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The final day consisted of two passes through the 22.47 km Aittajarvi stage and Toyota claimed a 1-2 on its morning run as Elfyn Evans claimed his second stage win of the event from Rovanpera, with the Hyundai of Thierry Neuville just 0.1s behind in third. The battle between Rovanpera and Neuville for second place on the rally would also determine the provisional championship lead. The points leader coming into the Lapland-based rally was defending title holder Sebastien Ogier, who had battled an unfavourable road position throughout the event, and restarted on Sunday after crashing out at the flying finish of Saturday’s final stage. The Frenchman’s only objective was to rescue some points from the Powerstage and he duly treated the world to a textbook performance on the ragged edge. Ogier’s time was almost 11 seconds faster than his morning run, but this provisional fastest time was something at which the rest of the field took aim. The first to challenge Ogier was … [Read more...] about Arctic WRC: Tanak beats record-breaker Rovanpera

The Tickford ace came under fire following the single-lap dash for pole after it came to light that he dragged dirt onto the track at the esses on his in-lap. Chaz Mostert, who was next up in the Shootout, had a huge moment when he got to that part of the track on his hot lap, while Shane van Gisbergen also lost time in the second sector on his pole-winning effort. Following suggestions from rivals that it was a tactical move, Waters had to front driving standards advisor Craig Baird to explain his actions. He was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. Expanding on the matter after yesterday's race, Waters said it was a simple lapse of concentration and in no way tactical. He also said he apologised to both Mostert and van Gisbergen once he's seen the footage. “On my in lap, I was just kind of fat-arming it and over Skyline I took too much kerb and grabbed a bit of the dirt,” Waters explained. “I didn’t really think anything of it at the time because I … [Read more...] about Waters apologised for dirt-slinging Shootout gaffe

Tanak bounced back from his Monte Carlo Rally misdemeanours by taking a comprehensive victory around Rovaniemi. Despite easing off slightly in the closing stages, the Hyundai i20 Coupe driver finished with a 17.5s cushion over Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera. Team boss Andrea Adamo spoke publicly before the second round of the World Rally Championship about the need to win, with this leading to an under pressure Tanak to lean more heavily on his mechanics. "This victory is very important and allows us to take away good points for the championship," said Tanak, who moves up to fifth in the drivers' standings. "We came to Finland - the home country of one of our closest rivals - so the pressure was on for sure. "We knew it would be complicated to take on the fight but, in the end, we did a very good weekend. "The pre-event test was held in very different conditions, so we didn't really know what to expect. "I was pushing the engineers quite a lot, but their hard … [Read more...] about Tanak “pushing” Hyundai for improvements in Arctic Rally win

Let’s take a look. It’s no surprise that those who want to travel in a blanket of opulence and luxury are a bit spoiled for choice. With a market that’s often saturated with offerings from Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, and even BMW, most prospective buyers have likely never heard of Hongqi . As such, Wheelsboy recently covered the latest offering from the Chinese automaker, the H9. While the Hongqi brand has gone largely unnoticed until recently, keen readers will likely know about the L5 – previously covered by Jeremy Clarkson in an episode of The Grand Tour. Polarizing opinions aside, the vehicle struggled with quality control issues. Thankfully, the H9 appears to be largely improved in comparison to its L-series predecessor. Aside from being much less expensive, the interior is still very well appointed. While the mid-spec variant lacks facilities such as a refrigerator, infotainment screens, and massage seats, it still provides an excellent experience for rear … [Read more...] about Hongqi H9 In-Depth Video Showcases China’s S-Class Rival

The island state in the Persian Gulf is set to host F1’s sole pre-season test from 12-14 March before the season-opening race at the Bahrain International Circuit from 26-28 March. Bahrain currently has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world, with around 9% of the population already receiving both required doses. With a number of personnel due to be in Bahrain for the full three-week period covering both testing and the race, the country has now announced it will be offering them COVID-19 vaccines. Bahrain said that it would be extending its vaccination programme “to major events in the kingdom on a voluntary basis, where timescales allow and provide additional benefit to both participants and the national population”. “Due to the timescale of this year’s Formula 1 event, including testing, the vast majority of participants will be present in Bahrain for a three-week period ahead of the race,” the statement continued. “This, in turn, allows a unique … [Read more...] about Bahrain to offer COVID-19 vaccinations for F1 test and race attendees