Friday:

Kalle Rovanperä appeared to be oblivious to Friday’s punishing conditions at Central European Rally as he stormed to a commanding 36.4-second lead over Thierry Neuville. Heavy rain and perilous mud greeted the FIA World Rally Championship crews as they tackled the rally’s first full day, which featured six asphalt stages in the Czech Republic.

Opening the road, points leader Rovanperä took full advantage of the less polluted surface offered by his starting position. He reached the mid-leg tyre fitting zone 29.2sec clear of the field after winning all three of the morning’s super-slippery speed tests. And the Toyota GR Yaris prodigy’s morning performance was no fluke, either.

His domination continued into the repeated afternoon loop when, in conditions more consistent for drivers throughout the field, he widened the gap further. As it stands, Rovanperä is poised to claim his second-consecutive WRC title at this penultimate round of the season unless team-mate Elfyn Evans – who languishes 47.2sec behind him in third overall – can stage a remarkable comeback.

Neuville initially led after Thursday’s pair of super special stages but fell to third on Friday morning after struggling with his car’s set-up. The Belgian felt his i20 N Rally1 would have benefitted from softer suspension springs but, with no opportunity for service between loops, changes were not possible. Nevertheless, he maintained the pressure on Evans and, after overtaking the Welshman to claim the runner-up spot in the final stage, ended 10.8sec in front.

Also feeling at odds with his car’s handling was M-Sport Ford Puma man Ott Tänak, who ended a lonely fourth overall – 43.2sec adrift of Evans but with 56.4sec in hand over fifth-placed Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta. Sébastien Ogier’s hopes of winning his ‘home’ rally disintegrated early in the day when the Munich-based Frenchman limped through the opening stage with tyre damage caused by a broken wheel. He fought back to claim sixth, just 3.2sec ahead of Teemu Suninen.

Aside from Neuville, Suninen was the only other Hyundai driver remaining after his compatriot Esapekka Lappi crashed heavily from third overall on SS5. The Finn, starting his first asphalt rally in the car, placed seventh overall ahead of Puma youngster Grégoire Munster. Also having his patience tested was Pierre-Louis Loubet, who dropped more than five minutes on SS8 when he went off the road and picked up wheel damage.

Saturday:

Just four stages stand between Kalle Rovanperä and back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship crowns after his only remaining title rival Elfyn Evans crashed out of Central European Rally on Saturday. Having dominated Thursday’s treacherous tests in the Czech Republic to build a commanding rally lead, 23-year-old Rovanperä was already doing more than enough to successfully defend his 2022 WRC drivers’ crown.

A spin on Saturday’s second stage allowed Thierry Neuville to slash the Finn’s advantage by more than half, but the dynamic completely changed later in the morning when Rovanperä’s Toyota GR Yaris team-mate Evans, who had been sitting third overall, crashed out of contention. Evans needed to outscore his colleague by at least one point at this penultimate round to keep the fight going, but he came unstuck on a slippery right-hand bend and slid into a barn.

The Welshman will restart on Sunday in a desperate bid to salvage bonus points from the Wolf Power Stage. Sacrificing his chances of the outright rally win to focus on his championship prospects, Rovanperä dialled back his speed. Neuville, as a result, was left to build a 26.2-second overnight lead in his Hyundai i20 N.

Ott Tänak ensured that all three top-line manufacturers ended the day on the podium, bringing his Ford Puma to the end in a lonely third overall. A non-functioning handbrake caused the M-Sport man some frustrations in SS14, and he trailed Rovanperä by over one minute with Sébastien Ogier 31.1sec behind.

The battle for fifth place was raging between Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen. Katsuta struggled to feel confident on the greasy asphalt roads in the morning but upped his pace in the afternoon to claim the position by 10.9sec. Puma hotshot Grégoire Munster was seventh overall ahead of Pierre-Louis Loubet. Adrien Fourmaux and Emil Lindholm, leader of the WRC2 category in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, completed the leaderboard.

Sunday:

Kalle Rovanperä has become a two-time WRC champion, clinching the title on Sunday by finishing second overall at Central European Rally. By finishing runner-up to Thierry Neuville at this penultimate round, the 23-year-old ensured he can no longer be caught in the 2023 season. Just one year ago, Rovanperä made history when he became the youngest WRC champion ever.

Today he stands alongside legendary names like Carlos Sainz, Walter Röhrl and Miki Biasion as a double winner. Entering Central European Rally with a 31-point lead over Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans, Rovanperä simply needed to maintain his advantage to claim the crown. When Evans suffered a dramatic crash on Saturday morning, the path to victory was all but assured.

Following a steady start to the season, Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen hit their straps in May by winning Vodafone Rally de Portugal. From that moment on, the pair have only finished outside of the podium twice.

Here’s WRC Central European Rally: https://www.wrc.com/live-timing?liveTimingMenu=overall_livetiming&stage=FINAL&eligibility=Eligibility

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Neuville wins Central European Rally; Rovanpera is champ ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

In its 52nd season, the WRC will venture to 13 captivating destinations across four continents, delivering a perfect blend of tradition and innovation that aligns with rallying’s enduring legacy. The iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo (25 – 28 January) once again lifts the lid on the 2024 campaign, taking in the famous Col de Turini passes high in the French Alps which test drivers like no other.

Following closely are the frozen forests of Rally Sweden (15 – 18 February), the only pure snow and ice fixture on the calendar. A significant shift takes place at Safari Rally Kenya, which returns to a more traditional 28 – 31 March date, having run during June in recent years. This shift to Easter weekend will provide an even sterner test as it coincides with the beginning of Naivasha’s rainy season.

Croatia Rally (18 – 21 April) has drawn in hundreds of thousands of spectators since its WRC debut in 2021. Its unique asphalt tracks based the around the capital of Zagreb vary from smooth to badly broken and are set to return in all their glory, as will the legendary gravel tests of Vodafone Rally de Portugal (9 – 12 May) – also a huge hit with the crowds.

Mediterranean charm awaits at Rally Italia Sardegna (30 May – 2 June) before the eagerly anticipated return of ORLEN 80th Rally Poland (27 – 30 June), back after a hiatus at the sport’s top level since 2017. Poland’s lightning-fast gravel roads promise a thrilling spectacle which will only be amplified further by the country’s enthusiastic fanbase.

WRC is thrilled to welcome a newcomer in Tet Rally Latvia (18 – 21 July), located in the vibrant southern coastal city of Liepāja. Building on years of success at FIA European Rally Championship level, the loose-surface fixture underscores the clear pathway for events to ascend to the global stage of WRC.

Speed enthusiasts can look forward to the high-octane Secto Rally Finland (1 – 4 August), renowned for its jaw-dropping speeds and gravity-defying jumps. The excitement then takes a different form at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (5 – 8 September), offering a very different flavour with its winding, rocky mountain stages.

Once again, South America asserts its presence with Rally Chile Bio Bío (26 – 29 September), reaffirming the championship’s global reach. Central European Rally (31 October – 3 November) will sweep across Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany as the penultimate round before the grand finale unfolds in Asia at FORUM8 Rally Japan (21 – 24 November).

Commenting on the calendar, WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said: “We’re eagerly anticipating another action-packed season in 2024 with a calendar that not only celebrates our esteemed traditions, but also propels us into an exciting future. Our return to Poland and our debut in Latvia underscore our commitment to delivering a fresh and exciting WRC experience for fans and competitors alike.”

Every round of the WRC season will be broadcast live on WRC’s groundbreaking new platform Rally.TV, as well as via traditional broadcast partners around the globe.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC releases 13-round calendar for 2024 season ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

With a clear intention to compete at the forefront of WRC in 2024, we will field the proven title-winning line-up of Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak in our i20 N Rally1 Hybrid next season. The Estonian, alongside co-driver Martin Järveoja, returns to Alzenau with the goal of adding to the five rally wins he claimed during his previous stint with our team.

“In exploring our options for 2024, I opened a discussion with Ott, who was excited by the renewed ambitions and structure that we are putting in place,” said Cyril, our Team Principal. “We are pleased that he is ready to resume the unfinished business that he has with our team. We are delighted to welcome Ott back into our fold and look forward fighting for more together in our next chapter,” added our President Sean Kim.

A winning partnership

Boasting a combined total of 37 WRC wins during their illustrious careers, Ott and Thierry both played a key role in the defence of our manufacturers’ crown in 2020. Together they form the core of the impressive squad that will represent us at the pinnacle of rally next year.

“With Thierry and Ott, we have two of the most talented and competitive crews leading the charge for our 2024 campaign,” commented President Kim. The re-signing of Ott alongside Thierry reaffirms our commitment to the WRC. The 2024 season is also an important milestone in our history, as it marks the tenth anniversary of our debut in the series. With that in mind, we will take time to explore all options for the remainder of our WRC line-up for next season.

Ready to compete

Having experienced a number of memorable moments during his previous three years with our team, Ott arrives excited to be back behind the wheel of our machinery once again. “Since our paths parted exactly one year ago, the team has been working very hard on the new technical structure,” explained the Estonian driver.

“Hyundai Motorsport has a clear vision and target for the near future, and it is something that convinced me to join our forces again. Our goal in this new chapter will be nothing less than to win all the three titles, and with the new structure of the team, we have all the tools needed to achieve it. Game on!”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Tanak re-joins Hyundai for 2024 WRC season alongside Neuville ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Ott Tänak led Rally Chile BioBío on Friday evening after his clever tyre strategy proved to be decisive on the opening day of the event. M-Sport Ford Puma driver Tänak set the pace in the day’s first gravel road test at Pulperia but his fortunes soon took a dip when issues caused by a heavy landing dropped him to third. As well as winding co-driver Martin Järveoja, the impact also caused minor suspension damage and the loss of hybrid boost.

Nevertheless, it was Tänak’s strategic approach to the repeated afternoon loop which helped him to reclaim the top spot. In mild spring conditions, he was the only frontrunning driver to select a tyre package consisting exclusively of soft compound Pirelli rubber, known for its superior performance but shorter lifespan.

The 2019 world champion snatched the lead from Teemu Suninen in the penultimate test and, crucially, went fastest again in the 23.32km Rio Claro finale to extend his buffer to 4.2sec overnight. Visited for the first time since 2019, Chile’s flowing roads showed little mercy to title-hunting trio Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville.

All three reported exceptionally low levels of grip in the loose conditions but it was Evans who fared the best, completing the day 8.5sec back from Suninen in third. The Welshman trails Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Rovanperä by 33 points in the drivers’ championship and a result of eighth or higher in Chile would ensure the battle continues beyond Sunday. Road opener Rovanperä suffered a half spin in the final stage and slipped to fifth overall, ending the day 11.0sec behind Hyundai’s Neuville, who trailed Evans by 15.0sec.

Traction frustrations were the least of Esapekka Lappi and Pierre-Louis Loubet’s worries. Both drivers rolled heavily early in the day and are unlikely to restart on Saturday. Takamoto Katsuta brought his GR Yaris home in sixth place and was comfortably clear of Puma debutant Grégoire Munster, whose co-driver Louis Louka spent the morning reading pace notes from a mobile phone after accidentally leaving the paper copies in his hotel room. Sami Pajari was eighth overall and led the WRC2 category by 13.3sec from Oliver Solberg while home hero Alberto Heller completed the top 10 in a rented Puma.

