INDIA in F1

Tag: WRC

  • Tanak dominates Day 1 on Arctic Rally Finland

    Tanak dominates Day 1 on Arctic Rally Finland

    Rovaniemi (Finland), 26 Feb 2021: Ott Tänak threw down the gauntlet in Lapland’s frozen forests by winning the opening two speed tests to build a dominant lead at Arctic Rally Finland Powered by CapitalBox on Friday night.

    The Estonian was the class of the field in the first of three days of Arctic action. He was fastest in the first 31.05km Sarriojärvi test by 3.6sec before crushing his rivals by almost 10sec in the repeat run in darkness.

    Tänak returned to the overnight halt in Rovaniemi with a 16.2sec advantage over Hyundai i20 team-mate Craig Breen, with home hero Kalle Rovanperä 20.4sec adrift in a Toyota Yaris in third.

    Pirelli’s tyres provided amazing grip as the tungsten-tipped studded rubber bit into the snow and ice-covered roads. Tänak was one of the few frontrunners to gamble on just one spare tyre for the pair of stages.

    Breen, returning to the FIA World Rally Championship after a four-rally absence, was quickly back in the groove. Top three times on both stages put the Irishman ahead of the eager 20-year-old Rovanperä.

    The Finn’s first stage split times were quicker than Tänak, but a mistake after the midpoint slowed his progress. On roads littered with tricky blind crests, he recorded the top speed, clocking a remarkable 204.8kph in the second pass.

    Thierry Neuville put a third i20 into the top four. The Belgian was 9.4sec behind Rovanperä and complained of understeer in the second run, but he had 2.2sec in hand over Elfyn Evans’ Toyota Yaris in fifth.

    Teemu Suninen was sixth in a Ford Fiesta, with Takamoto Katsuta 4.3sec back in seventh in another Yaris.

    Oliver Solberg was a remarkable eighth on his championship World Rally Car debut. The teenager made a minor mistake in the opening stage in his i20, but was fourth in the second pass, despite being guided by stand-in co-driver Seb Marshall for the first time.

    Championship leader Sébastien Ogier was almost 50sec off the lead in ninth in his Yaris. Road conditions improved progressively so first in the order proved a tough task for the Frenchman, especially as snow flurries left loose powder on the surface for the second pass.

    Gus Greensmith completed the leaderboard in a Fiesta but Pierre-Louis Loubet’s hopes took a setback in the second run when he lost more than 3min 30sec after changing a flat tyre.

    In FIA WRC2, local hero and 2020 WRC contender Esapekka Lappi tops the provisional leaderboard with a Movisport-entered Volkswagen Polo GTI with a lead of 13.6s over his team-mate Nicolay Gryazin and Toksport’s championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen in a Škoda Fabian Evo.

    In FIA WRC3, Finland’s Emil Lindholm is 10.9s ahead of national champion Teemu Asunmaa. Estonia’s Egon Kaur is third the overnight standings; another 10.4s behind.

    The bulk of the rally takes place in Saturday’s second leg. A compact clockwise route south-east of Rovaniemi is driven twice, with service in between. The final stage runs in darkness and the six tests add up to 144.04km of action.

    Classification after Day One

    1O. TänakM. JärveojaHyundai i20 Coupe WRC31:50.7
    2C. BreenP. NagleHyundai i20 Coupe WRC+16.2
    3K. RovanperäJ. HalttunenToyota Yaris WRC+20.4
    4T. NeuvilleM. WydaegheHyundai i20 Coupe WRC+29.8
    5E. EvansS. MartinToyota Yaris WRC+32.0
    6T. SuninenM. MarkkulaFord Fiesta WRC+34.5
    7T. KatsutaD. BarrittToyota Yaris WRC+38.8
    8O. SolbergS. MarshallHyundai i20 Coupe WRC+45.9
    9S. OgierJ. IngrassiaToyota Yaris WRC+49.8
    10G. GreensmithE. EdmondsonFord Fiesta WRC+1:05.8

    The provisional results can be consulted here.

  • M-Sport and Red Bull join forces again: WRC

    M-Sport and Red Bull join forces again: WRC

    Lapland (Finland), 23 Feb 2021: M-Sport and Red Bull will again join forces, championing young talent in the FIA World Rally Championship with French protégé Adrien Fourmaux.

    Fourmaux takes the next step in his career this year with a split program between the WRC and WRC 2 Championships. And the chance to compete with support from Red Bull offers the young Frenchman an opportunity to deliver on his promising talent behind the wheel – following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Sébastiens Loeb and Ogier.

    Starting his rally career just four years ago, Fourmaux’s natural skill saw him progress at speed and he soon caught the attention of renowned talent-spotter, and M‑Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE. Drafted into M-Sport Ford’s prestigious driver development programme, Fourmaux is now on the fast-track to rallying’s highest level.

    Beginning at this week’s Arctic Rally Finland, Fourmaux will sport a new Red Bull livery as he takes to the wheel of both the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta Rally2 and Ford Fiesta WRC in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.

    Fourmaux Adrien (FRA) is posing for the portrait during the M sport PET in Rovaniemi, Finland on 22 February, 2021. A file photo from M-Sport

    The Frenchman will be behind the wheel of the Red Bull branded Fiesta Rally2 this week, before making his world-stage debut with the top-specification Fiesta WRC at Rally Croatia in two months’ time.

    M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said: “Red Bull sees the same potential in Adrien as we do, and it’s fantastic to welcome them back to the M-Sport family. We have achieved some truly incredible performances with Red Bull, and my hope is to see the team replicate those performances as we target a return to the top of the podium.
     
