Rally

Rally Mexico organisers say the third World Rally Championship round of 2020 will go ahead as planned despite coronavirus fears, as the event is “fully aligned with national guidelines”. To date, Mexico has been fortunate enough to see just a dozen reported cases of COVID-19 among its population of almost 129 million – none of

Rally Sweden’s opening Karlstad superspecial has been cancelled as concerns continue over the unseasonably warm temperatures affecting the World Rally Championship’s only snow-based event. The rally’s traditional curtain-raiser uses the city’s trotting track with drivers normally competing in pairs on the 1.18-mile course. It had been scheduled for 2000hrs local time tomorrow (Thursday), but following

Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier is hopeful that a new position in the road order will help him overcome his recent Rally Sweden “struggle” in the World Rally Championship. Ogier has three wins in Sweden, more than any other non-Scandinavian driver. However, the last two editions of the event have not gone to plan for the six-time

Wales Rally GB will move back to its Deeside service park in 2020, after one year in the Llandudno town centre for Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship. The move to the North Wales coastal town Llandudno last year was hailed as taking the teams and cars closer to the people, as Deeside is

Toyota World Rally Championship driver Elfyn Evans has extended his Rally Sweden lead to 16.9 seconds after winning all three of Saturday morning’s stages. Evans started the day with an 8.5s advantage over the Hyundai of Ott Tanak but managed to double that lead, making the most of the tricky terrain in the warmer weather.

World Rally Championship returnee Jari-Matti Latvala will take no further part on Rally Sweden following his Friday exit with an electrical issue. The four-time Rally Sweden winner was making his first start of the season in a privateer Toyota Yaris WRC, having lost his factory drive with the make at the end of last year.

Toyota’s Elfyn Evans remains in control of Rally Sweden at the end of the opening day of the shortened event, as reigning champion Ott Tanak reclaimed second. Evans dominated proceedings in the morning, winning two of the first three stages to take an eight-second lead into service after four stages over his team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

Elfyn Evans has opened up a lead of almost eight seconds over his Toyota World Rally Championship team-mate Kalle Rovanpera following the opening loop of stages on Rally Sweden. The Welshman won two of the morning’s three stages in changing road conditions to hold a lead of 7.9s over Rovanpera, who impressed in the second

Elfyn Evans will be allowed to push for the World Rally Championship title in 2020 following his first win for Toyota in Sweden. After beating reigning champion Ott Tanak to victory last weekend having led after every stage, Evans is now equal top of the championship standings with Tanak’s Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville, albeit Evans

Toyota’s Elfyn Evans claimed his second career World Rally Championship victory after coming through the final stage of a shortened Rally Sweden. Evans dominated the event from the opening stage on Friday morning, winning five of the nine stages, and beat defending world champion, Hyundai’s Ott Tanak, by 12.7 seconds. Kalle Rovanpera took a sensational

Elfyn Evans is closing in on his second World Rally Championship win as he leads Rally Sweden by 17.2 seconds to Ott Tanak. Toyota’s Evans set the fastest time on all three of Saturday morning’s stages and, though he was only fourth on the afternoon’s Torsby Sprint stage, he went quicker than reigning world champion

Jari-Matti Latvala could tackle as many as five rounds of the 2020 World Rally Championship in a Toyota Yaris WRC. Latvala lost his full-season seat in the factory team for next season when Toyota announced Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera for 2020. But Latvala will join with a car running at the same

The World Rally Championship’s Rally Chile that was due to take place in April has been cancelled due to political and social unrest in the country. The organisers of the Concepcion-based event met with government officials on Thursday and agreed, in the face of the continued rioting and with a state of emergency still in

Rally Chile’s place on the 2020 World Rally Championship calendar is under threat following recent social unrest in the country, Autosport understands. A call on whether the event will go ahead will be decided in the coming days, with the development following protests and riots that began across Chile last month. The situation, which has

Toyota president Akio Toyoda has thanked outgoing driver Jari-Matti Latvala for convincing him to bring the brand back to the World Rally Championship five years ago. The manufacturer’s announcement that Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera will form its 2020 line-up leaves Latvala – who has driven for Toyota since it rejoined the WRC