Saturday:

Ott Tänak grew his Rally Chile Bio Bío lead to a whopping 47.8 seconds with a masterful performance on Saturday’s morning loop at the South American fixture. Tänak, driving a Puma Rally1 for British team M-Sport Ford, began this penultimate day just 4.2sec clear of Hyundai Motorsport rival Teemu Suninen but stormed clear of the field, again thanks to a clever strategy.

In contrast with Friday’s fast and open route, Saturday morning’s speed tests south of the Concepción service park were longer, twistier and much more abrasive. Tyre and speed management proved to be key – and Tänak, unlike title contenders Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä, excelled in all areas.

Second-fastest only to championship leader Kalle Rovanperä through the Chivilingo opener, the Estonian blitzed the following stage at Rio Lia by 6.8sec as his rivals slowed down to preserve their Pirelli rubber. But Tänak had also saved two brand-new hard compound tyres for the pivotal 28.72km Maria de las Cruces finale, which he duly bolted onto the car before setting the pace once again by 7.6sec.

Suninen, who carried just five tyres compared with Tänak’s six, fell to third overall behind Toyota GR Yaris man Elfyn Evans with his cautious approach to Chivilingo. But unlike Evans, who relied solely on soft compound rubber, three of Suninen’s tyres were hard. That proved to be decisive in the last stage, where Evans suffered two tyre delaminations and plummeted to fourth.

He dropped behind Suninen as well as the Finn’s i20 N colleague Thierry Neuville, who ended 13.8sec ahead of the Welshman despite a puncture early in the day. Rovanperä started too aggressively and, after winning SS7, was forced to nurse his Toyota’s soft tyres to the loop’s completion. The 23-year-old sat more than 40 seconds behind Evans in fifth overall and his hopes of wrapping up a second drivers’ world title with two rounds to spare look increasingly slim.

Just like team-mate Evans, Takamoto Katsuta was another driver to encounter two tyre delaminations in Maria de las Cruces. The Japanese remained seventh overall, however, comfortably clear of Puma debutant Grégoire Munster. Not even an early-morning spin could prevent Oliver Solberg from overtaking Sami Pajari to lead WRC2 by 16.7sec. The pair, both driving Toksport-prepared Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars, sat eighth and ninth overall while local ace Alberto Heller completed the top 10 despite also experiencing tyre dramas in his Puma.

Sunday:

M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja became Rally Chile Bio Bío winners for the second time on Sunday whilst rival team Toyota Gazoo Racing secured the manufacturers’ championship crown. Tänak, driving a Ford Puma Rally1 for M-Sport Ford, seized the lead of the South American fixture on Friday and, thanks to clever tyre tactics, built a commanding buffer which he carried through to Sunday.

Teemu Suninen went off the road in Sunday’s penultimate stage. And, while the Hyundai i20 N driver’s demise elevated team-mate Thierry Neuville to second overall, it also opened the door for Toyota Gazoo Racing to clinch the manufacturers’ title with two rallies to spare.

Suninen’s demise meant the Japanese marque needed to score four bonus points more than Hyundai, for whom Neuville was the only driver, in the Wolf Power Stage. It did exactly that, with GR Yaris stars Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans setting the first and second-fastest times respectively.

Evans’ result of third overall was enough to keep the drivers’ championship battle alive as he headed points-leading GR Yaris team-mate Rovanperä, celebrating his 23^rd birthday today, by 1min 4.1sec. Rovanperä now leads the series by 31 points and could clinch the title at round 12 of 13 by scoring higher than Evans.

Almost five minutes back from the lead in a lonely fifth overall was Takamoto Katsuta, driving a similar Toyota. The remainder of the leaderboard comprised of WRC2 runners with Oliver Solberg winning the category ahead of Gus Greensmith, Sami Pajari, Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin.

Here’s WRC Rally Chile results: https://www.wrc.com/live-timing?liveTimingMenu=overall_livetiming&stage=FINAL&eligibility=Eligibility

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Tanak dominates Rally Chile as Toyota seals teams’ title ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Thierry Neuville kept a charging Sébastien Ogier at bay to lead EKO Acropolis Rally Greece on Friday night – overcoming a late technical drama in the process. Just 2.8sec blanketed the duelling duo after the first full day of competition at the legendary Acropolis’ 70th edition. Despite winning just one of the five gruelling gravel road tests, Neuville led from start to finish.

The Hyundai i20 N driver passed overnight pacesetter Kalle Rovanperä by going fastest through the Loutraki opener and had pulled out a 7.4sec buffer over Toyota rival Ogier going into the final stage in Elatia. But his hard work was very nearly in vain as a mechanical problem, suspected to be transmission related, hampered him throughout the 28.32km blast.

Ogier, back in action for the first time since June, was poised to steal the late lead but could only claw back 5.0sec after low-hanging tree branches severed his GR Yaris’ rear wing. He believes tyre strategy will be key in Saturday’s punishing leg, which boasts over 140km of competition.

Rovanperä scored one stage win as the rally threaded up the country following Thursday’s spectacular start in Athens. Opening the road, he was hindered by loose stones on the drying surface and trailed colleague Ogier by 25.5sec at close of play.

Just 5.5sec behind was Elfyn Evans, who struggled to make an impact despite this fixture being crucial in his bid to hunt down championship leader Rovanperä. A slow puncture in SS2 caused the Welshman minor time loss and he, like team-mate Ogier, also lost a rear wing in the finale.

Evans leapfrogged Esapekka Lappi in Elatia to claim fourth overall by 1.1sec, the latter forced to err on the side of caution after nursing a water leak on his Hyundai for much of the afternoon. A stall in the final stage saw i20 N man Dani Sordo slip from fifth to seventh but the Spaniard’s frustrations were nothing compared with those of Ott Tänak, who sat ninth behind Nikolay Gryazin in an M-Sport Ford Puma.

Tänak checked out of the mid-leg tyre fitting zone 22 minutes late after repairing a technical fault, incurring a 3min 40sec time penalty. He reported the issue to be similar to that which ruled out his colleague Pierre-Louis Loubet, who retired before the day’s first stage citing “temperature issues”. There were at least some positives the Estonian could take from the day, though, as he won two special stages.

Yohan Rossel topped the WRC2 leaderboard and completed the top 10 in a Citroën C3 Rally2. The Frenchman inherited the position late in the day after Adrien Fourmaux, previous leader of the category, stopped to change a wheel.

Saturday:

Kalle Rovanperä is on course for a remarkable victory at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece after Saturday’s brutal penultimate leg forced fellow challengers Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier into retirement. A furious fight in the morning became a matter of survival this afternoon as heat and punishing rock-strewn roads took a heavy toll in this 10th fixture of the FIA World Rally Championship season.

Neuville was 10.9sec clear when he thumped a hole and shattered his Hyundai i20 N’s front-right suspension on the first stage of the afternoon loop. He had trailed championship leader Rovanperä by 36 points coming into this fixture, round 10 of 13. His demise left Ogier in control but the Frenchman, who entered the final Eleftherohori stage 12.4sec ahead of team-mate Rovanperä, swiped a rock which destroyed the rear-left suspension on his Toyota GR Yaris. He retired on the final road section whilst Rovanperä romped to the top.

The 22-year-old will start the final leg with a lead of more than two minutes over Hyundai Motorsport Dani’s Sordo. Victory on Sunday would move him another step closer to clinching back-to-back world titles. There was drama throughout the field as Rovanperä’s closest championship challenger Elfyn Evans limped to the finish of SS9 in EV mode when his Toyota began overheating. Having plummeted to fifth, the Welshman hauled himself back up the order only to be demoted to third by Sordo in the final test.

Sordo had ended Friday’s opening leg down in seventh but crept up the order as those around him struck trouble, and 4.1sec split the podium-sitting pair at close of play. Despite having 3min 40sec in time penalties for being late out of Friday’s tyre fitting zone, M-Sport Ford Puma driver Tänak enjoyed a clean run in comparison to his rivals and climbed from ninth to fourth, passing fifth and sixth-placed Esapekka Lappi and Takamoto Katsuta in the process.

A transmission failure left Lappi’s Hyundai with only rear-wheel drive while a fraught run through Karoutes 2 saw Katsuta stop twice to perform wheel changes on his GR Yaris. WRC2 runners comprised the remainder of the leaderboard, and it was Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen who led the support category after a stunning comeback drive in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Gus Greensmith was eighth overall while Yohan Rossel and Grégoire Munster completed the top 10.

Sunday:

Kalle Rovanperä scored his third victory of the season at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece on Sunday afternoon to tighten his grip on this year’s FIA World Rally Championship. The 22-year-old had looked set to bring up the rear of the podium at this 10th round but found himself topping the standings by more than two minutes after Saturday’s penultimate leg when former leaders Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier retired.

Both were sidelined by central Greece’s unforgiving rocky mountain roads, with Neuville’s Hyundai i20 N sustaining front suspension damage before Ogier, driving a Toyota GR Yaris similar to that of Rovanperä’s, stopped after SS12 with rear suspension failure after hitting a rock.

Rovanperä could afford to relax through Sunday’s three-stage finale and sealed a near-perfect weekend with the maximum five bonus points for winning the Wolf Power Stage. He headed team-mate Elfyn Evans, his closest championship challenger, by 1min 31.7sec at the finish and extended his points over the Welshman to 33 with three rounds remaining.

Evans lost more than one minute on Saturday as a result of his Toyota overheating but fought back to finish runner-up after battling with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo until the very last stage. Sordo had held the upper hand overnight but a sluggish run through Tarzan cost him the position. The Spaniard, contesting his first rally since Kenya in June, lost out by just 4.2sec after four days of competition.

Ott Tänak incurred 3min 40sec in time penalties when a water pump failure meant he was late to leave Friday’s tyre fitting zone. But the M-Sport Ford Puma driver enjoyed a relatively clean run from then onwards and climbed to an impressive fourth, albeit more than four minutes back from the lead.

Esapekka Lappi was fifth in a Hyundai ahead of sixth-placed Takamoto Katsuta while Andreas Mikkelsen passed Gus Greensmith in the penultimate stage to win the WRC2 category. In doing so, the Norwegian moved 16 points clear of championship rival Yohan Rossel, who finished ninth overall, while Ogier completed the leaderboard.

Here’s WRC Rally Finland results: https://www.wrc.com/live-timing?liveTimingMenu=overall_livetiming&stage=FINAL&eligibility=Eligibility

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Rovanpera leads Toyota 1-2 in Acropolis Rally win ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Elfyn Evans was catapulted into the lead of Secto Rally Finland when team-mate Kalle Rovanperä’s golden streak came to an abrupt halt during Friday’s opening leg. Home hero Rovanperä, who carried a commanding 55-point lead into this ninth FIA World Rally Championship round, reeled off five consecutive benchmark times in a Toyota GR Yaris and headed chasing colleague Evans by 5.7sec approaching the day’s seventh stage in Myhinpää.

But a rare mistake 11.1km after the start brought a disastrous end to the defending world champion’s day when he lost control of his GR Yaris and rolled end-over-end. Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen emerged from the wreckage unscathed despite the force of the impact being strong enough to tear a rear wheel from the car.

Evans, currently second in the points, inherited the top spot from his stranded team-mate and negotiated the remaining two stages error-free to head Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by a mere 6.9sec overnight. Mistakes were punished brutally on central Finland’s superfast gravel roads and Rovanperä wasn’t the only victory contender to come unstuck. His Hyundai-driving compatriot Esapekka Lappi crashed into a tree in SS4 whilst running fourth overall.

