VM
kalendern 2023 |
Monte-Carlo:
19 22 January
Sweden: 9 12 February
Mexico: 16 19 March
Croatia: 20 23 April
Portugal: 11 14 May
Italy: 1 4 June
Kenya: 22 25 June
Estonia: 20 23 July
Finland: 3 6 August
Greece: 7 10 September
Chile: 28 September 1 October
Central Europe (AUT, CZE, GER): 26 29 October
Japan: 16 19 November |
23-01-23 Record-breaking Ogier
claims ninth Monte-Carlo victory
Frenchman triumphs at 2023 season opener, heading home Kalle Rovanperä
in 1-2 finish for Toyota.
Sébastien Ogier celebrated a record ninth triumph at Rallye Monte-Carlo,
confirming a lights-to-flag victory at the opening round of the 2023 FIA World
Rally Championship on Sunday afternoon.
Ogier is undertaking selected drives for Toyota Gazoo Racing this year and
kicked off his part-time campaign with a stellar performance in the French
Alps, mastering twisty asphalt roads to head GR Yaris team-mate Kalle Rovanperä
by 18.8sec in a dominant 1-2 for the Japanese squad.
His nine victories span three decades and have been achieved with five different
manufacturers. Topping off Ogiers perfect weekend was the fact that
co-driver Vincent Landais celebrated his maiden win at world level.
The Frenchman led the season opener from start to finish after charging to
a lead of over 30 seconds during Fridays first full day of action in
the mountains above Monaco.
Rovanperä reduced that deficit to just 16.0sec heading into Sundays
finale, but Ogier, who was denied glory by a late puncture 12 months ago,
kept his cool to maintain the buffer throughout the final four speed tests.
"It's huge," Ogier beamed. "I love this rally. It's the one
which gave me the dream right at the beginning and I am so happy for Vincent.
For me it's nice, but for him it's a dream to take his first win.
"We still need to enjoy these moments and that's why we are still here
[in the WRC], to catch some victories like this. To win a famous one like
Monte has no price."
Rovanperä finished on a high by winning the Wolf Power Stage to add five
bonus points to his tally. As the highest-placed full-time driver, the young
Finns title defence is off to a solid start.
"It was a good one," he agreed. "I think we can be quite happy
with second place."
Heavy tyre wear prevented Hyundai i20 N driver Thierry Neuville from making
any gains on Rovanperä. After 18 stages, the Belgian was forced to settle
for third overall, 27.8sec ahead of Elfyn Evans.
For Evans, there were thoughts of what could have been. Were it not for a
rear puncture which cost the Welshman over 40 seconds on Friday, a 1-2-3 finish
for Toyota could well have been on the cards.
Ott Tänak went easy on his soft compound tyres in preparation for an
all-out attack on the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage, but he missed
out on the benchmark time by just half a second. Ending his M-Sport Ford Puma
debut with a top-five result, Tänak felt like hed made positive
steps.
It's a long season ahead but this is a positive start, the Estonian
remarked. At least we have scored some points already - unlike the previous
three years!"
Takamoto Katsuta was lucky to finish the event after limping through the finale
with damaged rear suspension. The Yaris youngster held onto sixth overall
by 14.9sec from Dani Sordo, whose Hyundai was plagued by a hybrid unit fault
all day.
The championship switches to Scandinavia next month for the only pure winter
round of the season. Rally Sweden takes place in Umeå on 9 - 12 February.
Overall classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3hr 12min 2.0sec
2. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +18.8sec
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +44.6sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1min 12.4sec
5. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Ford Puma +2min 34.9sec
6. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +3min 32.6sec
Drivers' championship points (after round 1 of 13):
1. S Ogier 26pts
2. K Rovanperä 23pts
3. T Neuville 17 pts
The official Home of World Rallying:
wrc.com
23-01-22 Oliver Solberg visade
topp-speed i Rally Monte-Carlo
Tio av 18 sträcksegrar gav ett övertygande generaltest i Rally Monte-Carlo
för Oliver Solberg (21) i jakten på karriärens första
VM-titel.
Oliver avslutade tävlingen med att sätta den snabbaste tiden av
alla WRC2-bilar på Col de Turini Powerstage.
Vinnare av tävlingens näst största klass blev teamkamraten
Nikolay Gryazin i Toksport-teamet. Solberg slutade så småningom
på en sjätte plats, 2.15,2 minuter efter ryssen.
