World Rally News

Double World Rally champion, Carlos Sainz got his first 'proper' taste of the Renault R25 F1 car this weekend, and the Spaniard was left 'amazed' by the whole experience.

Tango Rally Team trio Gabriel Pozzo, Marcos Ligato and Sebastian Beltran have been excluded from the entire 2006 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship after their cars were found to contravene the regulations on Rally Australia.

BP Ford number two driver, Mikko Hirvonen has said that it will take a bit of time for it to sink in, after he took his maiden win in the WRC on the Rally Australia on Sunday.

Kronos Citroen team leader Sebastien Loeb clinched his third successive drivers' title following the Rally Australia on Sunday - even though he was back in Europe recovering from his mountain bike accident that left him with a broken arm.

Subaru's Chris Atkinson has crashed out of the lead in SS6 of the Telstra Rally Australia and as a result the second run through Murray North has been cancelled.

SS10 - Perth City Cuper 3 (2.00 km): Gronholm fastest through SS10; Pons second; Stohl third; Hirvonen fourth; Petter Solberg fifth; Nutahara sixth; Herridge heads the PCWRC category; Hirvonen leads the overall rally by 25.9 secs.

Stobart VK's Luis Perez Companc will make his debut on the Telstra Rally Australia this week.

Kronos Racing will drop the blue livery on their Xsara WRC cars this weekend in Australia and revert to Citroen's traditional colours.

Bozian Racing will celebrate their 100th and 101st entries in the FIA World Rally Championship in Australia this weekend, when they run two Peugeot 307 WRC cars for Manfred Stohl and Henning Solberg under the 'OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally team' banner.

Three times British Rally champion Mark Higgins will drive a VK Vodka Kick-backed Ford Focus WRC car on Britain's round of the FIA World Rally Championship when Wales Rally GB takes place in early December.

The organisers of the Propecia Rally New Zealand released the full entry list for their event this week, the penultimate round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, which runs from November 17-19.

BFGoodrich have said that Colin McRae's long absence from the sport was to blame for his inability to select the correct tyres in Turkey.

Marcus Gronholm's prot?g?, Kosti Katajamaki put in a fantastic drive on the Rally of Tukrey at the weekend, eventually bringing his Stobart VK-backed Ford Focus home in fifth place overall - his best ever result in the WRC.

Kronos Citroen number two driver, Daniel Sordo may have only finished seventh on the Rally of Turkey at the weekend, but the Spaniard was pleased with his form at the finish.

The organisers of the Telstra Rally Australia have released a revised entry list for their event, the fourteenth round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, which runs from October 27-29.

Suzuki's Per-Gunnar Andersson will appeal against the stewards' decision to exclude him from the Rally of Turkey, a verdict that for now has deprived him of the win and his second Junior WRC title.

1995 World Rally champion, Colin McRae returned to action in the WRC over the weekend and it was no fairytale 'homecoming' for the Scot, who struggled in the changeable conditions and who eventually retired in the final test after an alternator problem.

The British-based RED World Rally Team has announced that they have reached an agreement in-principal with Toyota South Africa, which will see them become an agent for the Toyota Super 2000 rally car.

SS12 - Kemer 2 (20.50 km): Gronholm fastest through SS12, despite finishing the stage with the rear bumper missing; Petter Solberg second; Hirvonen third; Henning Solberg fourth; Pons fifth; Atkinson sixth; Katajamaki had handbrake problems and stalled; Wilks heads the JWRC category; Gronh

Chris Atkinson has predicted that the Rally of Turkey, the thirteenth round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, could be another tough one for Subaru.

The organisers of the Wales Rally GB have announced that the MPH '06 Live Motoring Theatre will be performed in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday December 2, during the running of the Cardiff super special stage.

by Rob Wilkins Toni Gardemeister has confirmed that there was some contact with Kronos Citroen about him filling the void for the Rally of Turkey, after the Belgian-based squad's number one driver, Sebastien Loeb broke his arm last week in a mountain bike accident.

1995 world rally champion, Colin McRae has vowed to do his 'utmost' to help Sebastien Loeb and Kronos Citroen in their battle to secure the drivers' and manufacturers' championships.

Red Bull Skoda number one driver, Harri Rovanpera has admitted that he has no plans as yet for next season.