Ott Tänak, leader after Thursday’s evening’s super special stage in Jyväskylä city centre, retired his Puma in SS3 with terminal engine failure and his M-Sport Ford partner Pierre-Louis Loubet crashed in the same test. Neuville’s day wasn’t without drama, either. The Belgian reported a lack of rear traction early in the day and struggled for visibility under scattered rain showers on multiple occasions. He headed Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who won the opening stage, by 9.5sec at close of play.

In fourth overall and within reaching distance of the podium was Teemu Suninen. The Finn is contesting his second rally aboard an i20 N Rally1 and trailed Katsuta by 12.4sec after building his speed throughout the day. Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the top five on his first WRC start since 2020. Behind him was Jari Huttunen, who led WRC2 in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 after leapfrogging Sami Pajari when the youngster suffered tyre damage in the penultimate stage.

Saturday:

Elfyn Evans made major strides towards his second Secto Rally Finland triumph with a masterful attack through Saturday’s penultimate leg. He was fastest on seven out of eight gravel road stages in the lightning-fast Finnish forests to transform what started as a 6.9sec buffer into a commanding 32.1sec stronghold in a Toyota GR Yaris, leaving Hyundai i20 N rival Thierry Neuville trailing in his wake.

Rain showers early in the day played to the Welshman’s favour and, while Neuville grappled with wheel spin in the wet conditions, Evans excelled. He was equally at home in the repeated afternoon loop where the drying gravel roads became increasingly rutted.

With championship leader Kalle Rovanperä already sidelined by a crash on Friday, victory at this ninth WRC round is essential for Evans – currently second in the points – to keep his fading title hopes alive. He was delighted with his performance on a demanding day that contained more than half the rally’s competitive distance.

Although Neuville struggled to get his i20’s set-up completely dialled in with the changeable conditions, the Belgian was consistently quicker than the remainder of the field. Toyota man Takamoto Katsuta, his closest challenger, lagged almost one minute behind. Katsuta dropped behind Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen after spinning in Päijälä but reclaimed the final podium spot in SS15. He yielded the position again in the following test but surged back in front by posting a benchmark time through the Vekkula finale. The pair were split by 6.4sec at close of play.

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala was fifth, two minutes further back. The 38-year-old, who is making his first WRC start since February 2020, overshot a junction in SS17 but relished the chance to drive on his home roads. Oliver Solberg is not registered to score WRC2 points this week but climbed to sixth overall in a Fabia RS Rally2. He headed Sami Pajari, the category leader, by 12.5sec after Jari Huttunen retired his similar Škoda with a technical issue in the afternoon.

Sunday:

Elfyn Evans stormed to victory at Secto Rally Finland on Sunday afternoon to keep alive his chances of fighting for this year’s FIA World Rally Championship title. A dramatic crash for WRC-leading team-mate Kalle Rovanperä propelled Evans into the lead on Friday afternoon and the Welshman reeled off a stunning seven back-to-back stage wins on Saturday to leave closest challenger Thierry Neuville trailing in his wake.

He extended the buffer further on Sunday to triumph by 39.1sec in a Toyota GR Yaris and with maximum points for winning the closing Wolf Power Stage, Evans slashed Rovanperä’s points advantage from 55 to 25 with four rounds remaining. Evans’ Toyota Gazoo Racing team is based near the host city of Jyväskylä and victory extended its manufacturers’ championship lead over Hyundai Motorsport to 67 points.

Changeable conditions provided furious action on the season’s fastest roads with early challengers Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi both joining Rovanperä on Friday’s list of retirements. Engine failure sidelined Tänak’s M-Sport Ford Puma while Lappi crashed his Hyundai into a tree.

Neuville enjoyed one of his strongest performances on Finland’s flat-out terrain but ultimately had no answer to Evans’ rapid pace. Remaining third in the championship after round nine, the Belgian finished with a hefty 57.6sec gap to the Toyota of Takamoto Katsuta behind.

Katsuta duelled relentlessly with Hyundai rival Teemu Suninen. The latter went all in, bravely opting to save weight by not carrying a spare wheel through the four-stage finale. But that still wasn’t enough to relegate Katsuta, who celebrated his fourth career podium and ended 4.3sec clear.

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala made a popular return to top-level competition after more than three years away. The Finn was never really in the thick of the podium battle but consistency rewarded him with fifth. High attrition at the sharp end enabled Oliver Solberg, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, to claim sixth overall ahead of WRC2 victor Sami Pajari. Eighth place went to WRC2 runner-up Adrien Fourmaux while Nikolay Gryazin and Andreas Mikkelsen completed the top 10.

Here’s WRC Rally Finland results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Evans carries through to win Rally Finland from Neuville ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Kalle Rovanperä came out on top of a thrilling battle with Thierry Neuville to lead Rally Estonia after Friday’s pulsating opening leg. Just 3.0sec separated the duelling duo after 133.38km of thrilling competition on lightning-fast gravel roads around Estonia’s second city Tartu, host to round eight of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.

Hyundai i20 N star Neuville was quickest out of the blocks and outpaced his Finnish rival on all three of the morning’s stages to build a 6.8sec advantage at the midpoint. But the tables were turned in Rovanperä’s favour on the repeated loop later in the day.

The Toyota GR Yaris sensation posted a brace of benchmark times to reel Neuville in, snatching the top spot in Mustvee 2. The Belgian pulled back a single tenth in the following test but was ultimately no match for Rovanperä in the Neeruti finale, traversed only once.

Esapekka Lappi’s Hyundai was put at a power disadvantage when he “jumped too far” in SS2, causing the car’s hybrid unit to cease working. Repairs were made in service and the resurgent Finn fought back to claim third overall, leapfrogging Elfyn Evans in the penultimate stage. He headed the GR Yaris-driving Welshman by 2.7sec at close of play.

Teemu Suninen was all smiles after successfully completing his first day behind the wheel of a Rally1-specification Hyundai. Although he was, at times, left speechless by the raw speed of the car, the 29-year-old set a respectable pace and trailed Evans by 16.9sec in fifth. Pierre-Louis Loubet was sixth in a Ford Puma, a top-three time in Raanitsa 2 being the highlight of his day.

His team-mate and home favourite Ott Tänak would have been leading the rally on outright pace. However, the Estonian was dealt a five-minute time penalty prior to the start because his M-Sport Ford team carried out an engine replacement after the car developed an issue during Thursday’s shakedown. Takamoto Katsuta lacked confidence in his Toyota and languished 16.7sec back from Loubet in seventh overall as a consequence. Behind him was WRC2 leader Andreas Mikkelsen, who led fellow Rally2 drivers Gus Greensmith and Sami Pajari overnight.

Saturday:

Kalle Rovanperä took a huge stride towards his third consecutive Rally Estonia victory with a supreme performance at the Baltic fixture on Saturday. The 22-year-old, who became the youngest WRC event winner in history on the country’s superfast gravel roads two years ago, reeled off nine consecutive benchmark times to demoralise Hyundai rival and early leader Thierry Neuville.

Reigning champion Rovanperä relegated Neuville early on Friday afternoon and started this penultimate leg with a 3.0sec advantage. Inspired by the cleaner line offered by his later starting position, he was simply untouchable. The Finn outpaced Neuville on every single stage to stretch his advantage to 34.9sec, his Saturday surge strengthened further when the Hyundai i20 N driver sustained a slow puncture in Otepää 2.

He stands to extend his FIA World Rally Championship lead at this eighth round barring any major dramas through Sunday’s finale. Neuville admitted he had been too hesitant in the morning’s opening pair of stages but still posted second-best times on five occasions. He conceded that overhauling Rovanperä in the closing four speed tests would be a long shot.

Esapekka Lappi completed the podium 10.5sec behind team-mate Neuville after a thrilling day-long battle with Elfyn Evans. Evans, driving a GR Yaris, had reduced Lappi’s buffer to just seven-tenths of a second by the day’s midpoint but fell to 7.3sec behind the charging Finn over the course of the afternoon.

Teemu Suninen continued his trouble-free i20 N Rally1 debut to hold a distant fifth overall, 48.8sec back from Welshman Evans. Behind him, M-Sport Ford’s Pierre-Louis Loubet was a further 44.0sec in arrears and collected a five-second time penalty for breaching hybrid strategy rules on Friday.

Seventh-placed Takamoto Katsuta moved to within 7.0sec of Loubet despite having a scare when his Toyota refused to restart at the finish line of Kanepi 1. Penalty-hit Ott Tänak, meanwhile, climbed to eighth overall on home soil. Andreas Mikkelsen is on course to claim his second WRC2 triumph of the season and held ninth overall in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 while Sami Pajari completed the top 10 in his similar car.

Sunday:

Kalle Rovanperä secured his third consecutive Rally Estonia triumph on Sunday afternoon with a masterclass drive at the FIA World Rally Championship’s eighth round. Two years ago Rovanperä became the WRC’s youngest rally winner on the country’s ultra-fast special stages. He leaves Estonia 55 points clear at the top of the championship standings after today’s dominant success moved him another step closer to claiming back-to-back world titles.

The 22-year-old Finn finished the four-day gravel road fixture 52.7sec ahead of Hyundai i20 N foe Thierry Neuville, who initially led after Friday’s opening loop. He seized the top spot later that day before reeling off nine consecutive fastest times on Saturday to exert his supremacy. The forecasted rain did not materialise in Sunday’s closing leg where Rovanperä again remained untouchable, winning all four speed tests in his Toyota GR Yaris and gaining maximum Wolf Power Stage bonus points in the process.

Such was his dominance that he won 15 of the rally’s 21 special stages. Neuville virtually conceded defeat by Saturday night but was in high spirits after enjoying one of the strongest fast gravel rally performances of his career. He could not afford to cruise through Sunday, though, with team-mate Esapekka Lappi completing the podium just 6.8sec behind after more than 300km of competition.

Lappi’s result marked his fourth top-three finish for Hyundai Motorsport, which now trails Toyota Gazoo Racing by 57 points in the manufacturers’ title race. He and Toyota-driving Welshman Elfyn Evans were closely matched with only 7.3sec separating them at the final control. Teemu Suninen made it three Hyundais in the top five, finishing over one-minute back from Evans after a faultless drive on his i20 N Rally1 debut

Behind him was Pierre-Louis Loubet, who shaded Takamoto Katsuta in the Wolf Power Stage to claim sixth overall. Loubet’s M-Sport Ford team-mate Ott Tänak was the pre-event favourite but his hopes of a home victory were squashed before the rally had even started. Issues in Thursday’s shakedown forced a last-minute engine change and landed him a five-minute penalty before the opening stage.

He now trails Rovanperä by 66 points with five rounds remaining. Andreas Mikkelsen maintained his lead in the WRC2 category and finished ninth in the overall standings. Sami Pajari, campaigning a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 similar to that of Mikkelsen’s, completed the top 10.

Here’s WRC Rally Estonia results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Rovanpera beats Neuville to win Rally Estonia ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Jari-Matti Latvala will put his Toyota team principal duties on pause next month when he gets back into the driving seat for Secto Rally Finland (3 – 6 August). Latvala, the most experienced driver in FIA World Rally Championship history with 209 starts to his name, has not competed at the sport’s top level since February 2020. He was appointed the team principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing in December that year.