    “This is the first step in a concerted effort towards coming out fighting with the new regulations. A lot of our resources are going into ensuring we have the best possible package going into 2022, and to have Red Bull onboard this year is a huge positive for the team. Not only do they believe we have a future star amongst our ranks, but they also have faith in our world-class designers and engineers to deliver another rally-winning car.”

    M-Sport Ford Team Principal, Richard Millener, said: “Work to reignite this partnership with Red Bull has been ongoing for quite a while behind the scenes, and it is fantastic to see it now come to fruition.

     
    “Adrien and Renaud [co-driver] are two of the most dedicated guys I’ve worked with, and it’s great to see that talent and hard work now rewarded with endorsement from Red Bull – a truly iconic brand in motorsport, and as shrewd as Malcolm when it comes to spotting driver potential!

     “Clearly, they have seen the same Ogier-esque performances in Adrien as we have. He’s an extremely intelligent driver with a lot of potential, and we’re looking forward to witnessing his progress and aiding his development in what will be a very important year.”

     Adrien Fourmaux said: “I’m really excited to be making the step up to WRC this year, and follow in the path of my rally heroes. This season is an extremely important one for me and it is both humbling and motivating that it’s not just M-Sport who continues to put their faith in me – as now Red Bull are also supporting my journey.

     “My 2021 season started well with second place in WRC 2 at Rallye Monte-Carlo. And now the aim is to be in the mix for another good result at this weekend’s Arctic Rally Finland, where I continue my WRC 2 campaign with the support of Red Bull and M-Sport. My eyes are also firmly fixed on preparing for my WRC debut at a brand-new event at Rally Croatia – and I intend for this to be the first step in a long career at the top level of world rally.”

  • Ogier, Ingrassia celebrate 50th World Rally win

    Ogier, Ingrassia celebrate 50th World Rally win

    24 Jan 2021: Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia celebrated their 50th World Rally win and a record eighth victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo on Sunday afternoon.

    Ogier opened the defence of his 2020 FIA World Rally Championship title with a sublime performance in the French Alps, mastering snow and ice to head Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans by 32.6sec in a dominant 1-2 for the Japanese squad.

    The Frenchman’s eight victories span three decades and have been achieved with five different manufacturers. He ended a perfect weekend by winning the final Power Stage to add five bonus points and seal a maximum 30-point haul from the rally.

    The Toyota driver shrugged aside early brake problems in his Yaris WRC. He launched a charging recovery after losing the lead on Saturday following a spin and a puncture to regain top spot ahead of Sunday’s finale in the mountains above Monaco.

    Ogier, who delayed retirement for one final WRC season, more than doubled his lead in the final leg for an emotional win on a rally based in his birthplace of Gap. A 1-2 marked a dream start to Jari-Matti Latvala’s management career as team principal.

    Evans led on Saturday night after Ogier’s time loss, but the Welshman could not repel his colleague and felt he had been over-cautious in the difficult conditions.

    Last year’s victor, Thierry Neuville, finished a further 40.9sec behind in a Hyundai i20. It marked an impressive result for the Belgian who split with long-term co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul less than a week before the start and did not partner replacement Martijn Wydaeghe until Thursday’s opening speed test.

    Neuville climbed to third when Kalle Rovanperä’s hopes of achieving a Toyota clean sweep of the podium ended with a Sunday morning puncture. The Finn finished 1min 20.1sec adrift.

    Dani Sordo was fifth in another i20 after a frustrating weekend for the Spaniard on his last rally with co-driver Carlos del Barrio. Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta rounded off the top six in another Yaris.

    FIA WRC2 winner Andreas Mikkelsen was seventh in a Toksport-run Škoda Fabia ahead of Gus Greensmith’s Ford Fiesta. Mikkelsen’s class rivals Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport Ford) and Eric Camilli (Sports & You Citroën C3) completed the leaderboard in ninth and tenth.

    Yohan Rossel overcame Power Stage drama to seal his first ever FIA WRC3 victory. He had been locked into a ding-dong duel with fellow Citroën C3 driver Yoann Bonato for much of the event, with the lead toing and froing between the French pair throughout the opening three days. Bonato finished second, over a minute behind, while Nicolas Ciamin completed the all-French, all-Citroën C3 podium.

    Round two of the championship features northern Finland’s all-new Arctic Rally Lapland. The series’ only pure winter rally is based in Rovaniemi on 26 – 28 February.

    2021 Rallye Monte-Carlo – Final unofficial results:

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 56min 33.7sec
    2. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 57min 06.3sec
    3. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Martin Wydaeghe (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 57min 47.2sec
    4. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 59min 07.3sec
    5. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos Del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 59min 47.9sec
    6. Takamoto Katsuta (JAP) / Daniel Barritt (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC3 hr 03min 35.0sec
    7. A. Mikkelsen (NOR) / O. Floene (NOR) – FIA WRC2Škoda Fabia Evo3 hr 03min 57.3sec
    8. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC3 hr 04min 54.8sec
    9. A. Fourmaux (FRA) / R. Jamoul (FRA) FIA WRC2Ford Fiesta MK II3 hr 05min 49.5sec
    10. E. Camilli (FRA) / FX Buresi (FRA) FIA WRC2Citroën C33 hr 07min 14.7sec
  • Spaniard Sordo takes the early lead: WRC final round

    Spaniard Sordo takes the early lead: WRC final round

    Spaniard Sordo sped through the closing special stage of the opening leg at Italy’s ‘Cathedral of Speed’ circuit to demote the Finn and lead this final round of the FIA World Rally Championship by 1.0sec.

    Both drivers Dani Sordo and Esapekka Lappi later received a 10-second penalty after cutting the same chicane during the opening leg’s final PZero Grand Prix Speed Test on the Monza Circuit. 
    With the penalties applied, Sordo retains his 1.0sec advantage over the Finn with third-placed Sébastien Ogier now only a further second back.

