World Rally News

Matthew Wilson caught up with an 'old friend' last weekend at the 15th annual Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The organisers of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge have confirmed that following post-event scrutineering at the Belgium Ypres Rally, the stewards elected to disqualify two of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9s that were in the top eight of the IRC classification at the end of the rally.

Fiesta SportingTrophy International 'Shootout' winner and M-Sport apprentice Victor Henriksson took his first class victory in the Swedish Rally Championship on the Sandviken Rally in G?strikland last weekend to finish thirteenth overall.

Sebastien Loeb has secured victory on the Donegal Rally after the Citroen Sport team elected to take part in the event as part of preparations for Rally Ireland later in the season.

Markko Martin will make a brief return to a WRC car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed after being enlisted to drive the Ford Focus RS Rally Car, together with team boss Malcolm Wilson and his son Matthew.

Former Peugeot and Mitsubishi works WRC driver, Freddy Loix will give the Volkswagen Polo S2000 its debut on the Belgium Rally Ypres later this month, the third round in the 2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Every round of the FIA World Rally Championship presents a tough challenge, however this weekend's Acropolis Rally of Greece is one of the most difficult of them all. Since the Safari Rally left the WRC calendar, Greece's round has assumed the mantle of 'the toughest rally'.

OMV Kronos Citroen's Daniel Carlsson has been reprimanded by the FIA, the sports governing body, after his actions on the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, the seventh round in the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship.

Marcus Gronholm's hopes of bouncing back from the shock absorber problems that cost him the lead on the Rally d'Italia at the end of Friday disappeared on the second stage this morning when he lost his spare wheel.

Petter Solberg's hopes of being able to battle for the lead on the Rally d'Italia Sardegna vanished on the second loop on Friday afternoon when brake problems left him with 'no chance' of staying in touch with the leaders.

The Subaru World Rally team have announced that Xavier Pons will join the Banbury-based outfit for the second half of the 2007 season and for the entire 2008 FIA World Rally Championship campaign.

The Rally Turkey, the second round of the 2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, will mark the 'true start' to the series this coming weekend after March's official curtain-raiser in Kenya attracted few championship contestants.

The Munchi's Ford World Rally Team has announced that Federico Villagra will replace Juan Pablo Raies and drive the team's second car on all the remaining events this year.

The organisers of the Wales Rally GB have confirmed that the service park will move from Felindre to a new site within SA1 Swansea Waterfront this year, when the event celebrates its 75th anniversary.

The Rally of Turkey has revealed its entry list for round two of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge [IRC], which takes place next weekend.

Subaru team leader, Petter Solberg has been forced out of the Rally Argentina in the penultimate stage of the day, the 20.29 kilometre-run through Amboy-Santa Monica.

SS13 - Valle Hermoso-Casagrande 2 (10.95 km): Loeb fastest through SS13; Petter Solberg second; Gronholm third; Hirvonen fourth; Atkinson fifth; Sordo sixth; Villagra heads the PWRC category; Loeb leads the overall rally by 13.2 secs.

The organisers of the Rally Argentina have confirmed that they have had to cancel another two stages - SS7 and SS8.

BP Ford number two driver, Mikko Hirvonen has taken the first stage win on the 2007 Rally Argentina, the sixth round in the FIA World Rally Championship.

The Subaru World Rally Team has confirmed that it is 'on schedule' with the development of the Impreza WRC2007, which will make its third appearance in the FIA World Rally Championship this coming weekend in Argentina.

Skoda privateer, Jan Kopecky has been keeping match fit for the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, his next outing in the FIA World Rally Championship, by taking in two events in his native country.

Britain's Matthew Wilson and the Stobart Motorsport team will attend a two-day charity event at the Royal Air Force Leuchars base in Scotland next week.

Suzuki's Urmo Aava has announced that he has put together a deal that will see him compete in a World Rally Car this season, in addition to using the Swift 1600 in the Junior Rally Championship.

Subaru's number two driver, Chris Atkinson took his first podium of the year on the Bathurst 12-Hour Showroom Enduro on Sunday, when he finished second overall.