However, with encouragement from Akio Toyoda, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Toyota, the 38-year-old is dusting off his driving gloves to pilot one of Toyota’s GR Yaris Rally1 cars in his home WRC round next month – a fixture he has won three times in total.

“Well, the story started I think after the end of the 2022 season, when I was in Japan and talking with “Morizo” (Akio Toyoda), our Chairman,” Latvala revealed. “I said that I had the dream to experience a Rally1 car, because over the last 20 years I have experienced all the World Rally Cars and all the evolutions of these cars, but I have no experience of Rally1, and I would like to experience it before I am 40 years old.

“Morizo said, ‘Yes, we need to do it, let’s do it!’ But we didn’t agree on when we would do it. Then, for this season, we have had this fourth car available for rent and suddenly, in the beginning of the year already, Akio said, ‘Hmm, we can do it this year, let’s do it this year!’ Then he also said he will come to Rally Finland, and we thought maybe this can be a good idea. That was how it was agreed.”

Toyoda will take over the reins as stand-in team principal while Latvala concentrates on his driving duties. Quizzed about his expectations for his Rally1 debut, the Finn admitted that enjoyment will be the main priority. “My target is to have a smile after every stage,” Latvala said, “and if we are somewhere between the top five and top 10, Iʼll be really happy. I will go with one test day, jump into the car and then do the event immediately.

“It is not so easy to get into the car only with one test day. But anyway, this is more about the experience and about enjoying it. I am not building a new career as a driver. We need to come with the mindset that we are here to enjoy and to share the passion for rallying and the great emotions. That’s why if I say we are somewhere between top five and top 10, we have really reached our goal.”

Billed as the ‘Finnish Grand Prix,’ Secto Rally Finland features new stages for 2023 whilst still remaining faithful to its rich history and long-standing traditions. Over half of the route has changed since 2022, with 27 per cent of the mileage being totally new for this year’s fixture. In total, 320.56 competitive kilometres are traversed over 22 speed tests.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Latvala to make WRC return in Rally Finland ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Thursday –

Thousands of fans flocked to the outskirts of Nairobi on Thursday afternoon to witness Ott Tänak take the quickest time through the Kasarani super special stage and claim the early lead at Safari Rally Kenya. Fans were vying for every vantage point possible as the 70^th edition of the iconic Safari Rally Kenya got underway on a purpose-built stage on the edge of the nation’s capital following the ceremonial start in downtown Nairobi.

It was M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tänak claiming the quickest time through the 4.84km super special, going 0.1sec quicker than 2021 Safari winner Sébastien Ogier in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Completing the top three in another Yaris was Ogier’s team-mate and 2022 Safari winner, Kalle Rovanperä, who was simply relieved to make it through the opening test of the weekend – a near-roll on the same stage 12 months ago still fresh in his memory.

Winner last time out on Sardinia, Thierry Neuville was the best of the Hyundai Motorsport drivers, completing the stage fourth overall, whilst it was Welshman Elfyn Evans in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s third manufacturer points-scoring Yaris rounding out the top five. Sitting just outside of the top five were Esapekka Lappi and Takamoto Katsuta, both of whom will be feeling more settled after each suffered separate setbacks during shakedown on Wednesday. Lappi’s i20 N sustained a broken propshaft while Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston walked away unscathed from a jarring roll.

Dani Sordo initially appeared to have claimed seventh-fastest overall but he incurred a 10sec penalty for a jump start, dropping the Hyundai pilot down to 16^th overall. This pushed Pierre-Louis Loubet in his M-Sport Ford Puma up one spot while Oliver Solberg, driving a Rally2-specification Škoda Fabia – albeit not scoring WRC2 points this weekend = snuck in ahead of the Puma of Jourdan Serderidis, who completed the top 10.

Friday –

Sébastien Ogier was the pride of the plains on Friday at Safari Rally Kenya as he recovered from a minor morning setback to build a commanding overnight lead. The Frenchman showed his rivals a clean pair of heels on the opening day of action and had established a double-digit lead just three special stages into this seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

A hybrid unit fault hindered the eight-time world champion late in the morning, however, slicing his buffer to just 2.5sec over team-mate Kalle Rovanperä before the midday service in Naivasha.   But that failed to deter Ogier, who gambled by carrying only one spare wheel aboard his Toyota GR Yaris for the repeated afternoon loop. Those weight-saving tactics clearly worked wonders as he romped to a hat-trick of benchmark stage times, ending the day 22.8sec clear of Rovanperä at the sharp end of a Toyota 1-2-3.

Championship leader Rovanperä found understeer an issue particularly over the second half of the day, the road-opening Finn forced to pave a new line in the rutted sandy tracks. His colleague Elfyn Evans completed the early podium 20.7sec behind on a day which the Welshman admitted he approached too cautiously.

Thierry Neuville had been Hyundai’s leading light for much of the day but the Belgian retired in the penultimate test when a heavy compression destroyed the front-left suspension on his i20 N. Safari debutant Esapekka Lappi, driving a similar car, inherited the position and trailed Evans by 10.5sec at close of play, passing Takamoto Katsuta in the process. Katsuta donned his mechanics gloves after SS3 to replace a damaged steering arm on his Toyota.

He heads sixth-placed Hyundai man Dani Sordo by just 9.0sec approaching Saturday after a dramatic finale saw him clip a tree branch and also sustain tyre damage. M-Sport Ford drivers Ott Tänak and Pierre-Louis Loubet had a day to forget. Both lay several minutes back from the lead in seventh and eighth overall after carrying out mid-stage wheel changes, although their second-tier colleague Grégoire Munster gave the British team something to smile about by leading the WRC2 category from Kajetan Kajetanowicz in a Fiesta Rally2.

Saturday –

Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä will go head-to-head for Safari Rally Kenya supremacy after Saturday’s final stage blew the victory fight wide open. On a day when Toyota GR Yaris cars topped the timesheets in every single stage, Ogier looked set to end this penultimate leg comfortably in front of his championship-leading colleague, the Frenchman happy to measure his pace and keep a watchful eye on those behind after overcoming tyre damage in SS8.

But a sudden downpour in the closing 31.04km Sleeping Warrior caused chaos. The dry and dusty roads quickly turned to mud and offered minimal grip in conditions akin to ice. Ogier, the last of the of the Rally1 cars into the stage, was perhaps hit harder by the conditions than any of his rivals, limping to the finish line with two slow punctures. It meant the Frenchman’s advantage was sliced in half after conceding more than 15sec and he will start Sunday’s six-stage finale just 16.7sec clear at the top.

A repeat 1-2-3-4 Safari finish looks all but guaranteed for Toyota, but which driver will be heading it come tomorrow afternoon is anybody’s guess. There was more drama in the battle for the final podium spot after Esapekka Lappi, who held the place until SS12, retired his Hyundai i20 N with suspected propshaft failure.

Elfyn Evans inherited the position before being passed by Takamoto Katsuta, although the Welshman fared better in the wet weather conditions and moved back in front. 16.7sec split the Toyota-driving duo at close of play, with Rovanperä more than two minutes further up the road. Lappi’s demise, coupled with Thierry Neuville’s Friday retirement, means that Hyundai’s hopes now rest on Dani Sordo’s shoulders.

The Spaniard trailed Evans by 1min 12.3sec to hold fifth overnight with Ott Tänak almost five minutes behind. Tänak’s Safari frustrations continued when he and co-driver Martin Järveoja stopped in Soysambu 2 to carry out their second wheel change of the weekend. Pierre-Louis Loubet, driving a similar M-Sport Ford Puma, held seventh despite a run-in with a bush in SS10.

Grégoire Munster’s retirement handed the WRC2 lead to Kajetan Kajetanowicz, now eighth overall. Neuville climbed to ninth by the day’s end while Oliver Solberg, who is not registered to score WRC2 points this week, completed the leaderboard.

Sunday –

Sébastien Ogier defied team-mate Kalle Rovanperä’s charge to head home a dream 1-2-3-4 finish for Toyota Gazoo Racing on a spectacular final day at Safari Rally Kenya. Ogier recorded his third victory from just five starts so far this season but his rally very nearly unravelled in Sunday’s second special stage when a patch of Kenya’s infamous fesh-fesh sand sent his GR Yaris car wide on a right-hand bend.

The Frenchman, fighting hard to recover time lost to Rovanperä in the rocky opener, clipped a tree and ripped off his car’s entire rear tailgate. Amazingly winning the stage and making all the time back, he then patched the gap using a bin liner to keep dust at bay in Hell’s Gate 1.

More permanent repairs in service did not extinguish the drama, however, as all four Yaris crews completed the penultimate blast with dust-induced overheating engines. Ogier, one of the hardest hit, saw his lead whittled down to just 9.2sec before the Wolf Power Stage finale, where the eight-time world champion’s run was again without incident, arriving at the flying finish with a cracked windscreen.

Despite the late incident, he was able to triumph by 6.7sec after four brutal days to spearhead Toyota’s second clean sweep in as many Safari Rally editions. President William Ruto presented Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais with their trophies, commemorating Ogier’s second win at the event, amid stunning scenery at Hell’s Gate.

Finishing as runner-up felt like a personal victory for the title-defending Rovanperä, who extended his championship lead to 37 points after round seven of 13. Takamoto Katsuta’s hopes of surpassing team-mate Elfyn Evans and achieving a third Safari Rally podium vanished when his car’s hybrid unit stopped working, sapping vital performance. He settled for fourth overall, 25.3sec back from the Toyota-driving Welshman with Ogier and Rovanperä more than two minutes up the road.

Dani Sordo overcame power steering failure in SS16 to finish an isolated fifth at the end of a testing weekend for Hyundai Motorsport, which now trails Toyota by 42 points in the manufacturers’ title race. Early podium challenger Esapekka Lappi was way down the order after being plagued by transmission issues in his i20 N while Thierry Neuville, recovering from suspension failure on Friday, could only muster eighth.

Tyre troubles earlier in the rally prevented M-Sport Ford Puma drivers Ott Tänak and Pierre-Louis Loubet from mounting any form of attack. They finished sixth and seventh respectively.   Eighth-placed Kajetan Kajetanowicz secured his second Kenyan WRC2 victory in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. Oliver Solberg was not nominated to score points in the support category but finished ninth overall while Martin Prokop completed the top 10.

Here’s WRC Safari Rally results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

UPDATE: Thierry Neuville has been disqualified from Safari Rally Kenya on Sunday evening after event stewards found the Belgian to have conducted illegal recce activities during the rally. The Hyundai Motorsport driver finished eighth overall at the FIA World Rally Championship’s seventh round but was disqualified by event stewards following a hearing at the rally base in Naivasha.

The stewards summarised the finding of the report received from the clerk of course that was initiated independently by the Safari Rally organisers. It indicated instances where an unauthorised person was seen, after reconnaissance, to be driving on routes that would be used as special stages over the course of the rally.

The person was on private property without authorisation and was stopped by Officials in two locations on two  different days. The evidence presented to the stewards indicated links of this person to Neuville. When asked, Neuville promptly admitted to the stewards that he was aware of the identified person and that he had requested this person’s support in identifying specific concerns (areas where rocks had moved) in some special stages.

