Russia, India among countries WRC teams "requesting" to visit

The manufacturers view both nations as untapped markets that could be exploited and talks are ongoing between the WRC Promoter, the FIA and teams about incorporating the countries into future calendars.The subject has been on the agenda for some time, with the United States and China also targets.Matton believes introducing the competition to new territories...

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Rally Sweden moves north for 2022 WRC round

Ostersund, Lulea and Umea were all considered as possible venues for the WRC's regular winter event, with the latter attracting the most support.Rally Sweden CEO, Glenn Olsson, said Ostersund and Lulea had both "presented strong bids" to stage the WRC counter but, following discussions with stakeholders, "Umea is a more attractive concept"."All officials...

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Reigning Dakar champion Benavides leaves Honda to join KTM

Benavides led Honda’s first 1-2 in the prestigious rally raid since 1987 earlier this January, beating last year’s champion Ricky Brabec and a fleet of KTMs.The result made him only the second Argentine to win the Dakar after Marcos Patronelli in 2010 (quads), and first in the ultra-competitive motorcycles class.The 32-year-old has been associated with...

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Tanak: Hyundai will show potential in Croatia

Tanak scored only his second World Rally Championship win as a Hyundai driver at February's Arctic Rally Finland where he defeated the Toyota Yaris of Kalle Rovanpera by 17.5 seconds.The result moved him up to fifth in the standings and was in stark contrast to the opening round at Rally Monte-Carlo where he retired after suffering two flat tyres on...

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Audi explains decision to quit Formula E in favour of Dakar

The German manufacturer announced in December that it would pull out of Formula E at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, bringing an end to a seven-season stint dating back to the very beginning of the championship in 2014.The news coincided with Audi launching two new motorsport programmes: a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours with an LMDh car and an electric...

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Audi reveals details of electric Dakar powertrain

The German manufacturer will make use of the technologies it has developed in both Formula E and the DTM, two championships it is incidentally pulling out of to return to off-road competition for the first time since 1987.Audi has derived the MGU from its successful Formula E project, which has delivered multiple victories and a title for Lucas di Grassi...

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WRC hybrid rules make it "credible platform" - Hyundai

Adamo made the comments as it was announced that the South Korean company will be joining M-Sport Ford and Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA championship until the end of the 2024 season.The news ends weeks of speculation as to whether Hyundai was committed to the introduction of electrification, despite Adamo telling Motorsport.com this month he was “optimistic”...

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WRC hybrid move safeguards M-Sport's immediate future

The decision will also protect jobs at M-Sport’s new state-of-the-art facilities at Cockermouth in the UK and ensures that its working ties with Ford’s competition arm, Ford Performance, are strengthened.Since joining forces in 1997, the two brands have been a constant in the series and have gone on to claim over 60 wins, 262 podium results, and a record...

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Hyundai, Toyota and M-Sport commit to WRC hybrid rules

Hybrid power will be introduced into the top tier of the WRC next season and a new three-year agreement means the system will be developed with the FIA and the three biggest competitors working together, funding work done by Compact Dynamics and Kreisel Electric.The announcement confirms Hyundai’s continued participation, which is believed to have been...

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Loeb: "Loss of mutual trust" behind split with Elena

Loeb took each of his 79 WRC wins between 2002 and 2018 with Elena by his side, and together the Citroen pair won the WRC title every year between 2004 and 2012, Loeb's final full season in the championship.They had subsequently competed together on all five of Loeb's Dakar Rally starts, however a fraught 2021 event with the Prodrive-run Bahrain Raid...

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