    Heavy rain transformed the track and parkland roads into a muddy mess, with standing water causing aquaplaning. Conditions were so extreme that drivers opted for Michelin’s heavily-treaded snow tyre in an effort to find grip.

    Sordo won the opening test in his Hyundai i20 to relegate overnight leader Sébastien Ogier, but Lappi was first to gamble on snow tyres and immediately moved ahead. His lead stayed intact until the final test when he ploughed through a chicane and fell behind.

    Sordo, who won two of the five stages, was rewarded for making changes to his car’s set-up to improve the handling after yesterday’s curtain-raising test. He will restart last of the frontrunners.

    Ogier was the first of four men who started the season finale with a title tilt. He won one stage to lie third in his Toyota Yaris, 11.0sec adrift of Lappi’s Ford Fiesta, despite twice clipping bales and spinning.
    To secure a seventh title, Ogier must distance team-mate Elfyn Evans, but the Welshman was only 5.1sec behind in fourth after a measured drive.

    Ott Tänak, whose chances of retaining the title hang by a thread, was fifth, despite receiving a shock when the driver’s door of his i20 flew open during SS2. The Estonian was 0.6sec behind Evans and 7.1sec clear of Kalle Rovanperä’s Yaris.

    Andreas Mikkelsen, competing in the FIA WRC3 class, ran as high as third, matching the more powerful World Rally Cars in his Rally2-specification Škoda Fabia Evo. He ended seventh, ahead of top-flight debutant Ole Christian Veiby. WRC3 category contenders Emil Lindholm and Oliver Solberg completed the leaderboard.

    Thierry Neuville was the first of the title hopefuls to fall. After sliding into a fence this morning, the Belgian clipped a chicane this afternoon before finally retiring when his i20’s engine stopped after ploughing through standing water.

    Teemu Suninen retired after limping through three stages with a misfiring engine in his Ford Fiesta and team-mate Gus Greensmith exited when he hit a gate and broke his front right suspension.

    Saturday’s longest leg is based on roads near Lake Como, in the foothills of the Italian Alps. Two identical loops of three tests are followed by a closing stage at Monza. The mountain weather will play a massive role, with snow certain to cover the high sections.

    In FIA WRC2, Pontus Tidemand battled horrendous weather conditions at ACI Rally Monza to establish a slender category lead. The Swede, driving a Škoda Fabia Rally2, holds an overnight advantage of 6.8sec over M-Sport Ford Fiesta driver Adrian Fourmaux, who was in formidable form during Friday’s morning loop with three impressive stage wins but picked up a right puncture during the second pass.

    Mads Østberg was 5.6sec further back in third and reluctant to take any risks so early in the event. The Citroën C3 R5 pilot is fighting head-to-head with Tidemand for the series crown and could mount an attack over Saturday’s mountain stages.

    In the Junior WRC Championship, Tom Kristensson is coming closer to a second consecutive title. The Swede finishes the day with a lead of over 2 minutes over Latvia’s Martin Sesks, who faced trouble in Roggia1. Fabrizio Zaldivar completes the Top 3.

    2020 ACI Rally Monza – Unofficial Results after Section 6:

    1. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC53min 39.3sec
    2. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC53min 40.3sec
    3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC53min 41.3sec
    4. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC53min 46.4sec
    5. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC53min 47.0sec
    6. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC53min 54.1sec
    7. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger (NOR) – WRC3Škoda Fabia Evo54min 33.5sec
    8. Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) / Jonas Andersson (SWE)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC54min 43.6sec
    9. Emil Lindholm (FIN) / Mikael Korhonen (FIN) – WRC3Škoda Fabia Evo55min 26.0sec
    10. Oliver Solberg (SWE) / Aaron Johnston (IRL) – WRC3Škoda Fabia Evo55min 27.2sec
  • Dani Sordo-del Barrio win Rally Sardinia

    Dani Sordo-del Barrio win Rally Sardinia

    Sardinia, 11 October 2020: Hyundai driver Dani Sordo along with co-driver C del Barrio has taken back-to-back victories on Rally Italia Sardinia, winning this year’s event by 5.1 seconds, to repeat his victory on the same event last year. Sordo went in front on Friday and controlled his advantage all the way to the finish, winning five out of the 16 gravel stages in total.

    Although he had his lead reduced this morning, the Spaniard’s victory was assured after a nearly flawless run. Behind him, the runner-up spot was contested in an intense battle right down to the final six-kilometre Power Stage.

    Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier – the winner of six stages in Sardinia out of sixteen – regained strength from Saturday onwards, once he was running a bit lower down the order, hence being less affected by sweeping away loose gravel.

    The Frenchman fought a very close battle against Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, with the duo separated by only a tenth of a second after the first of three stages today. In the end, Neuville sealed the runner-up spot on the final stage: by just one second.

    Championship leader Elfyn Evans was most affected by the soft and sandy gravel of Sardinia though, running first on the road throughout Friday with his Toyota. He too could improve his pace from Saturday onwards to seal fourth, although nearly a minute behind the battle for the podium. Nevertheless, this was enough for the Welshman to retain the top spot in the championship standings.

    M-Sport Ford driver Teemu Suninen finished fifth – a disappointing result for the Finn after hos strong performance on Friday as he set the first fastest stage time and run in a strong second place for a long time. Unfortunately, mechanical problems on Saturday meant that he dropped down the order, eventually finishing in fifth place.

    The Finn was still the top Fiesta driver, after his team mates Esapekka Lappi and Gus Greensmith encountered problems of their own. Lappi was out on the first day, while Greensmith’s car switched itself off on the Power Stage before re-starting.

