Ott Tanak’s exit a «huge loss» for WRC
Ott Tanak’s decision to step away from full-time rallying will be a “huge loss” for the World Rally Championship, reckons current points leader and former team-mate Elfyn Evans. Tanak announced plans to leave Hyundai at the end of the year and take a break from competing in the WRC just hours after finishing fourth at […]
Oliver Solberg secures full-time Toyota WRC drive for 2026
Oliver Solberg will join Toyota’s World Rally Championship driver line-up for 2026, having secured a full-time drive with the Japanese manufacturer. The 24-year-old was named as part of Toyota’s five driver line-up for next year, alongside Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari, effectively filling the seat vacated by Super Formula-bound two-time world […]
Ott Tanak to quit WRC – at least for now
Ott Tanak will quit the World Rally Championship following the conclusion of the 2025 season, though he’s not ruling out competitive outings in the future. The 38-year-old made the decision “as he chooses to dedicate more of his time to his family, business and life beyond rallying”, a Hyundai Motorsport press release reads. “After many […]
Hyundai already working on “Plan B” for 2026 WRC driver line-up
Hyundai had already been working on a “Plan B” for its 2026 World Rally Championship driver line-up should it lose Ott Tanak from its team. Tanak today announced plans to take a break from full-time rallying and leave the Korean brand following the Saudi Arabia season finale later this month. The 38-year-old stated that he […]
Adrien Fourmaux rips door from car in strange crash
Adrien Fourmaux has retired from third position after a wild moment in wet conditions at Rally Japan that resulted in the Hyundai World Rally Championship driver losing the passenger door from his i20 N. Fourmaux had led Hyundai’s charge through what has been a difficult rally for the Korean brand but his fine drive came to […]
Heavy rain could turn WRC Rally Japan into “lottery” on final day
Forecasted heavy rain and limited experience on wet asphalt with this year’s tyres will render the final day of Rally Japan a “lottery”, according to World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans. Since the start of the week, teams have been expecting rain showers on Sunday to add an extra curveball in what could prove to […]
Sebastien Ogier responds to Elfyn Evans’ charge to extend lead
Sebastien Ogier fended off a charge from World Rally Championship title rival Elfyn Evans to hang onto the Rally Japan lead heading into the final day of competition Ogier came under attack from championship leader Evans across Saturday’s seven asphalt stages, but was able to issue a fightback in the afternoon to end the day […]
Kalle Rovanpera crashes early in SS3 drama
Kalle Rovanpera’s bid for a third World Rally Championship title suffered a blow after damaging his Toyota’s suspension in stage three of Rally Japan. Rovanpera led the rally overnight after winning Thursday night’s super special stage, but slipped to fourth after Friday morning’s first stage, before drama struck in stage three [Shinshiro 1 — 17.41 […]
Sebastien Ogier leads Toyota 1-2-3 ahead of Takamoto Katsuta
Sebastien Ogier delivered an impressive drive to end Friday leading Rally Japan ahead of Toyota team-mates Takamoto Katsuta and Elfyn Evans as the World Rally Championship title fight took another twist. Ogier claimed three of Friday’s six technical asphalt stages to open up a 7.9s lead over Katsuta, with championship leader Evans 10.2s in arrears. […]