Toyota has revealed an all-new driver line-up for next year’s World Rally Championship, with Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera signed to drive its factory Yaris WRCs next season. Ogier’s move was telegraphed after he walked out of his Citroen deal a year early last week, which Citroen blamed for its subsequent exit from

Citroen team principal Pierre Budar has defended the manufacturer’s record in this year’s World Rally Championship following the announcement that it will walk away from the series. CEO Linda Jackson said in the statement confirming Citroen’s exit that Sebastien Ogier’s decision to leave the squad was the reason for its WRC withdrawal. Asked by Autosport

Citroen’s exit from the World Rally Championship was not exactly unexpected, but Wednesday’s announcement confirming that was nevertheless a bombshell. What was a surprise, too, was the wording of the statement confirming it’s departure that blamed six-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, whose decision to leave left it with no alternative but to withdraw with immediate

Esapekka Lappi says he was ‘shocked’ at Citroen’s World Rally Championship withdrawal, and that M-Sport is his only hope for a seat in 2020. Lappi left Toyota to join Citroen alongside Sebastien Ogier for the 2019 season, but has struggled to master the squad’s C3 and took 10th in the championship with equal best finishes

Citroen Racing has announced it will depart the World Rally Championship with immediate effect – stating Sebastien Ogier’s decision to move to Toyota left it with no alternative. The firm announced its decision on Wednesday, confirming mounting speculation of a withdrawal. Ogier and team-mate Esapekka Lappi had a year left to run on their contracts,

Citroen’s World Rally Championship pullout announcement had been anticipated for a week, and its statement pointed strongly towards Sebastien Ogier’s decision to leave as the cause. But was it that simple? Citroen team principal Pierre Budar spoke exclusively to Autosport about the other factors behind the move. Were the WRC calendar, its profile or the

Sebastien Ogier has spoken exclusively to Autosport to explain his decision to leave Citroen’s World Rally Championship team with a year to run on his contract. Citroen’s cited Ogier’s departure for Toyota – a deal expected to be announced next week – as the reason for its withdrawal from the WRC in an announcement made

World Rally Championship event winner Hayden Paddon will race in the new-for-2020 TCR New Zealand series, in a Hyundai run by his own team. Paddon Rallysport Group took delivery of a TCR-spec i30 earlier this year, the Kiwi using it to help sharpen his asphalt skills as he looked to work his way back to

In the space of three days, the World Rally Championship lost its 2019 season finale and potentially its most successful team of this century – Citroen – too. While WRC personnel were still making their way back from Australia following the cancellation of the event due to the horrendous bush fires that had raged in

While Citroen’s immediate World Rally Championship future remains unclear, Autosport has learned it will definitely not be part of the series’ hybrid era in 2022. It is understood that Citroen could pull out of the WRC with immediate effect, with its 2020 programme currently under review. Citroen has previously taken a sabbatical from the WRC

Citroen’s parent company PSA Motorsport insists it is still discussing the 2020 World Rally Championship with lead driver Sebastien Ogier. A spokesperson from the firm would not discuss speculation regarding Citroen’s potential withdrawal from the WRC. It emerged this week that Citroen’s WRC participation is under review, while a World Endurance Championship entry has just

Citroen’s future in the World Rally Championship is under review, with an immediate departure from the series reckoned to be a strong possibility. Citroen returned to the WRC in 2017 after a year away from the series was spent developing the C3 WRC. Its latest car has been, by some distance, the least successful of

Elfyn Evans will be announced as a 2020 Toyota World Rally Championship driver – potentially with Sebastien Ogier alongside him – as early as the end of next week. Toyota team principal Tommi Makinen has dismissed speculation he has already signed both drivers, but said his line-up could be completed imminently. His squad has been

There is increasing anger in the World Rally Championship service park that Rally Australia has not yet been cancelled, with its Coffs Harbour base in the path of intensifying bushfires. Rally Australia organisers are set to meet with the FIA, WRC Promoter and the teams at 1600 Australian time on Tuesday (5am in London) to

World Rally Championship teams will distribute unused food to the local Coffs Harbour community before returning to Europe following the cancellation of Rally Australia. The event was cancelled on Tuesday due to bush fires spreading through New South Wales, having initially had its route dramatically shortened in a bit to to hold the event. The