Al-Attiyah calls for changes to Dakar format after “boring” opening stage
Nasser Al-Attiyah believes the Dakar Rally must change its format after finding Saturday’s opening stage “boring” due to the need of prioritising strategy over results. The 2025 edition began with a tough and “pure” 431km test around Bisha in Saudi Arabia, but several drivers elected to compromise their result to secure a better starting position for […]
Toyota to field five cars in Monte Carlo 2025 WRC opener
Seventy crews will tackle the 2025 World Rally Championship season opener in Monte Carlo following the release of the event’s entry list. Monte Carlo will kick off the expanded 14-round WRC season from 23-26 January with 10 entries representing the top Rally1 class for the asphalt curtain raiser. The entry list is headed by new […]
Defender to join Dakar Rally from 2026
The Defender brand has announced plans to enter the Dakar Rally in 2026 as part of a three-year programme. The British manufacturer, a subsidiary of Land Rover, will field two examples of the popular Defender in all rounds of the World-Rally Raid Championship next year, with an additional third vehicle added to its line-up for […]
Toyota edges out Ford and Dacia as Lategan wins Prologue
Factory Toyota driver Henk Lategan beat Ford rival Mattias Ekstrom to take victory in Prologue at the start of the 2025 Dakar Rally. The 47th edition of the world’s biggest cross-country rally kicked off with a short 29km special in Bisha in south west region of Saudi Arabia, with a total of 64 cars lining […]
Sainz predicts «strange» tactical battle in Dakar Rally
Carlos Sainz Sr believes that “tactics will be more important than ever” in this year’s running of the Dakar Rally. After claiming his fourth victory in the iconic rally raid last year with Audi, the Spaniard has switched allegiances to Ford this term as the marque enters its new Raptor developed in collaboration with M-Sport. […]
Ford Raptor — the American manufacturer’s new contender for 2025 Dakar Rally
Ford, together with its long-time World Rally Championship partner M-Sport, has designed the new Raptor T1+ to take on the Dakar Rally. With a star-studded line-up including past winners Carlos Sainz Sr and Nani Roma, former Audi star Mattias Ekstrom and promising youngster Mitch Guthrie Jr, the American manufacturer is already seen as a favourite […]
Katsuta expects “bigger challenge” in WRC 2025
Takamoto Katsuta’s biggest target for 2025 is to be more consistent with his results across a World Rally Championship campaign, which he expects will offer up a “bigger challenge”. The 31-year-old is gearing up for a sixth season with the factory Toyota squad, which will expand to four full-time entries next year. Two-time world champion […]
Нёвилль вернёт в WRC стартовый номер «1»
Бельгиец Тьерри Нёвилль из Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, ставший в 2024 году чемпионом мира по классическому ралли WRC, намерен в 2025 году выступать под стартовым номером «1». Впервые с 2022 года в серии будет машина, использующая этот номер, поскольку до этого чемпионы не отказывались от своего привычного номера ради доступного только обладателям титула №1. Это […]
The leading contenders for victory at the 2025 Dakar Rally
The 2025 Dakar Rally promises to be one of the most exciting in recent history, with several manufacturers and drivers capable of winning the famous Touareg trophy. The rally-raid will begin on 3 January with the Prologue in Bisha and conclude on 17 January in Shubaytah after 12 stages and more than 5,000 kilometres of […]