World Rally News

Australia's brightest rally star, Chris Atkinson, will join the Subaru World Rally Team for the 2005 season. The 25-year-old will contest 'the majority of the sixteen' events that make up the FIA world championship series, starting with Rally Sweden in February.

As well as revealing the entry list for the 'Senior' World Rally Championship, the FIA also confirmed yesterday [Wednesday] who will take part in the Junior WRC.

The FIA, the governing body for the World Rally Championship, today [Friday] confirmed the schedule for 2005.

Mitsubishi has confirmed that it will enter a two-car team on all 16 rounds of the 2005 World Rally Championship, with a new driver line-up for the team's full time return to competition.

The Subaru World Rally team look set to confirm their 2005 World Rally Championship driver line-up in the next few weeks, and according to WRC insiders, Daniel Sola, Stephane Sarrazin and Kris Meeke are the favourites to bag the second seat, alongside 2003 World Rally champion, Petter Solberg.

Henning Solberg, the brother of Subaru ace, and 2003 World Rally champion Petter Solberg, looks set to tackle eight round of the FIA World Rally Championship in 2005, in a Ford Focus, whether that be a factory effort or a privately run car, remains unclear.

Armin Schwarz has said he is confident that Skoda will be able to achieve its long term aim to become a regular winner on the World Rally stage.

Any hope that Colin McRae may have had of partnering Toni Gardemeister in the Ford team next season has been dashed by the announcement that Roman Kresta will finally step up to a full-time World Rally Championship seat with the M-Sport team.

Markko Martin has finally been announced as a Peugeot driver for the 2005 World Rally Championship campaign, confirming speculation that has been circulating for some time.

The Skoda Motorsport World Rally team has today revealed its driver line-up for the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship, one that will see Armin Schwarz lead the team, alongside Finnish stars Janne Tuohino and Jani Paasonen and Frenchman Alex Bengue, who will share the second car.

1995 World Rally champion Colin McRae has revealed that the 'rally boys will be out to show the track racers a thing or two' at the Race of Champions [RoC] Nations Cup event in Paris next weekend, and McRae himself, is especially keen to take the scalp of seven time F1 world champion, Michael Sch

Finland's Toni Gardemeister has signed a one-year contract to drive for Ford Motor Company in next season's FIA World Rally Championship. He will drive a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car on all 16 rounds of the championship with the Blue Oval squad that finished second in the 2004 series.

Win a new slim-line PS2 with Codemasters and Colin McRae Rally 2005.

1995 World Rally champion, Colin McRae has decided he will not join Skoda in 2005. McRae told British newspaper The Guardian , that though his 'proposed salary had not met expectations', a 'range of factors had influenced his decision'.

Sports car driver Rinaldo 'Dindo' Capello will drive a Skoda Fabia WRC at next weekend's Monza Rally show [November 27-28].

2001 World Rally champion, Richard Burns has revealed that although it has been 'very, very tough' he is now 'getting physically and mentally much stronger' following treatment for a brain tumour.

Mitsubishi has confirmed that 2002 Junior World Rally champion Daniel Sola will not be apart of their FIA World Rally Championship programme in 2005.

Citroen have announced that Francois Duval will join the team for the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship - the Belgian replaces Carlos Sainz, who has decided to retire. Duval's co-driver, Stephane Prevot will also make the move to the French outfit.

Niall McShea joined the World Rally Championship's elite today [Sunday] when he was crowned World Champion after winning the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship with a victorious performance on Telstra Rally Australia.

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Francois Duval and Stephane Prevot ended the FIA World Rally Championship season with a podium finish in Australia today.

In his first attempt at Australia's round of the World Rally Championship, Telstra Rally Australia, Queensland's Chris Atkinson has overcome adversity to win the Group N category and finish an amazing fifth outright in Perth today.

With one of the smaller budgets in the FIA Production World Rally Championship [PCWRC] and a season fraught with uncertainty, Niall McShea has been awarded the final Inmarsat Star of the Rally this season.

SS24 - Bannister North Long (35.64 kms): Solberg fastest through SS24; Loeb second; Rovanpera third; Hirvonen fourth; Duval fifth; Warmbold sixth; Gronholm crashed; Arai leads the PCWRC; Loeb leads the overall event by 1min 52.8secs.

Team Proton Pert Malaysia drivers Karamjit Singh and Allen Oh retired from Rally Australia today [Saturday] when their Petronas/Malaysia Airlines sponsored Gp N Proton PERT blew a tyre on SS10, the opening stage of Leg 2.