    Reigning World Champion Ott Tänak was sixth, having fought back from suspension problems on the opening day to win the Power Stage. Another Hyundai i20 WRC, driven by French privateer Pierre-Yves Loubet, was seventh – his first finish in a World Rally Car.

    The FIA WRC2 category was won by Toksport WRT’s Pontus Tidemand, who made steady progresses with his Škoda Fabia Evo to win the class after moving into the category lead on Friday afternoon. Hyundai Motorsport N’s Ole Christian Veiby finished 28.8s behind him,while Tidemand’s team-mate Eywind Brynildsen completed the class podium for manufacturer-backed competitors. 

    Finland’s Jari Huttunen claimed a second FIA WRC3 victory this year in the Rally2-specification i20, also finishing eighth overall. Kajetan Kajetanowicz is the class’ second and Marco Bulacia third.

    Tom Kristensson won the FIA Junior World Rally Championship classification in his Ford Fiesta R2T, by a considerable margin in front of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar and Latvia’s Martin Sesks.

    2020 Rally Italia Sardegna – Final unofficial results:

    1. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos Del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 41min 37.5sec
    2. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 41min 42.6sec
    3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 41min 43.6sec
    4. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 42min 39.8sec
    5. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC2 hr 43min 11.4sec
    6. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 44min 05.0sec
    7. Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 46min 21.3sec
    8. Jari Huttunen (FIN) / Mikko Lukka (FIN) FIA WRC3Hyundai NG i202 hr 50min 19.2sec
    9. K. Kajetanowicz (POL) / M. Szczepaniak (POL) FIA WRC3Škoda Fabia Evo2 hr 51min 40.4sec
    10. P. Tidemand (SWE) / P. Barth (SWE) FIA WRC2Škoda Fabia Evo2 hr 51min 58.4sec
  • Hyundai’s Dani Sordo takes lead after Day 1: WRC

    Hyundai’s Dani Sordo takes lead after Day 1: WRC

    Sardinia, 9 October 2020: At the end of the first day of Rally Italia Sardinia, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, the winner of the 2019 edition, continues to lead, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen and Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, who moved ahead of Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier.

    Sordo, on his first FIA WRC round since Mexico in March, won both afternoon stages to extend his lead to 17.4 seconds overnight from Suninen. The Finn wasn’t happy with his tyre choice in the afternoon, as he expected the conditions to be warmer – so he couldn’t use his two hard tyres.

    It was a better afternoon for Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, despite two stalls on hairpins during the day. The Belgian went past Ogier in the overall classification with a second-fastest time on the final stage. This meant that he is now a provisional third – by less than a second though.

    Ogier struggled with road-sweeping in the afternoon, which also affected his team mate, Championship Leader Elfyn Evans, who called the situation “impossible”. The Toyota duo finished Friday in fourth and fifth places respectively, and are looking forward to a better day tomorrow.

    Behind them was the M-Sport Ford Fiesta of Gus Greensmith, who was happy enough with his progress throughout the day but felt that he still had a lot more to learn.

    Reigning champion Ott Tänak resolved his suspension problems from the morning at service midday service, with his Hyundai back to full fitness in the afternoon. He finished the day in eighth overall, one place ahead of Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä.

    The Finn dropped nearly two minutes in the afternoon with an unidentified technical problem that affected him on both stages. He ended the day nearly 40 seconds behind Tänak.

    The FIA WRC2 standings are now led by Toksport WRT driver Pontus Tidemand with his Škoda, after previous leader Adrien Formaux of M-Sport Ford WRT dropped time with a puncture on his Fiesta in SS5, hitting a rock in a corner cut. The Frenchman is second in the provisional standings, with Tidemand’s team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen in third.

    Norway’s Oliver Solberg continues to lead FIA WRC3 in another Škoda Fabia, with his advantage in the class now standing at half a minute, ahead of Frenchmen Yohann Rossel and Nicolas Ciamin.

    There was no change in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship classification either, with Sweden’s Tom Kristensson carrying on his impressive progress from the morning, 50 seconds clear of Finland’s Sami Pajari and almost 4 minutes over Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar.

    Tomorrow’s action takes in six more demanding stages, starting with Monte Lerno at 07:37. The rally finishes on Sunday, covering 16 stages in total.

    2020 Rally Italia Sardegna – Unofficial results after Section 3:

    1. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos Del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 12min 40.9sec
    2. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC1 hr 12min 58.3sec
    3. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 13min 16.1sec
    4. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC1 hr 13min 16.9sec
    5. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC1 hr 13min 32.8sec
    6. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR)  Ford Fiesta WRC1 hr 13min 48.0sec
    7. Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 14min 14.4sec
    8. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 14min 34.6sec
    9. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC1 hr 15min 13.2sec
    10. Oliver Solberg (SWE) / Aaron Johnston (IRL)Škoda Fabia Evo1 hr 15min 42.1sec
  • Ott Tanak wins in Estonia to open up title race

    Ott Tanak wins in Estonia to open up title race

    Estonia, 6 Sept 2020: Ott Tänak claimed his first World Rally Championship victory on the series’ return in Estonia. The Hyundai driver survived a late fright to deliver a popular home win on Sunday afternoon and climbed from fifth to third in the overall classification.

    Tänak led most of the way to win the three-day gravel road Rally Estonia by 22.2 seconds in a Hyundai i20. Team-mate Craig Breen completed a 1-2 for Hyundai and matched his career-best result.

    Estonia was the 600th WRC round since the championship began in 1973 and marked the championship’s return after a six-month pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Tänak was the pre-event favourite and after taking the lead early in Saturday’s opening leg, the Estonian was never headed. But his bid for a maiden victory with the Korean manufacturer almost came unstuck in the penultimate speed test.

