Wrc

The team’s plans for its third car for the remainder of the WRC season are yet to be determined following the tragic passing of Craig Breen , who had been sharing the entry with Sordo this season. Veteran Sordo had been announced to pilot the third i20 N for Portugal two weeks ago, where he finished second, before Breen’s death in a Croatia testing accident in April. The South Korean marque has however confirmed that Sordo won’t contest all of the remaining rallies on the calendar, but has selected the 40-year-old for next week’s round in Sardinia (1-4 June), with the following round in Kenya (22-25 June) now added to his programme. Sordo wasn’t selected to take part in Kenya last year as Oliver Solberg piloted the third car in one of his eight outings, before the team elected to part ways with the driver before the end of the season. Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com in Portugal that the process to complete its driver line-up is ongoing, with … [Read more...] about Safari Rally Kenya added to Sordo’s WRC programme

Toyota has today announced that the eight-time world champion will join the reigning world champion squad for the championship's annual visit to Africa, from 22-25 June. The rally will be Ogier's fifth appearance of the season, having elected to sit out Sweden in February and the gravel round in Portugal earlier this month. The Frenchman has already tasted victory twice this year, winning in Monte Carlo and Mexico, followed by a fifth in Croatia, the latter being his last outing in April. This year will represent Ogier's third Safari Rally start after winning the event's WRC comeback round in 2021, before leading last year's edition prior to a puncture costing him two minutes. Prior to taking on Kenya's unique gravel roads, the 39-year-old is set to rejoin the WRC at Rally Sardinia next week, where he will start third on the road. Ogier's WRC programme after Kenya is yet to be confirmed. Safari Rally organisers have also today revealed its full entry list which will … [Read more...] about Toyota announces Ogier as part of Kenya WRC line-up

No matter what the business, if you stand still and fail to innovate as markets change there is a risk of being left behind and the prospect of not achieving the potential. This is the crux of Thierry Neuville’s comments made in the lead up to Rally Portugal. The Hyundai driver claimed that the WRC is facing a critical point and needs to “react” and “change” to improve its appeal to current and prospective manufacturers, the media and fans. His words have since triggered plenty of debate between stakeholders, but the situation regarding the future direction of the WRC is a complex one with many layers. There is enough evidence to justify that the WRC as a whole doesn’t need to completely reinvent the wheel, but there is plenty of room for improvement in several areas. However, this isn’t a unique situation felt only by the WRC, but one almost all motorsport categories are currently facing. This pressure to evolve can be traced to some degree to the unprecedented boom in … [Read more...] about The important WRC discussion triggered by Neuville’s outburst

The Korean manufacturer will once again field three works cars on every rally this year, with Toyota convert Tanak and Thierry Neuville contesting all rounds. Long-time Hyundai man Dani Sordo and nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb will share a third car, with the exact division of events between the two yet to be revealed beyond this month's Monte Carlo opener, where Loeb will partner Tanak and Neuville. Hyundai claimed manufacturers' honours last year but Neuville fell short of beating Tanak to the drivers' title by 36 points, finishing runner-up for the fourth time in succession. Team boss Andrea Adamo commented: “We had an extremely successful 2019, but the slate is wiped clean again as we prepare for 2020. "Our aims for the coming season are clear: to fight for victory in each of the events on the calendar and to mount a challenge for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles. We know the ferocity of the competition will remain intense, so we have to make sure … [Read more...] about Hyundai launches 2020 WRC challenger

The defending world champion is leading the standings heading into this weekend's Italian round, but will face a tall order to repeat the drought-breaking victory he scored in Portugal last month. Sitting atop the standings will mean Rovanpera will be disadvantaged by road cleaning on Sardinia's rough and dusty roads. The 22-year-old also has openly admitted that this event is arguably a rally he has found the most difficult. Rovanpera has only finished inside the points in one of three WRC top-tier attempts, with his best result being fifth in last year's edition. "Portugal was a great weekend for us and it was nice to get a victory again," said Rovanpera. "We will try to continue like this in the next events but we know that Sardinia will be a much more difficult job. "Of all the rallies in the calendar, I think this one has maybe been the trickiest for me, and if the weather is dry and hot like it usually is in Sardinia, it can be very difficult to be the first car on … [Read more...] about Rovanpera: WRC Rally Sardinia is “maybe the trickiest for me”

Sardinia is renowned for its brutal rough gravel stages that test the WRC drivers and cars to the limit, and this year marks the event's 20 year anniversary. Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera heads to the Italian island leading the championship by 17 points after scoring a much needed victory in Portugal last month, ending  a drought since lifting the 2022 world title in October last year. The Finn will face a tall order to repeat the feat in Sardinia which he feels is perhaps the "trickiest” event of his campaign. Rovanpera will also face the disadvantage of starting first on the dusty stages. His eight-time world champion team-mate Sebastien Ogier will however be tipped as one of the favourites having won the event on four previous occasions. The Frenchman, competing in a partial WRC campaign, will start third on the road. Although, Toyota struggled for outright pace on the rough gravel last year, but has been working hard to arrest its form on the tricky surface. Sardinia and … [Read more...] about WRC Rally Sardinia: Everything you need to know

“We often say that the best drivers are perhaps not the ones driving, but those that have never had the opportunity,” says 2001 world rally champion co-driver and FIA deputy president Robert Reid, as he watches on as FIA Rally Star finalists strap themselves into a Ford Fiesta Rally3 car, for a first taste in remote Sardinia. It’s a statement that perfectly explains why the FIA has embarked on perhaps one of its boldest and largest investments in unearthing driving talent, which it hopes will deliver future World Rally Championship champions. There have been talent-finding initiatives in rallying before, think Pirelli Star Driver and WRC Academy, that helped develop the likes of Ott Tanak , Hayden Paddon and the late Craig Breen , more than 10 years ago. But the new FIA Rally Star initiative has taken this idea to the next level through a global talent search to find candidates, aged 17-26, that will take advantage of a fully funded four-year programme, designed to … [Read more...] about Inside the FIA’s bold mission to unearth the WRC stars of tomorrow

The championship has been pushing for a meeting with the series' drivers to discuss the future direction of the category following Thierry Neuville's comments in Portugal last month, when he declared the WRC needs to "change" to improve engagement with manufacturers, media and fans. A meeting was initially tabled to take place at this weekend's Rally Sardinia but instead will happen in an online call after the rally next week. A host of WRC drivers and team representatives are expected to attend to share their ideas. "I have a lot of ideas and I have shared some of my opinions. I think it is going to be interesting. It is a good call so I'm happy for that," Neuville told Motorsport.com. "There has been some discussions already and I believe there are more lined up. Of course we will put a view across and see what happens," added Toyota's Elfyn Evans . "There has been a lot of obvious changes that have been needed for a long time and nothing has happened. It is good to … [Read more...] about Drivers welcome opportunity to share ideas to improve the WRC

Sardinia is renowned for producing rough gravel stages but a revised route for this weekend's 20th-anniversary event is set to deliver perhaps the toughest conditions of the season. Four-time Sardinia winner Sebastien Ogier, returning to the championship this weekend after sitting out Portugal, is expecting a gruelling rally after likening the stages to those seen in Kenya, which has earned a reputation as one of the toughest events in global motorsport. "I thought Safari Rally Kenya was in three weeks' time but we have a taste of it already because some sections are very rough," Ogier told Motorsport.com. "Honestly some sections do feel like Kenya, there are lots of stones and basically there are some sections that are harder than a lot of sections we go through in Kenya." The rough stages will require plenty of focus on car management to reach the finish according to reigning world champion and Ogier's Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera. "Some of the new parts they have … [Read more...] about WRC drivers set for Safari Rally-like conditions in Sardinia