Article 35.4.2 of the 2023 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations, states that: “After the publication of the Supplementary Regulations, only with the express authorisation of the Clerk of the Course and the FIA Rally Department may any person connected with an entered crew travel on or over the route of a special stage of the rally (except on foot). This rule shall apply until that special stage is terminated, open for public traffic and will no longer be used within the rally.”

In another late Sunday evening stewards decision Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were penalised two minutes for using one tyre more than their allotted number of 26. The two minute penalty had no impact on the pairing’s overall standing with Martin Prokop still nearly nine minutes in arrears. The disqualification of Neuville moved Solberg into ninth overall.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Ogier wins Safari Rally in a Toyota 1-2-3-4 finish ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Sparks flew on Friday at Rally Italia Sardegna as Esapekka Lappi demoted Sébastien Ogier in a gripping conclusion to Friday’s opening leg, claiming the tiniest of overnight leads. After one of the most daunting days thus far in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship, where crews braved over 140km of rough gravel stages in changeable weather conditions, the duelling duo found themselves separated by a mere one-tenth of a second.

Ogier, contesting his fourth rally this year aboard a Toyota GR Yaris, started on the front foot and led by a seemingly comfortable 16.3sec at the day’s halfway point having blitzed his Finnish rival through the first pass of Monte Lerno, a whopping 49.90km in length.

But the Frenchman’s advantage began to erode as the same three speed tests were repeated after lunch and Lappi, charging hard in his Hyundai i20 N, delivered the perfect response in Monte Lerno 2 – ultimately claiming the lead in the day’s finale.

Despite grappling with an intermittently functioning handbrake, Thierry Neuville fought his way up the leaderboard to make it two Hyundais in the top three. The Belgian trailed Ogier by 18.5sec at close of play with championship leader Kalle Rovanperä another 27.5sec behind.

Rovanperä had entered the final stage down in seventh overall but the wet conditions played to the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver’s favour – and to his early starting position. He posted the benchmark time, climbing three positions in the process.

Just 1.3sec behind was Takamoto Katsuta, who suffered a fright in the morning loop when he hit a rock after running wide in a left-hand bend. The mishap cost around 20sec and kept his Toyota mechanics busy in service.

A front right puncture towards the end of Monte Lerno left Elfyn Evans 18.2sec behind his team-mate in sixth overall. He headed M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tänak, who overcame a failing water pump, by 4.2sec.

WRC2 runners Sami Pajari, Adrien Fourmaux and Emil Lindholm completed the top 10 while Dani Sordo languished in 12th overall. The Spaniard rolled his Hyundai in SS4, losing more than three minutes in the process. Pierre-Louis Loubet was Friday’s only casualty. Initially running third overall, the Frenchman incurred a three-minute time penalty when he couldn’t engage any gears prior to the start of SS5. Although the issue was swiftly resolved, Loubet faced further frustrations later in the day when he beached his Puma in a Monte Lerno ditch.

Saturday:

Thierry Neuville sits on the brink of his first triumph in 2023 having taken control of Rally Italia Sardegna on a thrilling Saturday which saw the downfall of eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier.

Neuville had trailed Ogier and Esapekka Lappi in third place since the start of this sixth round of the season – but a heavy downpour in the penultimate Erula – Tula test caused utter chaos and turned the rally on its head.

Ogier, hunting down a record fifth Italian win in a Toyota GR Yaris, entered the stage clinging onto a slender overall lead. However, in a stunning twist of fate, the Frenchman’s fortunes took a dramatic downturn when he understeered off the road, veering down an embankment just 1.4km after the start.

Lappi reduced his attack upon seeing Ogier’s stricken car, inadvertently dropping over half a minute to i20 N team-mate Neuville, who was unaware of the drama unfolding behind him on the road. The Belgian climbed from third to first overall as a result of his charge and heads the Hyundai 1-2 by 36.4sec approaching Sunday’s four-stage finale.

Championship leader Kalle Rovanperä was elevated to third at his team-mate’s expense, although the Finn is unlikely to be able to trouble the frontrunning pair on outright pace. He trailed Lappi by 1min 14.3sec at close of play after being hampered by excessive tyre wear in the afternoon.

Perseverance paid off for Elfyn Evans, whose day was filled with setbacks. The Welshman’s Toyota sustained radiator damage in a water crossing on SS10 and he leaked almost three minutes limping back to service. History threatened to repeat itself later in the day when Evans’ car momentarily lost power while negotiating another water splash. The misfire cleared itself shortly afterwards and he reached the finish almost four minutes behind Rovanperä in fourth overall.

Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta were not as lucky and both suffered water-induced retirements. A faulty electrical sensor was to blame for M-Sport Ford man Tänak’s demise while Katsuta bowed out with radiator damage. Their respective mishaps enabled Dani Sordo, recovering from a Friday morning roll, to climb to fifth overall. He headed WRC2 leader Adrien Fourmaux while Andreas Mikkelsen, Teemu Suninen, Emil Lindholm and Kajetan Kajetanowicz – all contesting WRC2 – completed the leaderboard.

Sunday:

Thierry Neuville vaulted from fifth to second in the FIA World Rally Championship standings on Sunday afternoon after clinching a long-awaited victory at Rally Italia Sardegna. Belgian star Neuville headed i20 N partner Esapekka Lappi by 33.0sec in a dream 1-2 finish for Hyundai at round six of 13, scoring his 18^th career success alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe.

The result served as a maiden 2023 triumph for both Neuville and his team, helping the Korean marque to move within 23 points of championship-leading manufacturer Toyota Gazoo Racing. The lead changed hands a whopping nine times during the fast and furious Mediterranean island fixture until Neuville seized the initiative when GR Yaris rival Sébastien Ogier went off the road in Saturday’s rain-hit penultimate test.

He surpassed Lappi, who celebrated his third-consecutive top-three finish, in the same stage and managed a comfortable advantage through Sunday’s four-stage finale. Rovanperä completed the podium in third overall, his best result out of five Rally Italia Sardegna attempts.

Although he trailed fellow Finn Lappi by 1min 22.3sec at the finish, the high rate of attrition saw him end a sizeable 3min 25.2sec clear of fourth-placed Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans. Evans struggled to get into a rhythm in his GR Yaris and dropped around three minutes on Saturday when the car’s radiator sustained damage in a water crossing.

Dani Sordo almost made it three Hyundais in the top five but retired after the day’s second stage due to exhaust failure. It brought an early end to what been a turbulent weekend for the Spaniard, having previously rolled his i20 N on Friday morning.

His demise paved the way for Andreas Mikkelsen to claim fifth overall as well as taking a surprise victory in WRC2. He had trailed Adrien Fourmaux by more than half a minute before the Wolf Power Stage but the Frenchman slid off the road 1.4km after the start.

Here’s WRC Rally Sardegna results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Neuville leads Hyundai 1-2 in dominant Rally Sardegna win ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

We have bolstered our operations with the appointment of François-Xavier (FX) Demaison as Technical Director – a key new role in our leadership structure. “We are pleased to have François-Xavier joining us in Alzenau to lead our technical departments across our motorsport activities,” said our President, Sean Kim. “His extensive experience and achievements will prove invaluable as we look to establish ourselves as the benchmark in our motorsport programmes.”

“The appointment of François-Xavier as Technical Director is another exciting step in the journey of our company and the N Brand,” added Till Wartenberg, Vice President N Brand & Motorsport. “In just ten short years we have achieved great things and we are well placed to continue to grow and develop in the years ahead.”

The 54-year-old will join our team from 1st June 2023 to drive the efforts of our technical departments across WRC, Customer Racing and electric motorsport.

Proven success

FX has previously held Technical Director roles at Williams Racing and Volkswagen Motorsport. His 26-year experience in the industry spans WRC, Formula 1, Rallycross and TCR. During his tenure, Volkswagen Motorsport claimed four drivers’ and four manufacturers’ titles in WRC (2013-2016) and won 43 out of 52 rallies across the four seasons. The operation also clinched the TCR International Drivers’ Championship in 2016 and 2017.

“He knows what it takes to not only win, but also dominate in motorsport, and it is that experience that we need to channel our efforts and win championship titles in the years to come,” commented Cyril, our Team Principal.

Powering forward

In his new role, FX will liaise with the relevant R&D groups within Hyundai Motor Company worldwide as he assumes management responsibility of the vehicle and powertrain departments for the technical fulfilment of our various motorsport programmes. Working closely with our WRC Programme Manager, Christian Loriaux, the Frenchman will help to develop and enhance the competitiveness of our WRC challenger, the i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.

He will also support President Kim and Cyril to determine and build Hyundai Motor Company’s future motorsport programme. To complement this, FX will steer the transformations we require in order to create state-of-the-art motorsport capabilities.

“I am tremendously excited to start this new role with Hyundai Motorsport,” said FX. “I relish this challenge and look forward to working with the personnel who have already achieved great things in WRC and their customer racing programmes.”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Demaison returns to WRC with Hyundai after short F1 stint ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Ott Tänak opened a slender lead at Vodafone Rally de Portugal on a furious Friday morning which served up drama for some of the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading crews. Tänak’s masterful drive through Góis, the second stage of the day, elevated the 35-year-old Estonian from third to first overall. He completed the opening loop just ahead of defending WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä to lead the FIA World Rally Championship’s fifth round by three seconds.

A furious beginning to the legendary gravel fixture also saw Tänak’s team-mate Pierre-Louis Loubet run into trouble when his M-Sport Ford Puma caught fire at the end of SS3. Loubet and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul – winners of SS1 – were able to continue after extinguishing the flames but dropped precious time in the process.

Rovanperä was blighted by understeer which resulted in excessive wear to his Toyota GR Yaris’ front tyres. He made set-up tweaks before the Arganil stage and climbed from fourth to second overall by posting the fastest time. Dani Sordo, aided by a low start position, completed the loop just 0.6sec behind Rovanperä in third. The roads were swept clean of slippery loose sand by the early starters, offering the Spaniard more grip, although he regretted his decision to run hard compound Pirelli tyres on the front of his Hyundai for SS3.

His team-mate Thierry Neuville, who relied solely on soft compound rubber, ended a further 11.0sec in arrears. The Belgian’s standing was helped by the demise of Takamoto Katuta, who retired his Toyota with suspected alternator failure before SS3.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans tried his best to minimise time loss from the worst start position at the head of the field. He trailed Tänak by 18.0sec at the mid-leg tyre fitting zone, eight-tenths clear Loubet. Esapekka Lappi was eighth overall while WRC2 drivers Adrien Fourmaux, Oliver Solberg and Andreas Mikkelsen completed the leaderboard.

Saturday:

Kalle Rovanperä more than quadrupled his Vodafone Rally de Portugal lead on Saturday morning with a clean sweep of stage wins aboard a Toyota GR Yaris. The defending world champion left his Hyundai Motorsport rivals floundering in the dust as he posted a hat-trick of benchmark times, increasing his 10.8sec overnight advantage to a whopping 52.4sec.

Rovanperä completed the Vieira do Minho opener 12.8sec faster than anybody else and outpaced nearest challenger Dani Sordo by 21.7sec in the 37.24km Amarante test. He was again quicker than the Spaniard through Felgueiras, closing off a perfect loop.

Sordo didn’t just lose touch with the rally leader, he also came under increasing pressure from team-mate Esapekka Lappi and reached the service only 4.6sec clear of the Finn. Lappi claimed the final podium spot in the day’s first stage, demoting Thierry Neuville – who ended the loop just 0.9sec behind – in the process.