    He swiped a bank with the rear of his i20, but the damage proved cosmetic only and he eased through the final special stage to secure his first victory for the team.

    Tänak is now 13 points behind championship leader Sébastien Ogier. Second for an emotional Breen enabled the squad to close the gap to manufacturers’ series leaders Toyota Gazoo Racing to five points.

    Breen finished only 4.7s clear of Ogier, admitting his attempt to measure his pace in the final stage allowed the Frenchman to come closer than intended. It was, however, a hugely impressive performance from the Irishman who is not a regular WRC starter.

    Ogier headed a trio of Yaris finishers, satisfied that a podium keeps his hopes of a seventh world title on track, but disappointed he did not have the grip to match Tänak’s pace on Saturday afternoon.

    Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä were fourth and fifth, both losing time with tyre troubles. Rovanperä incurred a 60s penalty last night for working on his car in a prohibited zone, but the 19-year-old earlier became the youngest driver to lead a WRC rally at just 19.

    Takamoto Katsuta rolled out of what would have been a career-best fifth place. His error promoted the Ford Fiestas of Teemu Suninen and Esapekka Lappi to sixth and seventh, the Finns swapping places after Lappi lost time with a big spin.
    Gus Greensmith was eighth after World Rally Car debutant Pierre-Louis Loubet retired with broken steering after hitting a tree stump. FIA WRC3 support category winner Oliver Solberg was ninth with FIA WRC2 victor Mads Østberg completing the leaderboard.

    Østberg recovered from a puncture on his PH Sport prepared Citroën C3 on Saturday morning before blasting away from rivals and claiming a resounding victory in the FIA WRC2 category. Behind him, Adrien Fourmaux finished second – a better result than he had anticipated – when a painful last-minute puncture for Hyundai’s Nikolay Gryazin gifted him the position. Pontus Tidemand drove a consistent rally in his Škoda Fabia Rally2 and was rewarded third as Gryazin hit trouble, 1min 21.7sec behind.

    Winner of the FIA European Rally Championship’s Rally Liepaja last month in Latvia, Oliver Solberg was unstoppable in neighbouring Estonia, clinching his first ever FIA WRC3 win and first WRC points finish with ninth place overall. His closest rivals this weekend, local hero Egon Kaur and triple FIA ERC champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz, both encountered problems on Sunday. Kaur slipped from second to fourth behind Rally Sweden WRC3 category winner Jari Huttunen, but those positions became third and second when Kajetanowicz rolled his Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo on the final stage.

    In FIA Junior WRC, Latvia’s Martins Sesks scored his first victory following late misfortune for long-time leader Robert Virves. The Estonian had seen his overnight lead cut to just 5.3s by Sesks, but worse was to follow when a puncture four stages from the finish cost 45sec and demoted him to third. Sesks however never put a foot wrong throughout the three-day event. Sami Pajari from Finland finished second, 14.7s behind him.

    2020 Rally Estonia – Final Official Results

    1. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)          Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1hr 59min 53.6sec
    2. Craig Breen (IRL) / Paul Nagle (IRL)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2h 00min 15.8sec
    3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA)Toyota Yaris WRC     2hr 00min 20.5sec
    4. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)     Toyota Yaris WRC          2hr 00min 35.5sec
    5. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN)Toyota Yaris WRC2hr 01min 12.3sec
    6. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN)                  Ford Fiesta WRC2hr 02min 33.2sec
    7. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN)Ford Fiesta WRC2hr 02min 45.6sec
    8.  Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR)      Ford Fiesta WRC     2hr 04min 47.4sec
    9. Oliver Solberg (NOR) / A. Johnston (IRL) – FIA WRC3Volkswagen Polo Gti2h 07min 32.2sec
    10. Mads Østberg / T. Eriksen (NOR) – FIA WRC 2Citroën C32h 08min 10.9sec
  • Ott Tanak takes lead on home soil: Rally Estonia

    Ott Tanak takes lead on home soil: Rally Estonia

    Estonia, 5 Sept 2020: Ott Tänak leads on home soil a Hyundai 1-2-3 as the FIA World Rally Championship roared back into action on Rally Estonia with five stages on Saturday morning.

    Tänak came into the event as the favourite for victory but it was Toyota’s 19-year Kalle Rovanperä who was quickest in SS2 to take the lead of a WRC round for the first time. But the Finn then lost around half a minute to Tänak in SS3 when he finished the stage with a damaged tyre, which also caused him to lose some of the aerodynamic bodywork on his car.

    Tänak was quickest in stages three and four to open up a lead over his team-mate Craig Breen, while Thierry Neuville also moved up into the top three. Neuville won SS6 and finished the morning 4.3 seconds behind Breen and 11.1 seconds away from Tänak.

    Jointly leading the rally after SS1 on Friday following a colourful opening ceremony at Raadi airfield in Tartu, Sébastien Ogier dropped to fifth opening the road on the morning’s first stage, but improved his pace as the loop wore on and claimed a fastest time on SS6 to jump ahead of Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans for fourth overall. The recovering Rovanperä was second fastest in the final two stages of the loop and sits sixth just ahead of fellow Toyota youngster Takamoto Katsuta.

    M-Sport Ford drivers Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen sit eighth and ninth, with Lappi losing time when he overshot a junction in SS6. Pierre-Louis Loubet made a similar error in the very same place but sits 10th on his top-class debut in a Hyundai, ahead of M-Sport’s Gus Greensmith.

    Mads Østberg leads FIA WRC2 in his Citroën following an eventful morning in the category, which included a puncture for the Norwegian driver. He is 16.5 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Nikolay Gryazin, who escaped a high-speed spin in SS2 in his Hyundai. Ahead of Østberg overall are the top three drivers in FIA WRC3, where Oliver Solberg is on top in front of local ace Egon Kaur and Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz.

