacy. Yohan Rossel is also involved in the support category scrap and completed the top 10.
Sunday's final leg features three stages as crews journey south to Monaco. The trio add up to 52.12km before the rally finishes in the principality.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 2h 37m 58.5s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +3.3s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +34.9s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 46.9s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 54.0s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +4m 21.2s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-01-26 Leader Evans under attack from Rallye Monte-Carlo expert Ogier
Toyota pair split by just 4.5s after leg two of WRC season opener.
Elfyn Evans leads Rallye Monte-Carlo after Friday’s second leg, but the Welshman is under increasing pressure from his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sébastien Ogier.
Evans had been 21.6sec clear of his GR Yaris Rally1 colleague after Thursday’s night-time loop, but Ogier is now looming large in the Welshman’s rear mirror after a stunning drive over Friday’s French Alps roads near Gap saw him whittle that deficit down to just 4.5sec.
Ogier won two of the morning’s three speed tests and climbed from third to second after Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville spun his i20 N in SS4. The Frenchman had moved to within 10.7sec of Evans by the day’s midpoint, with the bulk of the time being gained over the ice-patched special stage from La Bréole to Selonnet.
The pair were closely matched for much of the repeated afternoon loop, but it was again at La Bréole / Selonnet – held in darkness on its second run – where Ogier shone, outpacing his colleague by 4.1sec to set-up a thrilling showdown going into Saturday’s penultimate leg.
“It was a difficult start to the rally, but we expected that with our start position,” said Ogier, a nine-time winner of this event. “Now I am glad that we managed to be very close - tomorrow will be fun.”
Evans, who was never outside the top three times, admitted that conditions had been difficult to read.
“It never gets easier, this rally,” he explained. “[The last stage was] very difficult in the dark. I had a lot of information, but I couldn't see a lot of it to be honest - I just had to trust it. It's very difficult to read the conditions on the road. I'm happy to get through today without any issues.”
Neuville remained very much in the fight at the sharp-end and trailed Ogier by 11.6sec in third. He won three of the day’s six special stages and enjoyed a trouble-free run aside from his early-morning spin.
Ott Tänak was lucky to end the day 57.5sec further back in fourth after ice on a right-hander sent his Hyundai sliding into a ditch during SS3. It took spectators just 40sec to get the Estonian back on the road. Grégoire Munster and Takamoto Katsuta also went off at the same location, with the latter dropping more than five minutes.
Adrien Fourmaux repaid M-Sport Ford’s faith in him by delivering an impressive third-best time in SS5. The 28-year-old is returning to the WRC’s top level having contested WRC2 in 2023, and he completed the top five aboard a Puma.
Andreas Mikkelsen, also returning to the top-flight for the first time since 2019, ended the day over one minute back from Fourmaux in sixth overall. Driving a Hyundai, the Norwegian found it difficult to trust the information in his pace notes with surface conditions changing constantly.
Seventh-placed Munster reached the overnight halt 28.2sec further back in his Puma, while WRC2 contenders Nikolay Gryazin, Pepe López and Yohan Rossel completed the top 10.
Saturday brings another full-on schedule with Esparron / Ozenet launching the day at 08.05. Les Nonières / Chichilianne and Pellafol / Agnières-en-Dévoluy follow before the trio are repeated, bringing the day's total competitive distance to 120.40km.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 1h 25m 28.9s
2. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +4.5s
3. T Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +16.1s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 13.6s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 38.0s
6. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Hyundai i20 N +2m 58.9s
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
24-01-23 Legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo opens 52nd WRC season
It's a fresh start for the WRC stars as a new season begins in the French Alps.
The curtain rises on a brand-new FIA World Rally Championship season this week as the world’s toughest motorsport series roars back into action at the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo (25 – 28 January).
Thirteen rounds await across four continents during the WRC’s 52nd season. Kicking off the new year in style, this week’s famous fixture has attracted a capacity entry of 70 cars.
Rallye Monte-Carlo, the oldest fixture on the WRC calendar and arguably the most unpredictable rally of the year, moves its base away from the Principality of Monaco and back into the French alpine town of Gap, where it was most recently based in 2021. The relatively straightforward asphalt roads high in the mountains are complicated by winter weather, placing an emphasis on cunning tyre choices.
Tactical twists: New points structure adds fresh dimension
The WRC now features a revamped points system that brings more excitement and intrigue to the rally’s closing stages on Sunday morning. The structure awards up to 18 points based on the general classification after Saturday, up to a further seven points for performances on Sunday, and maintains the traditional five bonus points for the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.
These updates maintain the core concept of determining an overall rally victor. As always, the crew with the lowest total time across the entire event will be crowned the winner.
Driver line-ups: Market shuffles and fresh faces
Reigning manufacturers’ champion Toyota Gazoo Racing fields three cars for the season opener, led by last year’s runner-up Elfyn Evans who is starting his fifth season with the team. The Welshman is joined by Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta, who steps up to a full-time seat in one of Toyota’s point-scoring GR Yaris Rally1 cars. Nine-time Monte-Carlo winner Sébastien Ogier pilots the third Yaris while reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä will complete a partial programme for Toyota in 2024, starting in Sweden next month.
Hyundai Motorsport has re-signed Ott Tänak after the Estonian spent last season with M-Sport Ford. Tänak won nine rallies with the Korean manufacturer between 2020 and 2022. Now he aims to make history and land a maiden drivers’ crown for the marque, having previously claimed the title himself behind the wheel of a Yaris in 2019.
Five-time championship runner-up Thierry Neuville of Belgium leads the i20 N Rally1 attack with Tänak, while reigning WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen – back at WRC’s top level for the first time since 2019 - returns to pilot the team’s third car this week. He will alternate drives with Spain’s Dani Sordo and Finland’s Esapekka Lappi throughout the season.
M-Sport Ford fields a youthful line-up with Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster both tackling full campaigns aboard Puma Rally1 cars. Frenchman Fourmaux returns full-time to Rally1 with M-Sport, having competed in WRC2 – the WRC’s main support category - in 2023, while 2024 marks Munster’s first full season at the pinnacle of rallying, making him the first Luxembourger to achieve the feat.
Monte master Ogier aims to break records
Ogier bids for a record 10th Rallye Monte-Carlo victory on roads close to his birthplace near the host town of Gap. But the 40-year-old is taking nothing for granted, knowing exactly how challenging the roads can be.
“For me this is a must-do event and there’s a lot of hopes for this first rally,” he said. “I think it’s the rally that you need to respect more than any other as the conditions can be so challenging, which means that nothing is guaranteed. Numbers are never my main motivation, but if I could get a 10th win on this event it would be something very special.”
The rally starts in Monaco’s Casino Square on Thursday afternoon. Competitors face 17 speed tests covering 324.44km before Sunday afternoon’s finish back in downtown Monaco.
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
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