World Rally News

Mark Blundell, former F1 driver, heads to Wales next week for his first major rally challenge, competing in the Network Q Rally of Great Britain, the final round of the World Rally Championship.

Top brass at the Hyundai Motor Company have finalised plans for a 2003 World Rally Championship programme, based on a two-car, 14-round campaign for the Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team.

Valentino Rossi was back behind the wheel of the Michelin [Peugeot]-206 WRC he will drive on the Network Q Rally of Great Britain this week for two more days of practice.

The fastest rally driver in the world, Colin McRae invites you to come on a ride through the stages of his amazing career in a breathtaking new DVD/VHS Colin McRae: Pedal To The Metal - his official and exclusive video biography.

Nicky Grist will be involved in the final round of the World Rally Championship despite his split from long-time rally partner Colin McRae - even if it is only to act as expert for local television.

Tommi Makinen has lost his fourth place finish in today's Telstra Rally Australia. Stewards excluded his Subaru Impreza WRC as it was found to be below the minimum weight.

Following the accident that sidelined Francois Delecour and Daniel Grataloup from Rally Australia in yesterday's opening leg, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart is pleased to confirm that Grataloup had a comfortable night in hospital in Perth and is expected to be moved from the Intensive Care Unit to

SS2 - Harvey Weir (6.97 kms): Loix fastest through SS2; Solberg second; Gronholm third; Rovanpera fourth; Sainz fifth; Crocker leads Group N; Solberg leads the overall rally by 0.7 secs. Stage times and overall standings after SS2.

2002 World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm leads the Telstra Rally Australia at the end of leg 1; Petter Solberg is second 29.5 seconds adrift; Carlos Sainz third; Harri Rovanpera fourth and Tommi Makinen completes the top five. Overall times after SS9 - Top 30:

The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of Francois Delecour and Daniel Grataloup suffered an accident on special stage 7 of the first leg of the 2002 Telstra Rally Australia.

Former British Junior Champion Guy Wilks is set to contest the biggest event of his career when he competes in the Network Q Rally of Great Britain later this month.

The cliche that lightning doesn't strike twice may or may not be true, but the fact that it can strike damn close cannot be doubted.

Telstra Rally Australia is the thirteenth and penultimate round of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship. The main challenge of this smooth gravel event is the rapidly cleaning road surfaces, covered by unique bauxite stones, which have the characteristic of ball bearings.

The penultimate round of the 2002 World Rally Championship, Telstra Rally Australia, begins this Thursday 31 October when 75 cars are expected to cross the ceremonial start ramp in the rally's host town of Perth.

Fans of rally-bred Japanese road rockets are in store for a triple treat at the 2002 British International Motor Show, with both Subaru and Mitsubishi doing their bit to attract attention to products derived from the off-road scene.

Ever since he has driven for Peugeot, Marcus Gronholm's engineer has been Francois-Xavier Demaison. Nicknamed 'F-X' (pronounced 'effeex' by the Finn), the Frenchman talks about life with the recently crowned Drivers' World Champion:

Skoda Motorsport will field two permanent entries on the 2003 World Rally Championship. The team announced yesterday that it has reached an agreement with former World Champion Didier Auriol to compete alongside Toni Gardemeister on all 14 rallies of the 2003 season.

555 Subaru World Rally Team driver Toshi Arai and co-driver Tony Sircombe have won the two-day 20th V-RALLY International Japanese Alpine Rally, which finished today in the resort of Karuizawa.

Journalist Rob Gill of the Sun has tasted rally action with MG this year on rounds of the British championship, and now takes on the challenge of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain in an MG ZR next month.

Martin Whitaker, Ford's director of European Motorsport, spoke for the first time today on Colin McRae's split with co-driver Nicky Grist. Whitaker has said that he is sad but not surprised the famous WRC pairing had parted company.

If you have your finger on Perth's pulse you may have noticed a surge recently. On the banks of one of Perth's biggest assets, the Swan River, a transformation is underway.

Legendary Formula One commentator Murray Walker was at the Propecia Rally New Zealand this weekend and 'the voice' was suitably impressed with what he saw.

Ford Rallye Sport drivers Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya finished fourth on the Rally New Zealand today to preserve the team's record of scoring points on every round of the FIA World Rally Championship this season.

2001 World Rally Champion Richard Burns has crashed out of the Propecia Rally New Zealand after rolling in SS15 - Paparoa Station.