En punktering i torsdagskvällen kostade totalt runt två minuter.
På lördagen försvann ytterligare några sekunder på
grund av en skadad hjulupphängning.
Men vi hade inga VM-poäng att tävla om, så totalresultatet
var inte så viktigt i den här tävlingen. Tio sträcksegrar
av 18 möjliga är ganska tillfredsställande för mig. Syftet
var att lära känna den nya bilen och ta reda på vilken speed
vi kunde hålla. Vi lyckades bra på båda punkterna, sa Oliver
Solberg.
Nästa race för Oliver Solberg blir VM-tävlingen på hemmaplan
i Sverige den 9-12 februari. Där börjar också den officiella
VM-säsongen i WRC2-klassen.
23-01-21 Vigilant Ogier puts
one hand on Monte-Carlo crown
Sébastien Ogier sits on the brink of a record-breaking ninth Rallye
Monte-Carlo victory after producing another faultless drive in the French
Alps on Saturday.
Having built up a sizeable advantage of over half a minute on Friday, Ogiers
attentions switched to lead preservation as the Monaco-based fixture headed
into the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence for six asphalt speed tests totalling 111.78km.
With todays running order based on reverse rally classification, Ogier
had to contend with the most polluted road conditions as gravel, rocks and
mud were swept onto the stages by those running higher up the field.
Ogier, who drives part-time for Toyota Gazoo Racing, took a vigilant approach.
He was in no mood for risk-taking and desperate not to repeat last years
disappointment, where a sharp rock caused a late puncture which put the brakes
on his victory bid.
But, as a result of his caution, the 39-year-old saw his buffer more than
halved by charging GR Yaris colleague Kalle Rovanperä. He heads into
Sundays finale 16.0sec clear at the top.
Ogier is confident he has enough time in hand but, with four treacherous stages
still remaining, anything could happen. Victory here would put him top of
the Rallye Monte-Carlo roll of honour, beating the record he currently shares
with old foe Sébastien Loeb.
"I think it should be enough, he said. The last one was
the most dangerous one for punctures so I took it easy and I am happy that
stage is over now."
Reigning champion Rovanperä started strongly and won two of the mornings
three stages to put some distance between himself and Hyundai i20 N star
Thierry Neuville.
Neuville responded by claiming two benchmark times himself, but a big push
from the former under the darkness of Ubraye Entrevaux left Neuville
16.0sec adrift of his rival in third.
Elfyn Evans made it three Toyotas in the top four with a solid comeback
drive following his Friday puncture. The Welshman leapfrogged Ott Tänak
in the days second stage and never strayed outside the top-three times
for each test, ending 24.5sec off the heels of Neuville.
For M-Sport Ford returnee Tänak there were feelings of both relief
and disappointment after a technical fault left his Puma with heavier steering
than normal.
Although it left him unable to put up a fight against Evans, the flipside
of Tänaks issue was that the power steering did not fail completely
something he would have been dreading as there was no mid-leg service
in the schedule.
Yaris youngster Takamoto Katsuta climbed to sixth overall after leapfrogging
Dani Sordo on the first run from Le Fugeret to Thorame-Haute. Sordo, who
now holds seventh, continued to feel puzzled by the lack of competitiveness
in his stage times.
Sundays finale returns to the Alpes-Maritimes. The familiar Luceram
/ Lantosque opens proceedings and is followed by a re-run of La Bollène-Vésubie
/ Col de Turini, which crews have already driven in anger on Thursday evening.
Both stages are repeated once again with the latter forming the Wolf Power
Stage where bonus points are available.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2hr 27min 11.5sec
2. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +16.0sec
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +32.0sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +56.5sec
5. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Ford Puma +1min 37.3sec
6. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +2min 15.7sec
The official Home of World Rallying: wrc.com
23-01-20 Ogier sweeps up with
Monte-Carlo masterclass
Frenchman holds commanding lead over team-mate Kalle Rovanperä after
dominating Friday's stages.
Sébastien Ogier outclassed his FIA World Rally Championship peers to
end Friday at Rallye Monte-Carlo with a commanding lead.
Driving a GR Yaris for Toyota Gazoo Racing, the eight-time world champion
won four of the six French Alps speed tests to lead the opening round by 36.0sec
from colleague Kalle Rovanperä after 145km of competition.
