Rovanpera stars on tricky super special to lead in Latvia
Kalle Rovanpera kicked off the World Rally Championship’s first visit to Latvia in style by claiming an early lead after winning Thursday night’s super special stage with a blistering time. The reigning world champion, who started his rally career in the Baltic nation, mastered a challenging 11.13km two-lap run through an asphalt and gravel test […]
Why Neuville believes WRC Rally Latvia could be his “most challenging”
The World Rally Championship’s inaugural visit to Latvia is poised to be the most challenging of the season to date for points leader Thierry Neuville. The Hyundai driver heads to Latvia’s high-speed gravel stages with a 15-point lead over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, but believes he’ll have a battle on his hands to maintain his advantage […]
Fully recovered Ogier relishing “pure rally” WRC return in Latvia
Sebastien Ogier has no concerns over his fitness ahead of a return to World Rally Championship competition this weekend after a recce crash ruled him out of Poland. The eight-time world champion has made a full recovery from whiplash-related injuries to his neck following a head-on collision with another vehicle while preparing for Rally Poland […]
WRC to test new 2025 live data system in Latvia
The World Rally Championship will conduct a “real world” test of a new live data system in Latvia this weekend that is part of plans to improve its broadcast coverage next year. Dubbed the ‘Command Centre’, the concept is a part of the WRC Promoter’s plan to improve the championship’s ability to communicate unfolding stories […]
From open-heart surgery to rally stages – how Kovalainen overcame his «biggest challenge»
For many, undergoing open-heart surgery would usually spell an end to any extreme activities like tearing through a Finnish forest or navigating through a twisty Japanese mountain road in a rally car. Not for Heikki Kovalainen. The Formula 1 race winner and childhood rally fan has overcome the “biggest challenge of [his] life” to recover […]
Ford wants to commit to WRC future but 2027 rules must be «right for everybody»
Ford wants to keep the «opportunity to compete as a manufacturer» in the World Rally Championship in the future but has highlighted a need for an open set of 2027 regulations. The American automotive brand is one of the WRC’s most successful manufacturers scoring 94 rally wins, a stat only surpassed by Citroen in the […]
WRC expects increased Rally1 field for inaugural Rally Paraguay
Paraguay’s inclusion on the 2025 World Rally Championship calendar is likely to bolster the Rally1 field following an explosion in local interest in the category. The WRC will head to the South American nation for the first-time next year as part of multi-year agreement announced last month. Paraguay is set to complete the championship’s long-held […]
Sebastien Ogier declared fit for WRC return in Latvia
Sebastien Ogier will make a return to the World Rally Championship in Latvia after being declared fit to compete following a reconnaissance crash that ruled him out of Poland. The eight-time world champion and co-driver Vincent Landais escaped serious injury after being involved in road traffic accident while preparing pacenotes ahead of Rally Poland last […]
The other byproduct of M-Sport’s non-hybrid WRC experiment
M-Sport is hopeful the strong debut of its non-hybrid version of its Ford Puma World Rally Championship car will help stimulate its Rally1 car sales. The Ford squad took advantage of a new FIA regulation introduced this year that allows teams to enter non-hybrid powered Rally1 cars in WRC events by fielding rising star Martins […]