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WRC | RD 2 – ARCTIC RALLY FINLAND 2021 | LEG 2

February 27, 2021April 9, 2021 adminArctic Rally Finland, FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC

As the sun rose over a picturesque Arctic Circle, the crews faced the main bulk of the rally, with 144km spread over 6 stages (3 stages repeated in two loops). Leg 2 of this second round of the FIA World Rally Championships was the longest of this short 10 stage event but would deliver plenty of moments and drama for some. Overnight Rally leader, Ott Tänak entered the day with a 16.2 seconds lead over his fellow Hyundai team-mate Craig Breen. Whilst his Championship rival, Sébastien Ogier who battled with…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

WRC | RD 2 – ARCTIC RALLY FINLAND 2021 | LEG 1

February 26, 2021April 9, 2021 adminArctic Rally Finland, ARCTIC RALLY WRC, WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC

For the second round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championships, we have ventured far North into the Arctic Circle for the first time in its 49 year history. The Rovaniemi based Arctic Rally event in the North of Finland has come to rescue in place of the fallen Swedish rally and has created much excitement amongst World Rally fans, despite being a non-spectator event, like Round 1 the Monte Carlo was. A total of 251km spread over just 10 stages in this short winter sprint rally faced the 55…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

WRC | RD2: Hyundai tops shakedown at the Arctic Rally Finland 2021

February 26, 2021April 9, 2021 adminArcitc Rally Finland, ARCTIC RALLY WRC, FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC

Following their pre-rally event test where the Hyundai pair of Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville recently both competed on the Estonian Otepää Winter Rally and won the event with a team 1-2. Tänak and Neuville continued to get to grips with the wintery snow and icy conditions as they set the top two fastest times on the mornings shakedown for the 2nd round of the FIA World Rally Championships, on the outskirts of Rovaniemi, Northern Finland. Photo: WRC.Com The temperature was around -2, which was a lot milder compared to…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

RALLY | Otepää Winter Rally 2021

February 13, 2021February 13, 2021 adminHyundai, Otepää Winter Rally 2021, RALLY, WRC

Following an open invitation by the event organisers where the COC suggested that WRC teams could simply stop by Estonia on route to Finland ahead of the Arctic Rally Finland (the second round of the FIA World Rally Championships) and use their event, the Otepää Winter Rally (which was the opening round of the Estonian Rally Championship) as a shakedown. Hyundai Motorsport World Rally Team took them up on this offer and depatched team-mates Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville to join some 60 crews who would tackle this one-day snow…

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RALLY | QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY 2021

January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 adminQATAR, QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY, RALLY

Local Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah was joined by Britains Kris Meeke to contest the Qatar International Rally 2021, the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). Former WRC driver Meeke had recently taken part in the Dhaka Rally where he competed in the Lightweights for PH-Sport and arrived in Qatar to similar conditions. Finishing the world-famous Daka endurance event last in category, did however prepare him well for the fast desert tracks of Qatar. Al-Attiyah a 15 times Middle East Rally Champion and former multiple Daka winner himself…

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WRC | Rumours Safari Rally falls, Belgium prepares to reschedule & Acropolis ready to step up.

January 27, 2021January 30, 2021 Andy CAcropolis Rally, Safari Rally, WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC, Ypres Rally

Further challenges could face RedBull the FIA World Rally Championships promoter with further alterations to the 2021 Calendar. Rumours surface that once again for the second consecutive year The Safari Rally Kenya may have to sit out from the FIA World Rally Championships. Ypres is suggested to move back to its traditional late June date and perhaps an alternative reserve event, possibly The Acropolis Rally Greece could fill the August slot in the WRC schedule. The Mayor of Stavelot, Thierry de Bournonville, commented recently that the date for Rally Ypres…

OTHER

WRC | RD2 | ARCTIC RALLY FINLAND BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

January 26, 2021January 27, 2021 Andy C

Approx 260km across a possible 10 stages are expected for the Arctic Rally Finland behind closed doors. It is to be expected that the 2nd round of the FIA World Rally Championships will like the Monte Carlo Rally did, run behind closed doors with no spectators. The Lapland Regional Government currently have in place a ban on holding public events for more than 50 people until the end of February. Unless by some miracle this changes the second round of the World Rally Championship, The Arctic Rally Finland which is…

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WRC | RD1 | MONTE CARLO RALLY 2021 | LEG4

January 24, 2021January 26, 2021 adminFIA WRC, MONTE CARLO, rallye monte carlo, WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC

After an overnight haul down south to Monte Carlo, 50 of the 84 Competitors remained to start the final day of the 89th Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the FIA World Rally Championships 2021. With just 54km over four stages to contend, it was a Toyota 1-2-3 led by 7 times World Champ Sébastien Ogier alongside Julien Ingrassia in the Co-Drivers seat heading into this final loop of action. The first stage of the morning SS12 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 1, although had no snow, the normally very…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

WRC | RD1 | MONTE CARLO RALLY 2021 | LEG 3

January 23, 2021January 26, 2021 adminFIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, rallye monte carlo, WRC, WRC Monte Carlo Rally

It was another early start for the crews who now faced the typical Monte like conditions that we were expecting. The first test of the day was an 18km stage SS9 La Bréole – Selonnet 1, where parts of the stage would feel familiar from previous years. From the start, it climbed up to its highest point at about 5km in with a decent amount of snow and ice throughout; but it was at the end of the stage which was particularly bad; so it was a full set of…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

WRC | RD1 | MONTE CARLO RALLY 2021 | LEG 2

January 22, 2021January 26, 2021 adminFIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, rallye monte carlo, WRC

The second day of the Monte Carlo Rally started in the darkness early Friday morning with a 19km stage: SS3 – Asperemont – Le Batie-des-Fonts. A stage which was last used in 2019, it climbs to the top of a Col where at around 12-14km into the stage a 4km surprise in the form of patches of shiny ice awaited the crews; before an interesting decent tiptoeing back down towards the finish. The temperature had risen slightly since the crews had passed over it for reconnaissance early during the week,…