Category: WRC
News and commentary premier rally series in the world, the World Rally Championship.
Rally – Why Loeb’s Extension is Good for the WRC
Usually when you have a driver that has dominated a sport as much as Sebastien Loeb has, you tend to think it is bad for business. Honestly, who wants to watch a guy win every single title and nearly every single event? Personally I don’t overly like it but at the same point, I don’t want that person to just pull over. I believe the other teams just need to up their game. That is something that Ford has had a hard time doing this season or any season since…
Read MoreRally – MINI WRC Team – Rally Germany Preview
FROM: MINI World Rally Team Munich, 12th August, 2011. With two FIA World Championship Rallies behind it, the MINI WRC Team is now ready for its next test and that will be on the asphalt stages in next week’s ADAC Rally Germany. This will be the first WRC event of the year on this surface for not only Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) in the MINI John Cooper Works WRC number 37, and Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) in the number 52 car, but also…
Read MoreRally – Ford Fiesta RS WRC Ready for Asphalt Rally Debut in Germany
From: Abu Dhabi Ford World Rally TeamThe Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car makes its asphalt rally debut when Rallye Deutschland (19 – 21 August) signals the opening sealed surface round of this season’s FIA World Rally Championship. The car competed in gravel specification on asphalt in Argentina in May, but this eighth round of the series will be the first opportunity to see the Fiesta RS WRC in action in full asphalt trim. Drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila tested the new-for-2011…
Read MoreRally – Lotus Exige in the Cards?!?
Feel free to slot this under “what the hell are they thinking”, but it appears through some reporting out of England that Lotus may be set to go rally. I should say ahead of time that I don’t see this happening whatsoever. The level of involvement Lotus has put forth in GT/Le Mans/INDYCAR makes sense. The British company has a circuit racing pedigree with their tiny and very nimble cars. Taking them off road onto the gravel is a business era of mammoth proportions in my mind. Stick to what…
Read MoreRally – Subaru to Return?
Rumors and reports have surfaced that show Subaru may be keen to return home in the WRC. The Japanese rally icon has been absent for the last few years after the economic downturn forced many companies to halt motorsport operations to ensure financial security. Subaru was one such brand that chose to withdraw its machine due to what some called financial issues and what others called lack of competitiveness. It is no secret that Subaru looked really really bad towards the end of their time in WRC. However, now it…
Read MoreRally – MINI Withdraws from Estonia
The MINI WRC team has withdrawn their car driven by Kris Meeke for Rally Estonia. While not a World Rally event, the national rally will be used as a test bed for some teams heading into the legendary round in Finland. The entry list has a lot of talent as Markko Martin looks to defend last year’s title. Mads Ostberg will also be participating in a Ford Fiesta WRC. The team was forced to withdraw the entry after a testing crash caused severe damage to the John Cooper works machine.…
Read MoreRally – Hirvonen Heads Ford’s Greek Challenge After Day of Attrition
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen ended today’s gruelling opening leg of the Acropolis Rally in third place for Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. The Greek encounter is famed as the toughest round of the FIA World Rally Championship, but their Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car emerged unscathed from the rock-strewn mountain tracks north of Athens to lie 55.3sec from the lead. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were second throughout the day in their Fiesta RS WRC. However, transmission troubles cost almost 3min 30sec during the final speed…
Read MoreRally – Solberg Dominates Leg 1 at Acropolis
FROM: PETTER SOLBERG WORLD RALLY TEAM Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson take four stage wins in a row in Greece. The Petter Solberg World Rally Team have led Rally Greece from start to finish on day one, getting off to a great start. Petter and Chris were flying all morning, ahead by 20.3s at the remote service point after SS2. On the hottest day of the week so far, they set the fastest time on the first stage and followed that with a fantastic time on SS2, which saw them…
Read MoreRally – MINI Continues 2012 Preperations
This weekend marks the running of the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Typically recognized as one of the hardest rallies on both car and crew around. The MINI works team will not be competing in the event this year, but that has not stopped the team from travelling to Greece. The John Cooper works drivers took part in the typical rally recce today along with their 2012 championship competitors. While the team is not going to run their machines during the event, they did take down pace notes for next season’s…
Read More