Sami Pajari searching for answers after WRC Rally Chile pace drop
After claiming three consecutive World Rally Championship wins, Sami Pajari says he needs to take a deeper look to understand a lack of speed in Rally Chile. Victories in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay established the Finn as Elfyn Evans’ closest rival in the title race, sitting 20 points adrift with three rallies of the season […]
Oliver Solberg extends rally lead as Evans pays road-order price
Oliver Solberg pulled further clear of World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans to head into Saturday’s leg of Rally Chile with a 10.1s lead. The Monte Carlo winner thrived in the morning’s muddy conditions caused by overnight rain, trading times with Evans, before heading to midday service with a 2.3s lead over his Toyota team-mate. […]
Oliver Solberg urges “clever” approach as tyre fears grow for Saturday
Rally Chile leader Oliver Solberg has stressed the need to drive “clever” as World Rally Championship crews expect tyre-punishing stages on Saturday. The Toyota driver enjoyed an issue free day on Friday to move into a 10.1s lead over team-mate Elfyn Evans, after handling the tricky muddy conditions caused by overnight rain. However, Saturday is […]
Hyundai yet to make call on WRC future as new Rally2 car development continues
Hyundai is yet to make a decision regarding its World Rally Championship future beyond 2026, but is pressing on with development of its new Rally2 car, which will begin testing soon. The Korean marque’s participation in the WRC next year has been a hot topic this season as rallying’s top tier prepares to move to […]
Could Rally Chile offer Adrien Fourmaux the best chance at elusive WRC win?
After driving “as good as he’s ever driven” in Paraguay, Rally Chile could present Adrien Fourmaux “a very good opportunity” to claim a maiden World Rally Championship victory, according to Hyundai Motorsport. The Frenchman has been knocking on the door of an elusive first WRC win. The Hyundai factory driver came close in last year’s […]
Takamoto Katsuta will “never forget” rivals’ help after “biggest” career WRC crash
Takamoto Katsuta has praised the actions of his rivals Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe following the “biggest” accident of his World Rally Championship career at Rally Paraguay. The Toyota driver and co-driver Aaron Johnston were involved in a violent crash, which forced officials to cancel stage 21 of the gravel rally last weekend. Katsuta’s GR […]
Hayden Paddon answers doubters with “proper” WRC podium in Paraguay
Hayden Paddon says his run to second at Rally Paraguay «felt like a win” and provided an answer to those who “thought we were a bit of a joke of a signing”. The New Zealander returned to the WRC’s top flight this season for the first time since 2018 after Hyundai signed the driver alongside […]
Esapekka Lappi to rejoin Hyundai for WRC Rally Chile
Hyundai has confirmed its driver line-up for Rally Chile with Esapekka Lappi set to pilot the third factory entry at the gravel event next month. The Korean manufacturer has decided to cycle through three crews across its third i20 N Rally1 car this season with Lappi, New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon and veteran Dani Sordo each […]
Thierry Neuville claims WRC Rally Finland was «too fast», his rivals disagree
Thierry Neuville believes last weekend’s Rally Finland was “too fast” following an unusual number of high-profile crashes at the fast gravel World Rally Championship event. Finland is renowned for its ultra fast gravel stages, with this year’s event the second fastest in WRC history clocking an average speed of 128.2km/h – falling just shy of […]