Neuville struggled to keep his Hyundai’s rear end in line and, despite making set-up tweaks, felt that further improvements were possible. Pierre-Louis Loubet retired close to the finish of Amarante when a heavy impact damaged his Ford Puma’s steering. His M-Sport Ford team-mate Ott Tänak was elevated to fifth as a result and now trails Neuville by 36.2sec. WRC2 cars filled the remainder of the leaderboard. Oliver Solberg saw his lead eaten into by Gus Greensmith and Yohan Rossel, while Andreas Mikkelsen and Marco Bulacia completed the top 10.

Sunday:

Kalle Rovanperä vaulted to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings with a dominant Vodafone Rally de Portugal victory on Sunday afternoon, confirming his second consecutive triumph at the Matosinhos-based event.

The Finn, who had not stood atop the podium since his title-winning run in New Zealand last season, now boasts a 17-point advantage over Ott Tänak five events into this 13-round season. Rovanperä seized control of the rally when Tänak suffered wheel damage on Friday afternoon, establishing a slender 10.7-second lead by the end of the opening leg.

Unstoppable on Saturday, the Toyota GR Yaris man unleashed a masterful display of five stage wins and widened the gap to a commanding 57.5 seconds before effortlessly negotiating Sunday’s four-stage finale 54.7sec clear of second-placed Dani Sordo.

Esapekka Lappi made it two i20 N cars inside the top three, scoring his second podium finish in as many rallies. His result helped Hyundai to stay within 32 points of championship-leading manufacturer Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Thierry Neuville began the day in third but a broken turbocharger left his Hyundai severely down on power. Time poured away as he limped through the closing stages, allowing M-Sport Ford Puma man Ott Tänak to claim fourth overall while he frustratingly settled for fifth.

There was an exhilarating conclusion to the WRC2 battle as Gus Greensmith claimed the spoils by just 1.2sec from Škoda Fabia rival Oliver Solberg. The latter had led by 35.4sec overnight before being lumbered with a one-minute time penalty. Andreas Mikkelsen, Yohan Rossel and Teemu Suninen – also contesting WRC2 – completed the leaderboard.

Here’s WRC Rally Portugal results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Rovanpera dominates after taking lead in Rally Portugal ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Thierry Neuville led throughout Friday’s treacherous opening leg despite only winning one stage of Croatia Rally. It was the Hyundai i20 N driver’s consistency which ultimately came to the fore as asphalt roads in the hills west of capital city Zagreb tested the mettle of the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading crews. He ended the gruelling day just 5.7sec clear of second-placed challenger Elfyn Evans.

Neuville was unhappy with his car’s morning set-up but swooped into the lead after SS2 when championship leader Sébastien Ogier, winner of the day’s opener, dropped over one and a half minutes carrying out a mid-stage wheel change on his Toyota GR Yaris.

The Belgian remained at the helm throughout the afternoon although Evans, driving another Toyota, sliced his advantage by more than half as scattered rain clouds loomed over the stages. Both drivers stuck to a mixed combination of hard and soft compound Pirelli tyres, which proved to be the right choice.

One driver for whom tyre gambles did not pay off was Ott Tänak. The Estonian bolted wet weather rubber onto his M-Sport Ford Puma for Stojdraga – Hartje 2, however, conditions remained mostly dry and he fell behind Esapekka Lappi after dropping 17.0sec. Tänak responded in the penultimate stage by ousting the Hyundai man to reclaim third overall, reaching the overnight halt 3.4sec clear of his rival and 24.3sec adrift of Evans. Ogier, meanwhile, valiantly fought his way back up to fifth another 50.3sec in arrears.

Takamoto Katsuta overtook Pierre-Louis Loubet in the final stage to grab sixth, while Kalle Rovanperä languished in eighth overall. The Yaris youngster won last year’s fixture but currently trails the frontrunners by over two minutes after he too stopped to change a wheel at the same location as team-mate Ogier. WRC2 leader Yohan Rossel was ninth and held a sizeable 29.9sec advantage over Nikolay Gryazin, second in the category.

Saturday:

Elfyn Evans is verging on a long-elusive FIA World Rally Championship victory after seizing the Croatia Rally lead in Saturday’s penultimate leg. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver assumed control of the gruelling asphalt event early in the day when Thierry Neuville, who had led by 5.7sec on Friday evening, crashed into retirement on the second stage.

Neuville’s Hyundai i20 N stepped out of line and collided with a concrete block which caused severe damage to the wheel and suspension components. His exit handed Evans a healthy lead of 22.6sec at the day’s halfway point. The dynamic changed when Ott Tänak cranked up the heat after service in Croatian capital Zagreb, slashing Evans’ buffer by almost half with two stages remaining.

However, the Estonian was impeded by a technical fault which cost valuable time late in the day and ended 25.4sec back from the lead. A victory for Evans, should he succeed in keeping Tänak at bay, would be his first since the 2021 Secto Rally Finland over 18 months ago. Esapekka Lappi brought his Hyundai home a distant third overall despite lacking confidence in some of the gravel-polluted sections.

A half spin in SS13 did not help matters although the Finn pressed harder in the afternoon and trailed Tänak by half a minute at close of play. Sébastien Ogier started on the back foot having been handed a one-minute time penalty for a safety breach on Friday evening. He was then lumbered with a further 10-second sanction after a technical issue on the road section caused him to check in late to the first stage.

But the Yaris man, winner here in 2021, climbed from seventh to fourth overall after romping to three fastest stage times. Behind him were team-mates Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta, both of whom leapfrogged Pierre-Louis Loubet as he struggled to find traction on hard compound tyres. Yohan Rossel remained in the lead of the WRC2 category and held eighth overall ahead of Nikolay Gryazin and Emil Lindholm, who completed the leaderboard.

Sunday:

Elfyn Evans stormed to victory at Croatia Rally on Sunday afternoon, soaring to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings in the process. An error from Thierry Neuville on Saturday morning propelled the Welshman to first overall, and he distanced himself from M-Sport Ford Puma driver Ott Tänak across the rest of the rally to win by 27.0sec in a Toyota GR Yaris.

The triumph, his first since Secto Rally Finland in 2021 and the first of his career on asphalt, elevated Evans from fifth to equal-first in the drivers’ championship standings. He is tied on points with Sébastien Ogier after round four of 13, with Kalle Rovanperä just a single point behind and Tänak three more in arrears.

His Toyota Gazoo Racing team preserved its unbeaten Croatia Rally record whilst also increasing its manufacturers’ championship lead over Hyundai Motorsport to 29 points.
The season’s first pure asphalt fixture delivered tremendous action, and Tänak looked set to become a real threat to Evans as he set a furious pace early on Saturday afternoon.

However, a transmission issue later on the penultimate day obstructed the Estonian’s charge and he cruised to the finish 31.6sec clear of Esapekka Lappi. Lappi lacked confidence on some of the dirtier sections of road, but consistency rewarded him with his first Hyundai i20 N podium – a welcome boost after crashing out from the lead in the previous round.

Behind him were a trio of Toyotas headed by defending champion Rovanperä, 19.7sec in arrears. The Finn had languished outside of the top ten after changing a wheel in SS2 on Friday, but hauled himself back up the leaderboard with an impressive recovery drive. He surpassed Sébastien Ogier on the final morning to claim fourth overall, edging his team-mate by just 9.7sec.

Ogier, who solely led the championship before this rally, was left to rue what could have been. Although he trailed victor Evans by 1min28.0sec at the finish, he also stopped to change a wheel whilst leading on Friday and received further blows in the form of time penalties. In total, the time loss amounted to roughly two-and-a-half minutes.

Takamoto Katsuta made it four Toyotas in the top six ahead of Pierre-Louis Loubet, who nursed his Puma to the finish with bent steering. WRC2 competitors Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin and Oliver Solberg completed the leaderboard.

Here’s WRC Rally Croatia results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Evans wins Rally Croatia as honour for Breen on podium ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Frenchman Ogier arrives in Croatia with a three-point lead over Thierry Neuville. Neuville and Hyundai Motorsport team-mate Esapekka Lappi’s i20 N cars will carry a special livery in memory of beloved colleague and WRC family member Craig Breen, who tragically lost his life last week.

But defending his early-season advantage is not the primary objective for Ogier, who only competes on a part-time basis. Instead, the ultimate prize would be to complete a Croatian treble for his Toyota Gazoo Racing squad.

Ogier clinched victory at the inaugural Croatia Rally in 2021 but sat out last year’s event, which was won by his GR Yaris team-mate Kalle Rovanperä. “Even if the mindset is different without the [full] championship, I still have the same aim to perform at my best and score some wins and good points for the team,” Ogier said.

“Croatia is a difficult one, but recently I have been pretty strong on Tarmac. It was kind of natural for the team and me to decide to go back to Croatia.” Only Ogier and Rovanperä are nominated to score points for Toyota Gazoo Racing this week. Out of respect for Hyundai, which now fields only two cars, the Japanese marque has withdrawn Elfyn Evans from the manufacturers’ championship battle at this rally.

The Welshman, however, remains eligible to score drivers’ championship points alongside Takamoto Katsuta, who drives a fourth Yaris. Ott Tänak is M-Sport Ford’s frontrunner. The Estonian, who lies fourth in the standings, is joined by Pierre-Louis Loubet, and will be eager to make amends after being hampered by mechanical woes last time out.

The rally starts in capital city Zagreb on Thursday evening ahead of three days of competition on asphalt which varies from smooth to broken and features many tricky crests and jumps. The 20 stages cover 301.26km.

Statement from Cyril Abiteboul –

Craig was laid to rest yesterday and it’s been a very emotional time for all of us. Emotions are still raw and there has been an amazing outpouring of grief for Craig, who was an incredible person to know, as a team-mate, competitor and friend. Regarding the accident, we can say that Craig was participating in the pre-event test in Croatia.

Road conditions were slippery and the car slid off the road at a relatively low speed and made contact with a wooden fence. A post from this fence intruded into the cabin through the driver’s side window. The stage was closed immediately and the on stage medical team was rapidly on the scene.

We must mention that James Fulton was unhurt in the crash and our hearts go out to him. We are doing everything we can to support James at this time. Craig was taken to hospital from the stage. As far as can be determined, Craig’s passing was instantaneous. Hyundai Motorsport and the FIA are working together to review all aspects of the incident.

As far as can be ascertained, there was no issue with any element of the car, the tyres or the safety equipment. The local police completed a report at the scene. Moving to this weekend and Croatia Rally, it was clear from the feedback from all stakeholders, and Craig’s family and friends, that the competitive spirit of Craig would have wanted this weekend’s rally to continue and for his team-mates to participate.

We thought long and hard about how to do this and how best to honour Craig. To this end, we are contesting the event with two cars, both running with a special livery to honour Craig, his Irish roots and his beloved Irish rally community. Craig was a wonderful person and that is true of his family and friends. The rallying community has really pulled together and it’s a mark of the high regard with which Craig was held.