    It is an Estonian one-two in FIA Junior WRC, with category debutant Robert Virves leading Ken Torn by 1.3s. Championship leader Tom Kristensson was on top after SS2, only to retire following a heavy landing on the following stage.

  • Breen finishes 4th; MRF Tyres look competitive

    Breen finishes 4th; MRF Tyres look competitive

    Rome, 26 July 2020: Indian Tyre giant made their debut in ERC with a big impact as International rallying returned with a bang this weekend and Russian Rocket Alexey Lukyanuk charged to victory on Rally di Roma Capitale, round one of the delayed 2020 FIA European Rally Championship here on Sunday.

    Irishman Craig Breen in MRF colours did a wonderful job matching the pace of Pirellis and finished fourth with focus on tyre development.

    “It’s not often I would be happy with finishing 4th, but after all the hard work, the testing, it has been immensely satisfying to have been competitive with our MRF Tyres! Both the tyres and the i20 R5 performed faultlessly, we still have some work to do but thank you MRF!” tweeted Breen.

    “Our primary aim is to test our tyres and see how they are faring when compared with our competitors. We have gathered some data late last year and I am happy with the way we ran this rally,” added the 30-year old Breen, who has Paul Nagle as his navigator, driving a Hyundai i20 R4, shod with MRF Tyres.

    “A fantastic result for #MRFTyres. On what is a new tyre and a new challenge for us. The purpose is development at the moment and getting both cars home, in P4 and P10 is great!,” tweeted MRF Tyres.

    Lukyanuk, partnered by new co-driver Dmitry Eremeev, the Saintéloc Junior Team ace led from start to finish in his Pirelli-equipped Citroën C3 R5 to claim his second win in Rome and his 10th in the ERC by 16.1s.

    “It’s good points for the championship and of course winning in Rome is something special,” said Lukyanuk, who hadn’t driven a rally car for 255 days prior to a test on Tuesday. “It’s a unique race with very hard competition. It was a long rally, very tough and very hot. It took a lot of effort to achieve the result and I’m delighted for the performance and happy for the team. I thank our sponsors for their support in this hard situation. You never expect to be the winner and when it comes it’s a special feeling. It was a controlled drive, quite calculated with reasonable pace. It’s very pleasant to see we didn’t lose our feeling and our performance during this lockdown. But without my new co-driver this result would not have been possible.”

    Giandomenico Basso, the two-time ERC champion who won this event 12 months ago, finished second with Oliver Solberg taking third and winning the ERC1 Junior category on his Roma debut.

    Zelindo Melegari claimed a richly-deserved ERC2 victory on his first start since he and co-driver Corrado Bonato were hospitalised following a crash on Barum Czech Rally Zlín 11 months ago. ERC newcomer Andrea Mabellini bagged Abarth Rally Cup honours.

    Ken Torn won a frenetic battle for ERC3 and ERC3 Junior glory, as his rally-long rival Pedro Antunes crashed out of first place on the final stage. Pep Bassas took second for Rallye Team Spain on his first event as the winner of Spanish federation RFEDA’s Beca Júnior R2 scholarship.

    ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena (Rallye Team Spain) marked his graduation to ERC1 Junior by finishing sixth overall behind fourth-placed Craig Breen (Team MRF Tyres) and Romanian champion Simone Tempestini, who came home 1.3s behind the five-time ERC winner from Ireland after a spin. Grégoire Munster held seventh ahead of the advancing ERC1 Junior champion Filip Mareš, who narrowed the Hyundai Junior Driver’s margin to 5.5s. Emil Lindholm and Miko Marczyk filled out the top 10.

    Leg two round-up
    After winning all six stages on Saturday to build an advantage of 34.1s, Lukyanuk was second best to Basso this morning, with the two-time ERC champion going quickest on the first and second stages north of rally hub Fiuggi. At the regroup in the thermal spa town earlier, Basso had narrowed Lukyanuk’s overall lead to 29.3s with Oliver Solberg maintaining his grip on third as the top ERC1 Junior driver.

    Basso scored a brace of stage wins in the middle loop to start the final trio of tests 23.9s behind Lukyanuk. Although he would win the penultimate test, Lukyanuk’s controlled performance and measured approach in ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees centigrade meant the Russian was never truly threatened.

    Solberg belied his absence of Rally di Roma Capitale experience on his first pure Tarmac rally in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 to take third with Hyundai-powered Craig Breen taking advantage of a spin for Simone Tempestini on SS13 to grab fourth.

    Tempestini admitted he struggled to “wake up” and repeat his flying form from Saturday this morning. Despite only confirming his Roma entry on Tuesday, Tempestini was 2.3s ahead of Breen starting the final trio of stages, but his spin caused a six-second delay and Breen finished 1.3s in front. Meanwhile, Breen, on his return to ERC action with Team MRF Tyres, was hugely praiseworthy of the rate of progress of the Indian company’s development programme.

    ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena starred on his step up to ERC1 Junior, finishing sixth after adapting the handling of his Rallye Team Spain C3 R5 more to his liking by tweaking the spring and anti-roll bar settings. Hyundai Junior Driver Grégoire Munster took seventh on his second outing in an i20 R5 with ERC1 Junior champion Filip Mareš battling back to eighth after a tough rally, which began with a roll in Friday practice. Young guns Emil Lindholm and ORLEN Team’s Polish champion Miko Marczyk impressed as they rounded out the top 10.

    More drivers rewarded in ERC 2020
    With points awarded to the top 15 classified finishers from this season, more drivers than ever before scored ERC points on Rally di Roma Capitale. By finishing in positions 11-15, Alessandro Re, Antonio Rusce, Dominik Dinkel, Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Marijan Griebel all scored.