The Monaco-based fixture holds fond memories for Ogier, who was born and raised
in the Hautes-Alpes. He is chasing down a record-breaking ninth victory this
week.
Ogier set the tempo on Thursday nights short opening leg and continued
to assert the same dominance in the morning, stretching his advantage into
double figures over team-mate Elfyn Evans despite nursing a hybrid unit fault.
When Evans dropped back after leaking 40sec with a rear-right puncture on
SS5, Ogier was afforded room to breathe. He took less risks in the afternoon,
even carrying an additional spare tyre, but still extended his buffer regardless.
"I am very satisfied, Ogier reflected. Obviously, the risk
of punctures [in the last stage] was higher so I took things a bit more easy.
I'm just happy to bring the car home tonight."
Rovanperä topped an intense battle with Hyundai i20 N driver Thierry
Neuville. The pair were rarely split by more than a few tenths of a second,
but Rovanperä found a slight edge in the afternoon to end 1.9sec clear.
Fourth overall went to Ott Tänak after challenging day spent learning
the intricacies of driving M-Sports Ford Puma in competition for the
first time. In the Estonians own words, his new steed did not feel racey
enough, although he did admit to being comfortable in the car.
Tänak sits 16.3sec adrift of the podium heading into Saturdays
penultimate leg and faces increasing pressure from Evans, who put in an impressive
recovery drive after his puncture to end 8.1sec behind.
Another 27.9sec in arrears and rounding out the top six is Dani Sordo, driving
another Hyundai. The Spaniard appeared frustrated and felt that his times
did not match up with the risks he was taking out on the stages.
Takamoto Katsuta was hampered by a handbrake issue on Thursday evening but
enjoyed a trouble-free run aboard his GR Yaris. A series of top-four stage
times promoted the 29-year-old to seventh overall ahead of Esapekka Lappi,
who shared similar frustrations to Sordo in his i20 N.
The action switches west to the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday for another
111.78km of competition. Le Fugeret / Thorame-Haute, Malijai / Puimichel and
Ubraye / Entrevaux each run twice either side of another tyre fitting zone
in Puget-Théniers. Again, there is no mid-leg service.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 1hr 26min 39.4sec
2. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +36.0sec
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +37.9sec
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Ford Puma +54.2sec
5. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1min 2.3sec
6. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +1min 30.2sec
The official Home of World Rallying:
wrc.com
23-01-19 Masterful Ogier builds
early Monte-Carlo lead
Frenchman makes his intentions clear as 2023 season gets underway on Thursday
evening.
Sébastien Ogier threw caution to the wind on Thursday evenings
opening leg at Rallye Monte-Carlo to end a spectacular opening night of the
2023 FIA World Rally Championship season with a useful advantage.
Ogier, an eight-time winner in the French Alps, was in a league of his own
as he blasted his Toyota GR Yaris to a brace of fastest times, heading team-mate
Elfyn Evans by 6.0sec after 40.02km of competition.
An uncharacteristically dry start to this iconic event heightened the importance
of tyre management, with several drivers overheating their rubber on the winding
mountain passes around the Col de Turini.
Ogier, however, remained unphased and for once was delighted
not to be opening the road. His late starting position played to his favour
as he could pick out any tricky sections by spotting the tracks of his peers.
"It's never easy to start this rally at night, but at least the conditions
were not so inconsistent," Ogier reflected. "There was only one
really tricky corner and for once I was not starting first on the road, so
I could benefit from seeing the lines from the others. That helped.
"I think it's been a good start for us and we are happy with that, but
obviously there is a very long way to go.
Ott Tänak rounds out the leading trio 9.4sec adrift of second-placed
Evans. It was a troublesome night for the Estonian as he kicked off his debut
aboard one of M-Sports Ford Pumas.
An electrical issue on the liaison section prior to SS1 did nothing to calm
Tänaks nerves, and those tensions were raised further as he completed
both stages without fifth gear.
Just one-tenth of a second behind is Hyundai star Thierry Neuville, who dropped
around eight seconds by stalling his i20 N after sliding wide on a patch of
black ice. Puma privateer Jourdan Serderidis fell foul to the very same corner
but fared much worse, losing over a minute as spectators extracted his car
from a ditch.
Reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä had to tweak his driving style to keep
the soft compound tyres on the front of his Toyota from overheating. The Finn
is currently sandwiched by Hyundai cars in sixth overall, 1.6sec adrift Neuville
with Dani Sordo 15.0sec behind him.
Seventh-placed Pierre-Louis Loubet adopted a cautious approach to his first
day as a full-time M-Sport Ford driver. The same could be said for Hyundai
debutant Esapekka Lappi, a mere 1.1sec in arrears.
Fourth-fastest through La Bollène-Vésubie Col de Turini
was a promising start for Takamoto Katsuta, but things quickly turned sour
when his Yaris developed a handbrake issue on the next test. The Japanese
driver haemorrhaged time through the series of tight hairpin bends and languishes
57.0sec back from the lead in ninth overall.
Friday heads further north for two loops of three stages covering 105.34km.
Morning and afternoon runs through Roure / Roubion / Beuil (18.33km), Puget-Théniers
/ Saint-Antonin (19.79km) and Briançonnet / Entrevaux (14.55km) are
on the schedule.
Leading positions after Thursday:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 26min 33.7sec
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +6.0sec
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Ford Puma +15.4sec
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +15.5sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +17.1sec
6. D Sordo / C Carrera ESP Hyundai i20 N +32.1sec
The official Home of World Rallying:
wrc.com
23-01-17 Rallye Monte-Carlo
takes centre stage as 2023 WRC roars into action
All you need to know as the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway
· 2023 WRC season begins this weekend in Monte-Carlo (19 - 22
January)
· World champion Kalle Rovanperä heads field
· Multiple off-season driver changes add intrigue to season-opener
The wait will soon be over. On Thursday evening, the opening stage of Rallye
Monte-Carlo (19 22 January) gets underway signalling the start
of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season.
Based out of the Principality of Monaco, Rallye Monte-Carlo is the jewel in
the WRC's crown and the oldest event on the calendar. Treacherous and icy
mountain passes in the French Alps provide a fitting backdrop for the opening
round.
And what a season its going to be. With 13 gruelling rallies spanning
five continents, global manufacturers battling for glory plus a host of exciting
changes to the driver market, 2023 has all the ingredients for another thrilling
campaign.
Setting out to defend its manufacturers crown, Toyota Gazoo Racing has
retained the services of Kalle Rovanperä, who, at the age of 22, broke
records last year by becoming the youngest WRC champion in history. As world
champion, Rovanperä had the option to carry the number 1 on his car this
year, but will stick with 69.
Joining the young Finn in the GR Yaris Rally1 line-up are Elfyn Evans and
Takamoto Katsuta, with eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier also
set to contest selected rounds. Although Katsuta starts every rally, he will
only score manufacturers championship points on events where Ogier is
not present.
Hyundai Motorsport has put its trust in a combination of new and familiar
faces to field its flurry of i20 N Rally1 cars.
Team long-termer Thierry Neuville will be desperate to secure his maiden world
title, while newcomer Esapekka Lappi is delighted to be in a full-time seat
after car-sharing with Ogier at Toyota Gazoo Racing last season. Craig Breen
returns to the team having spent the past year with rivals M-Sport Ford. He
will alternate drives with seasoned Spaniard Dani Sordo in the third car.
Another driver returning to their former home is 2019 world champion Ott Tänak,
who joins British-based M-Sport Ford from Hyundai. M-Sport shaped Tänaks
early career and it was team owner Malcolm Wilson who gave him his first factory
drive back in 2012.
M-Sports second Ford Puma will be campaigned by young Frenchman Pierre-Louis
Loubet, whose impressive performances during a seven-round campaign last year
have resulted in a full-time contract.
"This is a time of the year that always comes with great anticipation,
enthused WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel. There have been
a number of changes to driver line-ups since FORUM8 Rally Japan which only
adds to the intrigue of what is about to unfold.
The changes also extend to WRC2 which has arguably its strongest-ever
entry list with no clear favourite and we will be endeavouring to give this
category more coverage than ever before.
I want to avoid using the word off-season as we know the
2023 campaigns already started with testing some weeks ago and all teams,
drivers, organisers, the FIA and the Promoter have been working around the
clock to be ready for Col de Turini on Thursday night.
The official home of World Rallying:
WRC.com
.
