Skoda Confirm McRae for Rally GB
Skoda have confirmed that former World Rally Champion Colin McRae will drive a Fabia WRC in the Wales Rally GB

McRae will be reunited with former co-driver Nicky Grist for the event. With 143 WRC starts, McRae will be the most experienced driver in the field at next month's event and will be teammate to the team's regular runner Armin Schwarz.
Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team manager Joan Sureda successfully concluded the deal for McRae to join the team during last weekend's Rally Finland. McRae will carry out a programme of intensive gravel testing before his first WRC appearance since the same event two years ago.
McRae has tested for the team before, driving the 2004 Skoda Fabia WRC last October, ahead of the Catalunya Rally.
The 37 year-old has vowed to be up to speed by the time he returns to competition. He said: "Although I have not competed in a World Rally Car since Rally GB 2003, the team have put together an extensive testing programme which will give me the opportunity to evaluate the Fabia and have it set up to my liking. It will also allow myself and Nicky to get ourselves up to speed before the event itself."
"Rally GB is obviously very special to me. So I am very much looking forward to competing on my home event and giving the fans something to cheer. This is an opportunity for me to utilise my experience to help the Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team develop the Fabia WRC 05 in a positive way for the future.
Joan Sureda, Skoda Motorsport Team Manager says the move will benefit the Fabia's competitiveness. Sureda said: "I'm very happy that we have the chance to bring Colin back to the WRC on this event because we know that he was keen to return to the Championship. He has a lot of experience on this rally, which we will find very useful for our future development. I'm sure that the fans will be as excited about Colin's appearance as we are."
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
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder