Nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb steps out of his Dacia rally-raid programme to contest Rallye Vosges-Grand Est in a 2017-spec Ford Fiesta WRC, his first stage-rally outing in top machinery since 2022.
Toyota leads the 2026 WRC by 127 points at halfway, but Hyundai is betting on road position and a gravel-heavy second half to fight back. Sporting director Andrew Wheatley wants to be 'as annoying as possible' to Toyota from the Acropolis onwards.
An FIA and WRC Promoter delegation begins a five-day inspection of Tennessee and Kentucky stages this weekend, with drivers and the FIA president lining up behind America's bid for a 2027 calendar slot.
Conner Martell will make his World Rally Championship debut at the Acropolis Rally in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, the latest step in the storied marque's WRC comeback that already yielded a first win in 33 years.
Hankook is testing a revised hard compound for the Acropolis Rally after durability concerns in Portugal, a year on from Thierry Neuville's furious Greek puncture run.
WRC leader Elfyn Evans insists the title fight is wide open at the midpoint despite a 20-point lead, naming Oliver Solberg a live threat with seven gravel rounds left.
Oliver Solberg concedes he is learning the hard way after a third asphalt crash of the season at Rally Japan, while Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier urges the fast young Swede to add consistency without burning his wings.
A Toyota 1-2-3-4 at Rally Japan handed Elfyn Evans victory and a bigger championship lead, but nine-time world champion Sebastien Ogier refused to be satisfied with second, insisting he came to win.
Elfyn Evans controlled FORUM8 Rally Japan from start to finish for his third win on the event and a stretched WRC championship lead, while Oliver Solberg explained the costly Saturday crash that ended his charge.
The Forum8 Rally Japan moves from November to a late-May slot for 2026, reshaping WRC strategy as Toyota's Elfyn Evans defends a 12-point championship lead over home favourite Takamoto Katsuta.
Hayden Paddon has returned to the World Rally Championship's top class with Hyundai eight years after walking away, and after a podium on his comeback campaign the New Zealander plans to drop his safety-first approach at Rally Japan.
Sebastien Ogier has won Rally Italia Sardegna for a record fifth time, holding off Ott Tanak by 7.9 seconds and team-mate Kalle Rovanpera by 50.5 seconds after a tense final stage in which the Toyota part-timer admitted his car nearly broke. The Sardinian win moves Ogier within striking distance of the WRC drivers' championship lead heading into Rally Greece.
