Sixty years ago, on 21st January 1964, a BMC Mini Cooper S took the first foreign international rally win on the 33rd edition of the Monte Carlo Rally for what became one of the most versatile and successful competition cars in history. Driven by Paddy Hopkirk and navigated by Henry Liddon, the 1071 cc, 90 bhp Cooper S defeated a top class and truly international entry of 300 cars, including a … [Read more...]
Evans gambles on winning for TGR in Monte Carlo this month
Top Welsh driver, 28-year-old Elfyn Evans starts this season in Monte Carlo WRC opening round for Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team, who have confirmed their star-studded driver line-up for the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season. Kalle Rovanperä this year became the youngest winner of back-to-back WRC drivers’ titles, aged 23, and has signed a new multi-year contract with TGR-WRT. … [Read more...]
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 homologated
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) said the GR Yaris Rally2 was been granted homologation by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), from January 1, 2024. The GR Yaris Rally2 has been developed for customer rallying and is now set for official competition, beginning with the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo later this month. Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) have up to now been … [Read more...]
Toyota sweep all before them on Monte opener
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team started the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship with a one-two finish on Rallye Monte-Carlo as Sébastien Ogier claimed a record ninth victory on the event ahead of team-mate Kalle Rovanperä. Mostly dry weather made this year’s rally – the opening round of the 2023 World Rally Championship – more a test of outright performance than usual. Ogier (below) set the … [Read more...]
Rallying’s gentleman was inspirational
The motorsport world was saddened to hear of the death of legendary rally and race driver Paddy Hopkirk, who passed away 21 July aged 89. Paddy first hit the headlines January 1964 when he and Henry Liddon won the glamorous Monte Carlo rally after starting in Minsk driving a red and white British Motor Corporation 1071 cc Mini Cooper S. Designated car #37, Paddy later made this number along with … [Read more...]
Evans begins bid for 2021 WRC crown this week
As the first round of this year's WRC gets underway today in Monte Carlo, the FIA World Rally Championship revealed it will venture into the Arctic Circle for the first time next month after WRC Promoter added Arctic Rally Finland to the 2021 calendar. The all-new snow and ice event will be based in Rovaniemi on 26 - 28 February and replaces the cancelled Rally Sweden as the WRC’s only pure … [Read more...]
Welsh wizard’s Monte Magic in WRC opener
Mid-Wales and Toyota works driver Elfyn Evans secured a stunning third place on the famous Monte Carlo Rally yesterday. Making his debut in the team, Evans applied steady pressure from the start on Thursday and found himself setting fastest times on some stages and leading the event in the morning of the final day as he battled with his team-mate Sebastien Ogier and other competitors. But it was … [Read more...]
Evans begins his 2020 WRC bid today
This week’s classic Monte Carlo Rally 23-26 January heralds not only the start of the eagerly-anticipated 2020 FIA World Rally Championship, but also an exciting new chapter in the career of Britain’s top rally driver from Dolgellau , Elfyn Evans. After spending more than a decade with the Cumbrian-based M-Sport Ford team – winning both the British Rally Championship and, famously, Wales Rally GB … [Read more...]
Ralio overtaken by BT Sport for WRC coverage
BT Sport has overtaken Welsh programme maker Tinopolis as the channel for the World Rally Championship in a multi-million-pound deal. Tinopolis has covered the series over 15 seasons and used it as a platform to cover other motor sport events in Wales and the UK but the free-to-air programme maker couldn't compete with the breadth of coverage proposed and paid for by BT Sport. Under the … [Read more...]
Elfyn stuns with WRC 2017 debut
Welshman Elfyn Evans stormed to a thrilling sixth place in the opening round of this year’s WRC above Monte Carlo at the weekend. He set fastest time on three stages with navigator Dan Barritt in their MSport Ford Fiesta using his trusted DMack tyres which he used so effectively last season. It was an incredible opening to the year and showed he can outpace the world’s top rally drivers in … [Read more...]