World Rally News

Drivers / co-drivers: Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena (Citroen), Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen (Peugeot) and Petter Solberg and Phil Mills (Subaru). Team principal: Guy Frequelin (Citroen). Press conference.

Timo Rautiainen, co-driver to Marcus Gronholm at Peugeot has been awarded the Inmarsat Star of the Rally in Turkey for his courageous performance following a freak incident on the second leg of the event.

SS16 - Olymops 2 (33.4 kms): Solberg fastest through SS16; Loeb second; Duval third; Sainz fourth; Panizzi fifth; Gronholm sixth; Andersson heads the JWRC category; Loeb leads the overall event by 31.2secs. Stage times and overall standings after SS16.

Up-and-coming Junior World Rally Championship [JWRC] rally driver Kris Meeke will be taking nothing for granted when he heads into the Rally of Turkey next weekend [June 25-27].

2001 World Rally champion Richard Burns has been discharged from hospital, as he continues his battle against cancer, according to his co-driver, Robert Reid, while he still has 'a fair way to go', he is 'making progress'.

Peugeot Sport have confirmed that Freddy Loix will return to their line-up this season, taking part in all three remaining asphalt rounds, beginning with the ADAC Rallye Deutschland in August.

Daniel Carlsson, a privateer driving a Clubman specification Peugeot 206, has been awarded the Inmarsat Star of the Rally for his skilful performance on the Rally of Greece.

Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports scored points in the Acropolis Rally when its lead Lancer WRC04, piloted by the all-French crew of Gilles Panizzi/Herv? Panizzi, finished the event in Lamia this afternoon.

Ford BP Rallye Sport drivers Francois Duval and Stephane Prevot finished fourth on the Acropolis Rally today after the Greek event lived up to its reputation as one of the most gruelling events in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Suzuki driver Guy Wilks won his first ever Junior World Rally Championship [JWRC] event this weekend on the Acropolis Rally. Here Wilks and co-driver, Phil Pugh reflect on their Greek triumph... Q: Guy, tell us about your victory.

Subaru World Rally team boss, David Lapworth has issued a public apology to Petter Solberg, after a mistake by the Banbury based outfit cost him over half of his lead on the Acropolis Rally.

MG XPower regular rally pilot Tony Jardine has paired up with someone far better looking than his usual motley crew of co-drivers as he prepares to compete in the UK's biggest rallying event, and WRC round, Wales Rally GB.

Subaru World Rally team driver, Mikko Hirvonen is 'hopeful' of finding some more speed this weekend, as the World Rally Championship moves to Greece, for the Acropolis Rally.

Sony Computer Entertainment Ireland today announced the sponsorship of the PlayStation 2 Rally Experience '04. The event takes place on the 25th of July and is the highlight of the Irish motorsport calendar, attracting some of the biggest names and teams from world rallying to Ireland.

The new head of Skoda Motorsport, Martin Muehlmeier, joined the team at the beginning of March. As Skoda prepares to return to the World Rally Championship at the Acropolis Rally next weekend, he shares his thoughts on the challenge that lies ahead...

Peugeot Sport has confirmed that they will not appeal, following the exclusion of Marcus Gronholm and Harri Rovanpera from the Cyprus Rally, in which the former finished first, while the latter was fifth.

Sebastien Loeb regains his lead in the World Rally drivers' championship following his 'belated' Cyprus Rally win, Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm drops to fourth overall, after his disqualification [see seperate story], while Markko Martin is second, just one point off Loeb, and Petter Solberg third,

Peugeot #1 Marcus Gronholm could yet lose his Cyprus Rally win, after the FIA issued a statement today [Thursday], explaining that representatives of the French team have been called to a stewards meeting next Wednesday.

The result of Sunday's Cyprus Rally, the fifth round of the 2004 FIA World Rally championship, in which Marcus Gronholm claimed his maiden win in the new Peugeot 307 WRC, are to remain provisional until tomorrow [Wednesday].

Cyprus played host to the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship at the weekend and, by all accounts it was an historic occasion, with Marcus Gronholm claiming the first victory for the new Peugeot 307 WRC.

Despite the reported 'split' between WRC stalwart Mitsubishi and brand owner DaimlerChrysler, team boss Sven Quandt insists that there is no threat to recently-revived rally programme.

Subaru's Petter Solberg has taken the lead on the Cyprus Rally this morning - the Norwegian is now 5.0 seconds up on Marcus Gronholm, following the first three tests.

From mid-May to the end of June, the World Rally Championship will set up its base-camp in the eastern part of the Mediterranean for a sequence of three events reputed as the toughest of the calendar, for the drivers and their machines alike.

The fifth showdown of the 2004 season takes Peugeot Sport to the twisty gravel mountain stages of Cyprus which recently celebrated its entry into the European Union.