There are a number of initiatives to honour Craig taking place over this weekend. As well as our special livery we have a book of condolence in our hospitality unit that everyone is invited to sign. This will be shared with the family. This is all we have to say collectively at this stage.

https://twitter.com/HMSGOfficial/status/1648650069116157952?s=20

#ForCraig ❤️ @HMSGOfficial pic.twitter.com/IX1H3T1TgI

— World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) April 19, 2023

Here’s WRC retiring #42 for rest of 2023

Here’s Hyundai President Sean Kim on Craig Breen

Here’s news about Craig Breen’s death and some initial reactions

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Hyundai shares special livery for Breen; provides details on crash ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Tributes have been pouring in from across the world for Breen, who tragically lost his life while testing last Thursday. The Irishman was preparing to drive Hyundai’s third car at round four of the FIA World Rally Championship.

In memory of Breen and with the blessing of his family and co-driver James Fulton, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars of his team-mates Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi will carry a special livery in Zagreb. The WRC family in collaboration with the FIA has also decided to retire the number 42, Breen’s competition number, for the remainder of the 2023 season as a further tribute to his memory.

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “After careful consideration involving all stakeholders, we have decided to participate in Croatia Rally. We will do this in memory of Craig, to honour him, his passion for rallying and his competitive spirit.

“We will enter two cars and withdraw the third entry as a mark of respect. Both cars will run with a special livery for Craig, his family, friends and fans. It is clear from speaking to everyone that the best way to honour Craig’s legacy was not to withdraw our entry, so we participate mindful of our lost team-mate, friend and incredible competitor.”

Here’s Hyundai President Sean Kim on Craig Breen

Here’s news about Craig Breen’s death and some initial reactions

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Hyundai to run special livery as WRC retires Breen’s number for ’23 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

“The reality of yesterday has still not sunk in, and it is unlikely to for a very long time. Everyone here in Alzenau is feeling the loss of our team-mate and friend Craig deeply, and we are supporting our colleagues through this incredibly difficult time.

“To say he was a much valued and well-regarded member of our team only touches the surface. Craig had a passion for rallying that ran deep. He was more than just a driver, he was a true lover of the sport. Craig wore his heart on his sleeve, something that enamoured him to so many people. He had a way with words that was completely unique; his end-of-stage quotes were always a highlight.

“Craig was also a phenomenal driver. There are so many highlights, both within our team and in the rest of his career, but in Rally Sweden he showed us his true essence. He was performing at the top of his game and reminding us all of the incredible talent he possessed. That podium meant a lot to us as a team, but you could see just how much it meant to him.

“It is clear the whole rallying community and beyond is feeling this profound loss. The outpouring of grief and sadness in the past day is testament to the man that Craig was. He leaves behind a legacy within Hyundai Motorsport and the wider motorsport community that is difficult to put into words. Rest in peace, dear friend.”

Here’s more from motorsport fraternity: https://www.wrc.com/en/news/2023/wrc/tributes-flow-in-for-wrc-star-breen/

Here’s news about Craig Breen’s death and some initial reactions

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Hyundai boss Sean Kim pens statement for Craig Breen ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Hyundai confirmed the sad news of the passing of Breen, aged 33-years, in a crash during WRC Rally Croatia’s test run. The Korean manufacturer did not convey how and the extent of injuries suffered as they requested for privacy at the time of mourning.

Hyundai, however, noted Breen’s co-driver James Fulton to be unharmed in the accident. Reports from the scene stated that his car collided with a pole on the road between Stari Golubovac and Lobora just after noon on Thursday.

The Irishman was returning to the i20 cockpit for next weekend’s Rally Croatia replacing Dani Sordo. He earlier took part in Rally Sweden where he finished second. In a long standing career which started in 2009, Breen has raced for several teams, with nine podium finishes against his name in WRC.

Statement from Hyundai Motorsport pic.twitter.com/GLNXbphVQW

— hmsgofficial (@HMSGOfficial) April 13, 2023

Meanwhile, the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, stated: “On behalf of the FIA, I extend sincere condolences to the family & friends of Craig Breen following his passing during a private testing accident. Our thoughts & prayers are with his loved ones & the Rally community at this difficult time.”

At the same time, WRC relayed: “The WRC family is shocked and saddened to learn of Craig Breen’s passing. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Craig at this incredibly sad time.”

pic.twitter.com/bxv3WrgyKZ

— TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) April 13, 2023

https://twitter.com/ValtteriBottas/status/1646510215334965248?s=20

https://twitter.com/alex_wurz/status/1646508276383723521?s=20

We have lost a member of the Citroën Racing Family. Rest In Peace @Craig_Breen
Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, fans and the @HMSGOfficial Team. https://t.co/oUxxpFSpVd pic.twitter.com/yduox2N1BT

— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) April 13, 2023

I can’t believe I’m writing this now. Life can be so fragile and unfair… I can’t believe we’ve lost you mate! Just we’ve been texting and another moment you’re not answering anymore, I’ll miss you buddy so bad, so so bad… pic.twitter.com/tkwyBnNvb8

— Ott Tänak (@OttTanak) April 13, 2023

He was embedded in the world of rally at every level of the sport we all love, and we send our heartfelt condolences to all his friends and family. (2/2)

— M-Sport (@MSportLtd) April 13, 2023

I’m lost for words… Everyone loved Craig for his great Irish character and his enthusiasm for our sport. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this very sad time. RIP Craig, we will miss you pic.twitter.com/shIP75rUw6

— Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) April 13, 2023

More to come

From everyone at FormulaRapida.net, we pass on our condolences

L'entrada Breen passes away in pre-Croatia WRC rally’s test crash ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Friday:

Esapekka Lappi rocketed into the Guanajuato Rally México lead on Friday morning as several frontrunners, including championship leader Ott Tänak, ran into trouble. The Finn, who held third place overnight, became embroiled in a morning-long scrap with six-time Mexico winner Sébastien Ogier, ending the loop just 1.4sec ahead of the Toyota Gazoo Racing part-timer before the stages are repeated this afternoon.

Lappi, driving a Hyundai i20 N, climbed to the head of the leaderboard with the benchmark time for El Chocolate, passing overnight leader Ott Tänak in the process as the Estonian nursed a failed turbocharger on his M-Sport Ford Puma. While Ogier was able to regain a few tenths during the Ortega test, Lappi made it two stage wins out of three with a plucky run through Las Minas, which preceded the mid-leg service.

Tänak’s chances of scoring his second victory of the season now look almost impossible. He languishes more than 12 minutes adrift of the top spot after limping through the morning with minimal power. His team-mates Pierre-Louis Loubet and Jourdan Serderidis also faced their share of problems in the opener. Both had to retire due to suspension damage, marking a disastrous start to the rally for the British team.

In third place, and avoiding the drama so far, is Ogier’s Yaris colleague Elfyn Evans. The Welshman ended the loop 11.1sec adrift of the runner-up spot, with Dani Sordo only 0.6sec further back despite struggling to keep his Hyundai in the clean line. Thierry Neuville’s hybrid unit failed when he hit a compression in Ortega, leaving his i20 N down on power in the high altitudes. He arrived at service 10.1sec down on Sordo but 6.0sec clear of sixth-placed Kalle Rovanperä, whose Toyota suffered a similar fault.

Takamoto Katsuta retired from seventh overall after going off the road in a high-speed section of Las Minas. He lost control of his Yaris’s rear end, sliding down a steep embankment.  Emil Lindholm, the defending WRC2 champion, leads his category and holds seventh overall ahead of Gus Greensmith, while Adrien Fourmaux and Oliver Solberg round out the top 10.

Saturday:

Sébastien Ogier seized a commanding lead at Guanajuato Rally México on Saturday morning, capitalising on the misfortune of rival Esapekka Lappi. With the duelling duo starting Saturday’s penultimate leg separated by a mere 5.3 seconds, the tension was palpable. Both drivers knew that every tenth of a second would count on the unforgiving terrain in the mountains around León.

However, the closely-fought battle that was expected failed to materialise when Lappi, who had held the upper hand, crashed his Hyundai i20 N just 10.01km into the opening Ibarrilla stage. The Finn’s car collided with a utility pole before briefly catching fire. His demise left Ogier with a comfortable lead of almost half a minute over Toyota GR Yaris colleague Elfyn Evans. The Frenchman, a six-time winner in Mexico, went into safety mode for the morning’s remaining three stages, reaching the mid-leg service with an 28.5sec advantage.

Thierry Neuville’s morning was a positive one, with the Belgian taking three stage wins aboard his Hyundai. As well as moving into podium position at Lappi’s expense, he also reduced his deficit to Evans to just 8.7sec. Another 36.6sec behind in fourth overall was Kalle Rovanperä. The Finn’s Toyota lacked traction on the loose gravel stages, but he carried a sizeable advantage over Dani Sordo, who ended the loop 43.1sec further back with his Hyundai.

Road blockages due to Lappi’s incident meant the WRC2 field only completed SS14. Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 star Gus Greensmith continued to lead the category from Adrien Fourmaux, while Emil Lindholm, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Oliver Solberg completed the top 10.

Sunday:

Sébastien Ogier has added another FIA World Rally Championship record to his already impressive tally with victory at Guanajuato Rally México on Sunday afternoon. The Frenchman, starting the second rally of his part-time 2023 campaign, moved to top of the Mexico roll of honour with a record seventh victory at the North American event, an accolade he had previously shared with old foe Sébastien Loeb.

With a sizeable 35.8sec advantage going into the final leg, it was a relatively straightforward Sunday for the Toyota Gazoo Racing man. He negotiated the remaining four speed tests with ultimate prowess and collected maximum bonus points from the Wolf Power Stage, finishing 27.5sec clear of Thierry Neuville at the event where he made his FIA World Rally Championship debut in 2008.

Neuville’s stubborn spirit behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 N left fans on the edge of their seats as he battled relentlessly with Ogier’s team-mate Elfyn Evans. Having started the day 5.3sec in arrears, Neuville closed in on the Welshman, who was impeded by a bent suspension arm. The Belgian’s perseverance paid off as he overtook his rival in the finale, claiming second overall by just four-tenths of a second and providing an exhilarating end to the four-day fixture.

Kalle Rovanperä struggled to match the pace of the frontrunning trio and settled for a lonely fourth overall in his Toyota. The defending champion continued to pull further away from Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, who finished over one minute further back in fifth. The rough gravel terrain took its toll on several of the leading Rally1 crews, enabling Gus Greensmith to finish a mighty sixth overall in his WRC2-specification Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Behind him were fellow support category challengers Emil Lindholm and Oliver Solberg.

Ninth overall was the best Ott Tänak could manage after turbocharger failure cost the M-Sport Ford Puma driver more than 14 minutes on Friday morning, while WRC2 star Kajetan Kajetanowicz completed the top 10.

Here’s WRC Rally Mexico results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Ogier wins Rally Mexico as Neuville takes P2 from Evans ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Thursday:

Kalle Rovanperä took the early initiative at Rally Sweden, opening up an early lead after a strong run through Thursday evening’s opening stage. Rovanperä, who also posted the fastest time in shakedown, outpaced M-Sport Ford Puma rival Ott Tänak by 1.6sec in his Toyota GR Yaris, mastering the twists and turns of the curtain-raising Umeå Sprint on the outskirts of the host city.

The Finn is bidding for back-to-back Rally Sweden victories this week and will open the road on Friday. While that’s often seen as a disadvantage on winter rallies, this time Rovanperä’s early starting position worked to his favour, as the series of tight junctions were less rutted than they were for later runners.

