The headaches facing WRC crews ahead of a ‘proper Monte’
World Rally Championship crews are braced for a ‘proper, old school’ Rally Monte Carlo with snow and wintry conditions set to become a major factor at the 2026 season opener.In recent seasons, the annual WRC curtain raiser – held on the famous twisty mountain road in the French Alps – has been largely run in […]
WRC Monte Carlo: Oliver Solberg takes early lead before fog causes red flag
Oliver Solberg made a stunning start to life as a full-time World Rally Championship Rally1 driver to emerge from treacherous wintry conditions with the Monte Carlo Rally lead.Solberg produced a masterclass on the challenging snow and ice covered mountain asphalt roads to reach service with a 44.2s lead over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. After nominal times […]
Can Lancia enjoy success on its anticipated WRC return?
Lancia is confident it can immediately be in a position to fight for victories and a championship title on its return to the World Rally Championship this year.The famous Italian brand will return to the WRC stages at this weekend’s season opener in Monte Carlo with its all-new Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 car to do […]
Sebastien Ogier still has motivation “to go for it” after ninth WRC title success
Sebastien Ogier says a repeat of his 2025 WRC success will be difficult, but admits the motivation “to go for it” remains amid talk of a record-breaking 10th title campaign.Barely hours after matching WRC legend Sebastien Loeb as a fellow nine-time world champion in November last year, Ogier was already facing questions about the possibility […]
Can Hyundai challenge Toyota in WRC 2026?
After coming agonisingly close to a drivers’ and manufacturers’ double title success in 2024, Hyundai found itself resoundingly beaten by rivals Toyota in the World Rally Championship last season, winning just two rallies (Greece, Saudi Arabia) compared to Toyota’s tally of 12 wins. Hyundai’s 2025 struggles can be pinned on a number of variables. The […]
Luciano Benavides defeats Ricky Brabec by two seconds in dramatic Dakar Rally finish
KTM rider Luciano Benavides edged out Honda rival Ricky Brabec by just two seconds to claim a sensational Dakar Rally victory on the final day. Following a largely one-sided 2025 edition won by Daniel Sanders, the motorcycle category returned to its usual intensity this year, with several riders remaining firmly in contention throughout the two-week […]
Sebastien Loeb after 13 Dakar punctures: Cars now extremely robust, tyres the weak link
Sebastien Loeb believes tyres have become the decisive weak point in the Dakar Rally after his 2026 campaign was derailed by a string of punctures.World Rally Championship legend Loeb arrived in Saudi Arabia with a renewed hope of scoring that elusive Dakar win, having failed to do so in his previous nine participations.But the Frenchman’s […]
Dakar 2026: Dacia edges Ford and Toyota as Nasser Al-Attiyah scores sixth win
Dacia star Nasser Al-Attiyah claimed a sixth Dakar Rally victory in 2026, moving to within two wins of the outright record held by Stephane Peterhansel.In what was one of the most competitive Dakar campaigns in recent history, 10 different drivers representing five manufacturers scored individual stage wins, in stark contrast to last year’s Toyota-dominated event.Al-Attiyah […]
Dakar 2026 at ‘F1 level’ after close fight
Ford driver Nani Roma believes the Dakar Rally has reached a level of competitiveness comparable to Formula 1, after finishing second in a closely-fought 2026 event. With Ford and Dacia both now established in cross-country rallying and Toyota introducing a brand-new Hilux, the level of competition in Dakar’s cars category rose several notches this year. […]