Latest News

FIA Calls for WRC Promoter Bids

WRS Media — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:08:09 -0800

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) today called for expressions of interest from candidates seeking to get involved as an agent, a promoter, or an investor in the promotion of the World Rally Championship.

PROTON Set for Scandinavian Snow

WRS Media — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:22:47 -0800

PROTON’s Per Gunnar Andersson arrives for a homecoming this weekend to lead the Satria Neo S2000 to its maiden Swedish Rally for round two of the 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC).

Andersson’s preparations in the Satria-Neo S2000 couldn’t have gone better, with a Super 2000 victory on the KNA Rally Finnskog in Norway yesterday. With 42 entries starting, he not only finished 1st S2000 against the Ford and Skoda teams of the same category, but also in 4th overall in a rally that also included the Citroen and Ford World Rally Teams.

Wilson Expands WRC Academy Under M-Sport

WRS Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:01:23 -0800

M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson is delighted with the FIA's decision to appoint M-Sport as the promoter for the 2012 WRC Academy.

The Cumbrian-based company supplied technical support throughout the Cup’s inaugural season in 2011 but will now expand its role to manage and promote the one-make series. M-Sport will continue to provide Academy participants with identical Ford Fiesta R2s for 2012, which will be prepared and maintained at the company’s Central European base in Poland. Control tyres will once again be supplied by Pirelli.

MINI Restructures its WRC Program

WRS Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:06:03 -0800

After Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio finished second on the return of the brand to the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo, the direction has now been set for a long-term MINI presence in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC): On Thursday February 2nd, the FIA accepted a two-car manufacturer entry by WRC Team MINI Portugal into the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.

As a consequence, MINI will complete the homologation for the MINI John Cooper Works WRC.

Loeb Confident Ahead of Nordic Challenge

WRS Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:32:48 -0800

After the 2012 season kicked off in style at Rallye Monte-Carlo, the World Rally Championship moves on to Scandinavia for Rally Sweden, part of which will also be run in Norway.

Following their convincing win in the Principality, the eight-time World Champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena will have to take on the Nordic drivers on their home soil.

Winners here in 2010 and 2011, Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen will be looking to make it a hat-trick and also clinch their first victory with the Citroën Total World Rally Team...

Henning to Hunt for Points on Home Event

WRS Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:03:34 -0800

Henning Solberg and co-driver Ilka Minor will lead the Go Fast Energy World Rally Team as the WRC heads to Sweden for the second round of the Championship.

Spanning two countries over more than 350 competitive kilometres, the 60th Rally Sweden will see the Go Fast team endure sub-zero temperatures testing both man and machine alike. Spectacular action is guaranteed on this the only true snow rally on the 2012 Calendar, and crowd-favourite Solberg will be out to impress on what is effectively the Norwegian’s home event.

Q&A with Mikko Hirvonen

WRS Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:32:32 -0800

Mikko Hirvonen claimed his maiden victory in the Citroen DS3 WRC on Saturday at Norway's Rally Finnskog.

Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen won by a margin of 30.5 seconds and used the event as a shakedown for this weekend's Rally Sweden. Finnskog's stages provided the ideal opportunity for Hirvonen to adjust to the DS3 in a competitive setting and test on roads comparable to the ones used for WRC Sweden.

Two Wheel Drive is Back in BRC

WRS Media — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:51:27 -0800

The 2012 MSA British Rally Championship held its media day at Curborough Sprint Circuit in Staffordshire on Thursday (2nd February), where some of the registered drivers and teams taking part turned out in the dry, bright and freezing conditions to celebrate the start of a new era for the UK’s premier rally championship.

Mikkelsen Warms Up on Finnskog

WRS Media — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:04:09 -0800

SKODA UK Motorsport driver Andreas Mikkelsen has successfully completed his second and final pre-season warm-up event by battling through -30°C temperatures and driving with frozen toes to finish 5th on Rally Finnskog.

Three weeks after winning the Mountain Rally, Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene (who celebrated his 43th birthday on February 1) were back in Norway to compete on another snow rally in their Intercontinental Rally Challenge title-winning ŠKODA Fabia S2000, which is now owned and run by the Evenrally team.

Wilson to Miss Sweden With Injury

WRS Media — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:52:37 -0800

Matthew Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin will miss WRC Rally Sweden due to an ankle injury Wilson recently sustained.

The Go Fast Energy World Rally Team driver hurt his ankle during training over the weekend and will consequentially miss the second round of the World Rally Championship.

Wilson had an awkward fall while on a run around the English Lake District. The British driver was rushed to hospital where doctors informed him that he had broken his left ankle as a result of the fall.