    COVID-19 protocol takes centre stage on international rallying’s restart
    With myriad strict measures in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rally di Roma Capitale is the first FIA international-level event to run since lockdown restrictions eased in certain countries. Drivers and teams have united in their praise of the extensive steps taken by organiser Motorsport Italia to provide a safe and secure environment for competitors and volunteer officials alike in partnership with the FIA, ERC promoter Eurosport Events and Italian federation ACI Sport.

    Solberg clinches ERC1 Junior victory on Roma debut
    Oliver Solberg, son of 2003 World Rally champion Petter Solberg, made it two ERC1 Junior wins from two starts, overcoming the handicap of losing his glasses prior to stage two. ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena followed Simone Tempestini home in third with Grégoire Munste, Emil Lindholm, Miko Marczyk, Dominik Dinkel (Brose Motorsport) and Albert Battistolli next. Erik Cais (Yacco ACCR Team) restarted after his stage one crash to place ninth on his step up from ERC3 Junior in a Ford Fiesta MkII. Callum Devine retired his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Hyundai with engine failure after the finish of SS3.

    Hard time for Kreim
    A strong fifth overnight on his return to ERC1 Junior action, three-time German champion Fabian Kreim’s debut in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 ended on Sunday’s first stage when he crashed into a wall. “It was my mistake,” he said. “I did a mistake on my pacenotes and have written left-entry-flat and 40-metre hairpin-left. And for this I was definitely too fast and crashed into a wall and broken the front-right wheel.”

    Crugnola quick on restart
    For the second Rally di Roma Capitale running it was a case of what might have been for Andrea Crugnola. After a puncture robbed him of victory 12 months ago, a crash on stage one wrecked his hopes of first place. He restarted on day two, scored six stage bests and five ERC bonus points for winning leg two. There was no restart for Adrien Fourmaux, however, the Frenchman having rolled his M-Sport Ford World Rally Team entry on SS2.

    Melegari savours his “perfect day” in ERC2 on injury comeback
    Zelindo Melegari described winning ERC2 on his comeback from injury as a “perfect day”. Melegari hadn’t competed since a crash on Barum Czech Rally Zlín last August left him and co-driver Corrado Bonato with serious injuries. But he showed no lasting affects to win ahead of ERC newcomer and Abarth Rally Cup winner Andrea Mabellini and Porsche 997 GT3 driver Petr Nešetříl.

    “I am very happy for this result after one year away from rally,” said Italian Melegari. “It was the first rally with the new car on Tarmac, a perfect day. I was happy also to fight with the young drivers in the Abarth Rally Cup. It’s a good result for continuing the season.”

    Roberto Gobbin drove his Abarth 124 rally to fourth with Latvia-based Dmitry Feofanov fifth, hitting back from a roll during testing on Tuesday on his second start on Tarmac. Poland’s Igor Widłak retired prior to SS7 with a sensor failure.

    Abarth Rally Cup contender Dariusz Poloński was back in action for leg two after a turbo issue forced him out on Saturday morning. After going fastest in the one-make series and in ERC2 on SS7 and SS8, more turbo problems struck on SS9, forcing the Pole to retire for a second day running.

    Ford Fiesta Rally4 driver Torn takes ERC3 and ERC3 Junior double in dramatic finale
    Ken Torn scored a memorable ERC3 and ERC3 Junior victory double in his Estonian Autosport Junior Team-entered Ford Fiesta Rally4 following a thrilling battle with Pedro Antunes.

    Driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4 on Pirelli tyres, Antunes snatched the lead from Torn with two stages remaining only to crash out on the final run.

    That left Torn to take the win in his Pirelli-equipped car as Pep Bassas inherited second place for Rallye Team Spain, with Amaury Molle battling to the finish in a fine third as technical issues struck the Belgian’s older-specification 208 in the closing stages.

    Italian Junior champion Marco Pollara finished fourth with Nikolai Landa and Rachele Somaschini fifth and sixth respectively. Pedro Almeida and Dennis Rådström restarted after retiring on Saturday and came home in seventh and eighth.

    A brake issue caused Adam Westlund to crash out of fifth place on SS11. An electrical issue stopped William Creighton on SS10, while Miika Hokkanen went off the road on SS3 when a damaged steering rod failed. Sergio Cuesta retired with engine failure on SS6.

    Vogel victorious
    Adrienn Vogel claimed a fine fifth place in ERC3, following home fellow Hungarian drivers Martin László and his father Zoltán. She also finished as the leading lady driver.

    P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge begins
    The P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge, run for the first time during the 2019 ERC season finale in Hungary, will reward the top three finishes on every ERC1 and ERC2 round with fuel vouchers that can be exchanged for P1 XR5 race fuel at subsequent events, helping competitors to further reduce the cost of competing. Across both categories, winning drivers will be entitled to 150 litres of fuel, while second and third placed drivers will receive 100L and 50L of the product respectively.

