Asphalt aces key to silly season
Gilles Panizzi's double success in Corsica and Sanremo means asphalt experts could hold the key to world rallying's 'silly season', according to this week's Autosport magazine
Fledgling teams like Hyundai, Citroen and Skoda are all being linked to proven sealed-surface experts like Bruno Thiry and Jesus Puras in order to maximise their chances of success on the series' asphalt rounds.
With competition in the championship now so close, success on asphalt is seen as crucial to mounting a title challenge - but sealed-surface stars are at such a premium that they could be offered limited gravel programmes as a further carrot to signing up.
Hyundai team boss David Whitehead confirmed he had spoken to a number of asphalt experts, adding: 'We've made no secret of the fact that we're looking at a three-driver line-up, although we probably wouldn't run three cars at any one time.'
The Korean marque is tipped to add Puras to its current line-up of Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson, with the Spanish champion replacing Eriksson on four asphalt rounds - but also appearing on up to eight gravel rounds.
Belgian asphalt expert Thiry is being targeted by Skoda to replace Luis Climent, but neither he nor Puras will commit until Citroen's plans are known. Thiry said: 'I'm open and talking to everybody, but there are a lot of guys out there.'
Peugeot star Panizzi, meanwhile, is being tipped to join Italy's crack Grifone squad for a full world championship programme with a factory-spec Peugeot 206.
'If they [Peugeot] decided to ask Grifone to run me, then it would be OK with me, as long as the car was full specification," he said.
Peugeot's works team is expected to sign Didier Auriol in a three-car pool alongside current drivers Marcus Gronholm and Francois Delecour.
Mitsubishi rings the management changes
Can Gronholm rock on the rolling stones?
Lappi explains Finland emergency lake visit to secure strangest WRC podium
Esapekka Lappi described his WRC Rally Finland podium as one of the strangest ever after a roll required an emergency trip to a lake to repair his damaged Toyota.
Tanak hails Finland win as his most satisfying in WRC
Ott Tanak labelled victory at Rally Finland as the most satisfying of his World Rally Championship career.
WRC Finland: Tanak sees off Rovanpera to claim remarkable win
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak held off runaway World Rally Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera to claim a stunning victory at Rally Finland.
WRC Finland: Tanak edges away from Rovanpera
Ott Tanak laid down a marker to World Rally Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera as the Hyundai driver edged closer to a remarkable victory at Rally Finland on Sunday morning.
Inside Hyundai’s F1-spec mobile WRC home
Hyundai is one of the World Rally Championship's big three, and has a brand-new travelling facility befitting of that status. The team invited Autosport for a behind-the-scenes look at its state-of-the-art HQ, which comes complete with all the bells and whistles you'd expect of a top Formula 1 outfit
How Rovanpera's latest Estonia masterclass left his WRC rivals stumped
After trailing Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans for much of Rally Estonia's opening day, WRC points leader Kalle Rovanpera took advantage of a change in the weather and never looked back afterwards. Winning for a fifth time this year at the scene of his 2021 breakthrough, and with a breathtaking powerstage bonus for good measure, his advantage is already looking difficult to topple
How the WRC captures its stunning visuals
Whether it’s the mountains of Monte Carlo, the snow of Sweden or the Kenya Savannah, the World Rally Championship is able to beam some of motorsport’s most spectacular footage to television screens while operating in the harshest of environments. Autosport went behind the scenes to unearth the secrets that make this logistical challenge possible
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge