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Belfast Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Josh McErlean hails job well done at Rally de Portugal: ‘It's been a really nice weekend and we have loved every moment of it'
On his favourite round of the FIA World Rally Championship, McErlean comfortably came out on the right side of a weekend-long battle with team-mate Gregoire Munster in the British squad's second Puma. Remarkably, despite the notoriously rough nature of the competitive route, the 25-year-old reported no major problems with his car, with this boding well for the next round in Sardinia from June 5 to 8. 'Honestly, it has been a really nice weekend and we have loved every moment of it,' reflected McErlean, whose resilience was rewarded with four morale-boosting World Rally Championship points. 'It has been a crazy rally as always; it is so nice to come to the finish clean and with some good times as well. 'It has been a very long and demanding weekend for car and crew, and to finish as the first Puma home is really nice. 'We learned a lot with the car and the tyres, and we will look to bring that forward into the Sardinia test this Wednesday, so we are straight back into it – there is not time for much rest, really. 'We took an approach this weekend that we wouldn't do so much on changing the car set-up. 'The other two guys, Gregoire and Martins Sesks, did a lot, but we largely stayed as we were and it worked out.' Co-driven by Vincent Landais, Ogier completed the four-day gravel classic 8.7 seconds up on Hyundai's Ott Tänak, with double World Rally champion Kalle Rovanpera a further 3.5 seconds back in third. Meanwhile, Kris Meeke's hard luck story at Rally de Portugal continued into a third successive year as suspension failure brought his 100 per cent win record in the Portuguese Championship to an end. Despite an incorrect tyre choice for the opening loop of four stages and picking up a puncture on stage six, Meeke and Stuart Loudon in their Sports & You Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 looked nailed on for victory. However, the harsh nature of the Iberian gravel roads eventually told when the left-rear corner on the Japanese supermini collapsed a few kilometres from the end of Friday's final stage. Although they crawled through 'Sever-Albergaria', they were unable to complete the 62-mile road section back to the city of Porto, meaning they relinquished top spot to Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Pedro Almeida. 'The Yaris was perfect again, and the proof of that was the lead we managed to create throughout the day, but this wasn't the finish we wanted,' said Meeke, who is back in action at Rali de Castelo Branco on the weekend of June 13 and 14. 'Rallies are just like that, unfortunately. We know that we have an excellent car and an excellent team – and we are going to come back strong in the next round.'
Arab Times
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Arab Times
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing claims historic 5th consecutive victory at Safari Rally Kenya
NAIROBI, May 14: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team continued its commanding form in the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season by securing a fifth straight victory at the formidable Safari Rally Kenya. Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin delivered an expert performance in their No. 33 GR YARIS Rally1, claiming top honours in what has been widely described as the toughest edition of the rally since its WRC return in 2021. The win marks Evans' first at Safari Rally Kenya and the team's 13th overall victory at the legendary African event, adding another milestone as TGR-WRT celebrated its 100th WRC event since debuting in 2017. Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, commented: 'Elfyn and Scott, congratulations on your victory. Their victory has brought the team three consecutive wins this season and a fifth straight win at the Safari Rally Kenya. We were able to win the rally thanks to Elfyn and Scott, but the roads in Kenya were as challenging as ever. It wasn't an easy victory. We approached Kenya with thorough preparations based on four years of experience there. However, this year we faced new challenges once again. So many things happened up until the last day and the last stage.' Toyoda added: 'We get excited every time we encounter a road that reminds us, 'there is no end to ever-better car making'. Starting tomorrow, everyone in the team will work on improving the GR YARIS Rally1 to make it easier to drive and stronger. And these improvements will extend beyond rally cars to all Toyota vehicles running around the world. The roads of Kenya made us reaffirm the significance of participating in rallies as a car manufacturer. To all the team members, let's work hard to create ever-better cars from tomorrow, and let's enjoy the competition with our rivals.' This year's Safari Rally Kenya covered a punishing 383.1 kilometres of competitive distance and presented drivers with some of the most extreme rallying conditions of the WRC calendar. From treacherous rocky terrain to sections transformed by torrential rain, every kilometre tested the durability of machine and mindset. After a steady start on day one, Evans and Martin moved into the lead on Friday through a measured yet assertive approach. As other competitors faltered in the harsh conditions, the duo maintained consistency to build an advantage of nearly two minutes by the end of day three. On day four, they managed the final five stages with precision and composure, securing victory by 1 minute and 9.9 seconds. This result also marks Toyota's 53rd win and 123rd podium in the WRC since its return to the championship in 2017. With three back-to-back victories in the 2025 season, Toyota now leads the manufacturers' championship with 148 points. Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota's participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR to consolidate all of its motorsport activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota's belief that 'the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,' TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota's commitment to making 'ever-better' cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
Straits Times
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Rallying-Rovanpera wins in the Canary Islands to go second overall
FILE PHOTO: FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Kalle Rovanpera of Finland (Toyota Yaris WRC) poses for a photo. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS/File Photo Rallying-Rovanpera wins in the Canary Islands to go second overall Kalle Rovanpera fired up his challenge for a third world rally championship with a dominant win in the Canary Islands on Sunday. The Finn led a Toyota sweep of the top four places, beating teammate and eight times world champion Sebastien Ogier by 53.5 seconds with championship leader Elfyn Evans completing the podium in third. Japan's Takamoto Katsuta finished a distant fourth. The win on the asphalt roads of Gran Canaria was Rovanpera's first since Chile seven months ago and lifted the double world champion from sixth to second overall after four rounds, 43 points behind Evans who has been in the top three in every rally. Rovanpera won 15 of the 18 stages, including the first 12 in a row, and took a maximum 35 points from the Spanish rally, making its debut on the world championship stage. "It has not been the best start of the season but... at least in these kinds of conditions we are back now," said the Finn. Toyota extended their lead over Hyundai to 51 points in the manufacturers' standings. Hyundai had Adrien Fourmaux finish fifth, two and a half minutes off the lead, with Ott Tanak and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville sixth and seventh. Neuville dropped to third overall with Tanak fifth and Ogier sandwiched between the two. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Rallying-Rovanpera wins in the Canary Islands to go second overall
FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Kalle Rovanpera of Finland (Toyota Yaris WRC) poses for a photo. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN. (Reuters) -Kalle Rovanpera fired up his challenge for a third world rally championship with a dominant win in the Canary Islands on Sunday. The Finn led a Toyota sweep of the top four places, beating teammate and eight times world champion Sebastien Ogier by 53.5 seconds with championship leader Elfyn Evans completing the podium in third. Japan's Takamoto Katsuta finished a distant fourth. The win on the asphalt roads of Gran Canaria was Rovanpera's first since Chile seven months ago and lifted the double world champion from sixth to second overall after four rounds, 43 points behind Evans who has been in the top three in every rally. Rovanpera won 15 of the 18 stages, including the first 12 in a row, and took a maximum 35 points from the Spanish rally, making its debut on the world championship stage. "It has not been the best start of the season but... at least in these kinds of conditions we are back now," said the Finn. Toyota extended their lead over Hyundai to 51 points in the manufacturers' standings. Hyundai had Adrien Fourmaux finish fifth, two and a half minutes off the lead, with Ott Tanak and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville sixth and seventh. Neuville dropped to third overall with Tanak fifth and Ogier sandwiched between the two. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Rallying-Rovanpera leads with near clean sweep in Canary Islands
FILE PHOTO: FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Kalle Rovanpera of Finland (Toyota Yaris WRC) poses for a photo. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS/File Photo Toyota's double world champion Kalle Rovanpera continued his domination of the Canary Islands rally with 12 stage wins from 13 so far to take a 45.2 second lead into the final day on Sunday. The Finn had started the penultimate day 26.8 seconds clear of French teammate Sebastien Ogier after winning all six stages on Friday and he won six of Saturday's seven with championship-leading teammate Elfyn Evans taking the last. Eight-times world champion Ogier had kept up over the day's first two stages on abrasive asphalt but Rovanpera gained 8.4 seconds on the third. "On these kinds of roads, it's not about pushing, it's about having the flow," said Rovanpera. "It seems that everything is working well." Toyota filled the top four places with Briton Evans third, but more than a minute off Rovanpera's pace, and ahead of Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta. Sami Pajari crashed out, ending Toyota's run of five cars in the top five. Hyundai filled the next three placings with Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux moving up to fifth, ahead of Belgian defending world champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak of Estonia. "We're trying really to put the car as far as we can to make it work well, but I'm on the limit of what I can do," said Neuville after the day's early stages. The rally on the Spanish islands off the coast of Morocco is making its world championship debut as round four of the season and finishes on Sunday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