Third place went to Rovanperä’s team-mate Elfyn Evans, who ended 3.1sec off the pace. The Welshman will begin Friday’s opening leg just eight-tenths of a second clear of Hyundai newbie Esapekka Lappi, with an ill Thierry Neuville – also driving an i20 N – another 1.1sec behind in fifth overall. Takamoto Katsuta’s cautious approach earned the Yaris hotshot sixth overall ahead of Craig Breen and Pierre-Louis Loubet, while WRC2 hopefuls Jari Huttunen and Ole Christian Veiby round off the overnight top 10.

Friday:

Craig Breen moved to the top of the leaderboard after a frantic Friday at Rally Sweden, but a fast-finishing Ott Tänak is hot on his heels. The Irishman trailed the man who replaced him at M-Sport Ford for the first half of the day before unleashing an early afternoon attack on the Estonian, establishing control as his low starting position offered superior traction on the increasingly rutted second pass.

He outpaced the entire field by 7.8sec on Brattby 2 to go in front, then extended his buffer to 10.5sec with another benchmark time on the very next test. Tänak, however, fought back as darkness fell, reducing the overnight deficit to just 2.6sec. Breen, who is contesting a part-programme aboard a Hyundai i20 N this season, was unperturbed by Tänak’s late charge.

Although Tänak’s pace represented a significant step-up compared with last month’s Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Estonian was not overly positive at close of play. He was pushing his Puma to the absolute limit but felt like the stage times didn’t reflect this. Esapekka Lappi made it two Hyundai cars inside the top three with a solid drive on his second rally for the team. A high-speed spin after overshooting a junction on SS6 was the only real slip-up for the Finn, who trails Tänak by just 8.6sec heading into day three.

A further 15.3sec behind in fourth overall was Elfyn Evans, the highest-placed Toyota Gazoo Racing driver. He initially struggled for confidence on the fast-paced stages but improved throughout the day, surviving a brush with an infamous snowbank while climbing the leaderboard. Evans’ ascent was partially aided by the fact that team-mate Takamoto Katsuta rolled his GR Yaris on the second pass of Brattby. The Japanese hotshot retired shortly afterwards with radiator damage, putting an end to what had been a promising start.

Kalle Rovanperä, leader following Thursday night’s opener, dropped down the order after spending the day on road-opening duties. Grip was hard to come by for the defending champion as he swept a clean line in the loose snow. He trailed colleague Evans by just 4.6sec. Sixth overall wasn’t where an under-the-weather Thierry Neuville had intended to be after the first eight stages, but the Belgian could do no more as he battled with understeer on his Hyundai.

Superficial damage to the front and rear aero – inflicted by various run-ins with snowbanks – didn’t help matters. Pierre-Louis Loubet made some major strides in his Puma, gaining confidence with every stage as he got to grips with snow and ice. A top-two time on SS5 was proof of the Frenchman’s development and he arrived back to Umeå a respectable seventh overall.

Saturday:

Ott Tänak unleashed a night-time frenzy on Saturday at Rally Sweden, demoting Craig Breen to second overall heading into Sunday’s three-stage finale. The duelling duo traded times over the course of the rally’s longest day, with Breen holding on to a marginal advantage at the halfway point. As the snow-covered roads became more and more rutted in the fading light of the afternoon loop, Tänak began to reel in his Hyundai Motorsport rival – arriving to the start of the penultimate Sävar test just half a second in arrears after Breen had suffered time loss with a delaminated tyre.

There, Tänak excelled in the night-time conditions, with the split times showing he was on course to outpace Breen by around 10sec. In another dramatic twist, however, the Estonian suffered near-identical tyre troubles to his opponent – but still managed to better the Irishman’s time by 2.8sec and snatch the lead. Tänak was faster again as Breen complained of a hybrid issue in the final Umeå blast. He ended 8.6sec to the good, laying the foundations for M-Sport Ford’s first victory in over a year.

Esapekka Lappi fell down the order after running wide on a left-hander in SS13, plunging his Hyundai into a snowbank. The Finn’s demise opened the door for Thierry Neuville and Kalle Rovanperä to fight for the final podium spot. Rovanperä, driving a Toyota GR Yaris, held the upper hand until late in the day, but he gave way to Hyundai’s Neuville in the final stage as his tyres wore out. The pair were split by 3.8sec at close of play, with Neuville only 15.1sec adrift of Breen.

Elfyn Evans lacked confidence aboard his Yaris and subsequently fell behind the aforementioned pair, ending the day more than half a minute further back. Pierre-Louis Loubet brought his Puma home in sixth overall ahead of WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg, who holds a commanding lead in the premier support category. Ole Christian Veiby, Sami Pajari and Nikolay Gryazin complete the leaderboard.

Sunday:

Ott Tänak secured a pivotal win at Rally Sweden on Sunday afternoon – ending M-Sport Ford’s victory drought on only his second FIA World Rally Championship event since returning to the team. The Estonian scored his second Sweden success by 18.7sec ahead of Hyundai i20 N driver Craig Breen, taking the lead of the series by three points after round two of 13.

Tänak drove for M-Sport between 2011 and 2017 before spending several seasons with rivals Toyota and Hyundai. He re-signed for the British squad at the beginning of this season and today’s result marks the team’s first triumph since Rallye Monte-Carlo last year – 385 days ago. Part-time driver Breen led for half of the snow and ice fixture but Tänak, driving a Puma, was always hot on his heels. The Estonian surpassed his rival with a night-time charge on the penultimate day and never looked back.

Team tactics saw Breen deliberately check in one-minute late to the pre-Wolf Power Stage regroup, lumbering himself with a 10-second penalty to promote colleague Thierry Neuville into the runner-up spot. The aim was to give the Belgian – who drives full-time – more valuable drivers’ championship points. However, those plans didn’t work out for Hyundai as Neuville dropped time with a scrappy run through the finale – moving Breen back in front by just 1.3sec.

Kalle Rovanperä, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing, had been locked into a tight scrap with Neuville early in the day, but he fell out of the battle when his rival bolted on four fresh Pirelli tyres for the final two tests. Rovanperä finished just 5.1sec adrift of the podium – ensuring the Japanese marque remains on top of the manufacturers’ standings by 14 points ahead of Hyundai.

Elfyn Evans completed the top five almost a minute behind his team-mate on a weekend when he lacked confidence. Pierre-Louis brought his Puma home a lonely sixth, overcoming a technical scare in the final stage by driving to the finish in hybrid mode. Esapekka Lappi was left to rue what could have been after a costly excursion on Saturday afternoon dropped him out of the podium battle. The Hyundai newcomer fought back to finish seventh overall by the end of the four-day fixture.

Here’s WRC Rally Sweden results: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada WRC: Tanak ends M-Sports victory drought after Rally Sweden win ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Double DTM and FIA World Rallycross Champion Mattias Ekström put in a stunning performance to eclipse 17 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the 2023 Race Of Champions for a record-equalling fourth time – on a day of non-stop action on the frozen Baltic Sea at Sweden’s Pite Havsbad, just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle.

Following Team Norway’s triumph in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup, all cooperation went out of the window today. The individual Race Of Champions pitted some of the world’s greatest drivers – from series including Formula 1, Formula 2, IndyCar, Le Mans, W Series, World Rally, World Rallycross, Nitro Rallycross and X-Games –head-to-head on an icy parallel track featuring ROC’s iconic crossover bridge.

On a sunny afternoon at Pite Havsbad, the Race Of Champions saw greats of global motorsport battling for glory in a mix of identical machinery – including the electric Cupra UrbanRebel Concept, Zeroid X1 rallycross car powered by QEV and FC1-X Nitro Rallycross car. The off-road Polaris RZR PRO XP made a welcome ROC return as did the SuperCar Lites, now powered by 100% fossil-free biofuel.

In front of packed crowds of Swedish fans braving the cold, the best-of-three Grand Final boiled down to a duel between home hopeful Ekström and Mercedes-AMG F1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher. After a thrilling finale as both drivers pushed to the limit, Ekström saw off his German rival by two heats to nil – despite a brief scare when he had to put out a fire in his car – to be crowned ROC Champion of Champions for the fourth time. The Swede thus equals the all-time Race Of Champions record also held by French rally greats Didier Auriol and Sébastien Loeb.

Incredibly, Ekström won two of his previous ROC titles against Mick’s father Michael – at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2007 and at Beijing’s Olympic Stadium in 2009 – which made today’s finale even more special. To reach the Grand Final Ekström and Schumacher had to see off a field featuring 18 of the world’s greatest drivers. Because the track conditions on snow and ice can change quickly depending on the weather, ROC’s traditional group stage did not take place. Instead this year’s Race Of Champions used a straight knockout system with the field split into two halves: one featured the international racing drivers while the other had the rally experts and those with more experience of off-road driving.

At the semi-final stage Schumacher defeated his fellow countryman, the four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, 2-0 to take bragging rights in the circuit racers’ half of the draw. On the rally side, Ekström finished on top of the pile having brought an end to a spirited run by Thierry Neuville, the winner of 17 WRC rallies. The quarter-finals saw many big names bite the dust – not least nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen, who lost to Vettel. The reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion Felipe Drugovich was the other racing driver who went out, beaten by Schumacher on countback of fastest times after a 1-1 tie.

On the rally side Ekström saw off his fellow Swede, the five-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, after a close battle between the two home hopefuls. The last driver going out at this stage was yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup winner for Team Norway Oliver Solberg, who lost to Neuville after crashing out of their first heat.

The Round of 16 was another graveyard for motorsport’s superstars. In the racing half of the draw, double F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen fell to Drugovich and 10-time F1 grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas lost to Kristensen. 2022 eTouring Car World Cup Champion Adrien Tambay and triple W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick also left the competition at this stage, beaten by Schumacher and Vettel respectively.

The rally side of the draw was just as brutal. Reigning ROC Champion of Champions and nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb fell to Neuville, albeit beaten by just four hundredths of a second. Loeb’s fellow World Rally Champion Petter Solberg lost the battle for family pride, defeated by son Oliver after their shared triumph for Team Norway in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup. McLaren Extreme E driver Tanner Foust was another of the early casualties, falling to Kristoffersson, while extreme sports legend and Nitro Rallycross Champion Travis Pastrana lost out to Ekström.

Kicking off the afternoon’s action, four of the racing drivers were matched up in pairs for two Round 1 play-offs. 13-time F1 grand prix winner David Coulthard fell to defeat by Tambay while IndyCar race winner Felix Rosenqvist had to bid an early goodbye after spinning off against Schumacher.

Ahead of the main competition, the home fans were given a treat as four Swedish heroes took part in a celebrity race in the Polaris RZR PRO XP. The field featured Olympic skiing gold medallists Ingemar Stenmark and Anja Pärson, ice hockey’s NHL legend and Olympic gold medallist Tomas Holmström and YouTube sensation Emil Hansius. In the end it was Holmström who came out on top, beating Stenmark in the final while Hansius pipped Pärson for bronze.

This year’s Race Of Champions has raised funds and awareness towards a selection of worthwhile charities. The key recipients have included German children’s charity Kinderlachen, the Zelmerlöw and Björkman Foundation’s school in Kenya, the ICM (institute for advanced research on brain and spinal cord injuries in Paris) plus a range of the drivers’ other favourite charities.

Here’s how Team Norway won Nations Cup: https://formularapida.net/video-team-norway-wins-2023-race-of-champions-nations-cup/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Video: Ekstrom beats Schumacher to win 2023 Race of Champions ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.