    LEG ONE REPORT: Click here for leg one report
    DAY TWO NEWSFEED AVAILABLE BY EMAILING: Paula_Dequidt@discovery.com

    TOP 15 POSITIONS (after 15 stages, 197.80 kilometres)
    1 Alexey Lukyanuk (RUS)/Alexey Arnautov (RUS) Citroën C3 R5 1h58m57.0s
    2 Giandomenico Basso (ITA)/Lorenzo Granai (ITA) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +16.1s
    3 Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +1m03.2s
    4 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +1m57.0s
    5 Simone Tempestini (ROU)/Sergiu Itu (ROU) Škoda Fabia R5 +1m58.3s
    6 Efrén Llarena (ESP)/Sara Fernández (ESP) Citroën C3 R5 +2m15.9s
    7 Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5 +2m20.5s
    8 Filip Mareš (CZE)/Radovan Bucha (CZE) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m26.0s
    9 Emil Lindholm (FIN)/Mikael Korhonen (FIN) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m54.0s
    10 Miko Marczk (POL)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +3m25.1s
    11 Alessandro Re (ITA)/Paolo Zanini (ITA) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +3m25.8s
    12 Antonio Rusce (ITA)/Sauro Farnocchia (ITA) Citroën C3 R5 +4m10.2s
    13 Dominik Dinkel (DEU)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +4m47.1s
    14 Albert von Thurn und Taxis (DEU)/Bernhard Ettel (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +4m54.4s
    15 Marijan Griebel (DEU)/Pirmin Winklhofer (DEU) Citroën C3 R5 +6m24.1s

    FIA ERC2: Zelindo Melegari (ITA)/Corrado Bonato (ITA) Subaru Impreza STI
    FIA ERC3: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    FIA ERC1 Junior: Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
    FIA ERC3 Junior: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    Abarth Rally Cup: Andrea Mabellini (ITA)/Nicola Arena (ITA) Abarth 124 rally

  • Newcomer Estonia to host 2020 WRC restart

    Newcomer Estonia to host 2020 WRC restart

    Tallinn (Estonia), 2 July 2020: Estonia will host the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time in September when the 2020 series restarts following an enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Rally Estonia (4 – 6 September) joins the fixture list after running as a WRC Promotional Event in 2019. The country will become the 33rd nation to stage a championship round since the series started in 1973.

    In a revised calendar announced by FIA and WRC Promoter, Rally Italia Sardegna moves to 29 October – 1 November after being postponed in June as the virus temporarily halted the championship after three rounds.

    Estonia’s gravel road encounter precedes scheduled events in Turkey (24 – 27 September) and Germany (15 – 18 October) in the new schedule. Next up is Italy, before the season-closing return of Japan (19 – 22 November), whose date also remains unchanged.

    The championship will comprise at least eight events and WRC Promoter will continue its already advanced talks with Ypres Rally (2 – 4 October), with the aim of presenting Belgium as another available host country shortly. Talks with the Croatian Automobile & Karting Federation will also move forward.

    Rally Argentina, which was postponed from its original date in April, and which traditionally attracts almost a million fans to Cordoba province, has unfortunately now been cancelled for the season.

    Estonia’s WRC debut was announced at a press conference in Tallinn today (Thursday) attended by Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla. It will ensure an emotional weekend for reigning world champion Ott Tänak, who will have the opportunity to compete in front of his home fans on a WRC round for the first time.

    Rally Estonia will be a short format event comprising two legs on Saturday and Sunday after a shakedown and opening ceremony on Friday. It will be based in Tartu, in the east of the country, with the service park at the Estonian National Museum. Full details will be announced shortly.

    Rally Italia Sardegna’s switch from Europe’s early summer to autumn means crews will face cooler conditions on tough gravel tracks in the north of the Mediterranean island. It will be based in Alghero and details of the itinerary will be confirmed soon.

    WRC successfully completed the first three rounds in Monte-Carlo, Sweden and Mexico before Coronavirus put the brakes on the series. Six-time champion Sébastien Ogier leads the drivers’ standings with his Toyota Gazoo Racing squad topping the manufacturers’ points.

    WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said a September restart allowed sufficient lead time for event organisers and competitors to be fully prepared: “Today’s restart announcement sends a clear signal that the 2020 WRC is back in business,” he said.

    “WRC Promoter has worked tirelessly with the FIA, our competitors, teams and potential rallies, in exceptional circumstances, to revise the calendar. Today’s news allows the WRC to restart at an appropriate time and ensure a season worthy of world championship status.

    “Fans demonstrate huge passion for WRC in both Estonia and Italy. The expectation there, and across the sport in general, will build rapidly from now ahead of September’s championship restart,” added Ciesla.

    FIA Rally Director Yves Matton said: “I am pleased to announce the 2020 WRC restart calendar following a few months of discussions that have required a great deal of flexibility from all stakeholders in unprecedented times. In light of this revised schedule, I am confident we will secure a minimum of eight events this year and this is thanks to the great commitment and work from organisers.

    “As one of the newly proposed rounds, Rally Estonia will be reopening the season in September and I know the Estonian Autosport Union and organising team are putting all their efforts to deliver an event to world championship standards from an already solid foundation.

    “Also, extensive work was made with ACI and organisers of Rally Italia Sardegna to reschedule the event and I am happy that they could find a workable slot at the end of October for this much-awaited encounter.

    “Preparations for these rounds are now in full swing while paying the greatest attention to key planning recommendations for mass gatherings in the current Covid-19 context.

    “We are naturally truly disappointed we couldn’t find a logistically viable solution to reschedule Rally Argentina, particularly given all the hard work undertaken by Automóvil Club Argentino and every member of the organisation,” concluded Matton.

    All remaining events are eligible for competitors in the WRC 2 and WRC 3 support categories. Future dates for the FIA Junior WRC Championship will be announced separately.

    The revised 2020 calendar is:

    Round Rally Date 
    1Monte-Carlo 23 – 26 January 
    2Sweden 13 – 16 February 
    3Mexico 12 – 15 March 
    4Estonia 4 – 6 September 
    5Turkey 24 – 27 September 
    6Germany 15 – 18 October 
    7Italy 29 October – 1 November 
    8Japan 19 – 22 November 

    * Belgium’s Ypres Rally (2 – 4 October) and Croatia (date TBC) remain as further calendar options.

    Photo credit WRC Promoter: 2019 Rally Estonia, Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja, TGR