Day 1am: Solberg flies
Subaru's Petter Solberg has taken a 20s lead after the first four stages on leg one of this weekend's inaugural Rally Japan. The Norwegian claimed three stage wins and left championship leader Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) and Marcus Gronholm (Peugeot) fighting for second
Solberg got off to a flyer on the first stage, taking his Subaru round the 26.1km Yam Wakka stage a massive 11 seconds quicker than his nearest challenger Loeb. Solberg declared at the start of the rally that he would be driving a cautious first leg following his retirement from the last two rounds in Finland and Germany. Either he was lying or his rivals will be quaking in their racing boots.
Solberg went on to take the second stage, this time 6.9s clear of his nearest rival, Peugeot's Gronholm. It was enough to put the Finn ahead of Loeb in second place though. It did nothing but inspire the Frenchman, however, who won the third stage through Niueo to reclaim his second spot overall.
But Gronholm vaulted back into second after the fourth stage of the day as the drivers headed into the first service break.
"Things have worked out very well - much better than I expected," Solberg said. "It was a big relief after the first stage, because I didn't really know how my confidence would be, but it all seems to be working perfectly. I think my pace notes could have been better, but they're new stages, new conditions and it's the same for everyone.
"I think everyone took soft tyres for that group of stages, and that seemed to be the right decision. We'll make a couple of small changes in service, but overall I'm very, very happy."
Ford's Markko Martin is in fourth ahead of the Citroen of Carlos Sainz. Ford's second driver Francois Duval is sixth ahead of Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera and Subaru's Mikko Hirvonen.
Both Ford drivers have blamed their lack of experience and poor pace notes on their slow showing so far this morning.
"It has been a difficult morning," said Martin. "Our pace notes are inconsistent and [co-driver] Beef [Michael Park] has spent 50 per cent of the time calling notes and the other 50 percent writing changes.
Duval admitted that he had suffered the same problems as Martin, but that co-driver Droeven - who has replaced Stephane Prevot for Japan - was doing a good job. "I had a big incident on the first corner of the first stage," he said. "I didn't know what was going to happen, but it was definitely a 'hello airport' moment. It has been hard for Phillipe, but he's done well and things aren't too bad. My tyres were too soft, but I think that was the same for everyone."
Westbrook: Tyre strategy as crucial as reliability in Daytona 24 Hours closing stages
Cadillac Racing’s Richard Westbrook says tyre strategy in the closing hours of the Daytona 24 Hours could prove as crucial as reliability in deciding the overall winner.
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
Daytona 24, Hour 15: Porsche takes lead amid trouble for MSR Acura
Porsche Penske Motorsport moved to the front of the Daytona 24 Hours in the 15th hour after the erstwhile-leading Meyer Shank Racing Acura developed an oil leak issue.
Vandoorne: Dashboard, steering wheel glitch caused Diriyah FE attack mode penalty
A blank dashboard caused Stoffel Vandoorne's 24-second Diriyah E-Prix penalty, as an electronics glitch on his DS Penske Formula E car meant he couldn't arm attack mode.
How fired-up Ogier became the WRC's ultimate Monte master
He may only be contesting a part-time campaign in the World Rally Championship these days, but Sebastien Ogier underlined that he's lost none of his speed in the 2023 season opener. Storming to yet another victory on the Monte Carlo Rally, the eight-time world champion rewrote the history books again as Toyota served notice of its intentions with a crushing 1-2
How Lancia pulled off its famous Monte Carlo giantkilling
Audi should have been invincible in the snowy conditions that typically greeted the World Rally Championship paddock in Monte Carlo. But unexpectedly warm weather for the 1983 season opener, combined with some left-field thinking from the Lancia crew turned the tables. Forty years on, team boss Cesare Fiorio reflects on a smash and grab
Why M-Sport has pinned all its efforts on a WRC reunion
M-Sport had a disastrous 2022 with its Rally1 Ford Pumas following Sebastien Loeb’s first-time-out win on the Monte. But now things are looking up with 2019 world champion Ott Tanak leading its attack, and the Cumbrian operation has optimism that it can challenge for a first title since Sebastien Ogier's departure at the end of 2018
The contenders seeking to take Rovanpera's WRC crown
As Kalle Rovanpera begins his World Rally Championship title defence in Monte Carlo, the Finn knows he has a target on his back. But who is best placed to knock the Toyota ace off his perch?
Why Rovanpera is anticipating a fight to defend his WRC title
Question: what could be harder than becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion? Answer: becoming the youngest-ever two-time World Rally champion. That's quite the challenge facing Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera in 2022, particularly against rejuvenated opposition in the second year of the WRC's hybrid regulations
From F1 to WRC: Why Hyundai's new boss could be an inspired signing
OPINION: New Hyundai WRC team boss Cyril Abiteboul admits he’s got a lot to learn as he leads the marque's efforts to dethrone Toyota. But could his Formula 1 experience and evident strengths mean he turns out to be an inspired choice?
The ultimate rally car project the WRC is glad COVID killed
Toyota was unstoppable in the 2021 World Rally Championship, with an excellent 75% strike rate from 12 rallies. But in a scary proposition for its rivals, the Japanese marque had built a car for the final year of the previous regulations set which it believes was much faster and could feasibly have crushed the opposition completely. Here the story of its mothballed world-beater
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.