Latest news with #RallyEstonia
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Josh McErlean outlines the keys to success as he braces to tackle Rally Finland challenge
After the opening seven rounds of the campaign – which McErlean is contesting with new co-driver Eoin Treacy – he is currently 12th in the overall standings on 14 points. McErlean's programme continues at Rally Finland where he is set to make his fourth appearance at the fastest WRC fixture and his first as a works-backed entrant. There is the expectation that the 26-year-old can build on his Rally Estonia performance from earlier in July; a mature approach rewarded with a third top-10 result of 2025. It was also the second time the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Member outshone his more experienced driving mate Gregoire Munster since he kicked things off in January. Estonia's smooth, fast-flowing roads bear a close resemblance to Finland's, and having successfully overcome that challenge, McErlean is confident he can continue to improve. 'This is all part of the learning process, and Estonia gave us exactly what we needed – a clean rally, strong pace progression and something to build from,' he said. 'Now, for me, it is all about fine-tuning, pushing where we can and keeping that upward curve going. 'Finland is an event I have been looking forward to ever since we got the opportunity to compete at Rally1 level; it's a special feeling to be taking on Finland's roads in such a car. 'This weekend is about taking a step forward, trusting in ourselves, committing to the pace notes and starting to bring everything we have learnt together. The key will be confidence and rhythm. I'm ready to enjoy every moment of the ride through the forests.' Someone else who is expecting big things of McErlean, as well as Munster and the third Puma Rally1 of Martins Sesks, is M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal Rich Millener. 'Rally Finland is a legendary event, and while it is always a huge challenge, it's also a truly incredible opportunity for our young lineup to shine,' he said. 'Gregoire, Josh and Martins have all been consistently learning throughout the season, and Finland will test every aspect of their driving.' Rally Finland offers 190 miles of competitive action from Thursday onwards, with Saturday the longest leg of the event before crews turn their focus to Sunday's 'Ouninpohja' stage. As part of its refreshed itinerary for 2025, organisers have introduced various new speed tests, including 'Parkkola', 'Leustu', 'Paijala' and 'Vastila'.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Evans loses WRC lead as Solberg wins in Estonia
Elfyn Evans lost the lead in the World Rally Championship (WRC) after finishing sixth at Rally Estonia. Oliver Solberg followed in the footsteps of his world champion father, Petter, by claiming an amazing maiden victory on debut in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were only drafted in for the race, the eighth leg of the WRC, at short notice and had just two days of testing to prepare. Local hero and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak was the pre-race favourite but had to settle for second in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 - although his result was enough to overhaul Evans to take the lead of the drivers' championship by a single point. Tanak's team-mate Thierry Neuville was third, while two-time world champion and three-time Rally Estonia winner Kalle Rovanpera was fourth in his Toyota, followed by Adrien Fourmaux in fifth. Round nine of the Championship - Rally Finland - takes place on 31 July-3 August, with five more rounds to follow that. World Rally Championship standings After Rally Estonia, round nine of 14: Ott Tanak (Hyundai) 162 Elfyn Evans (Toyota) 161 Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) 141 Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota) 138 Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) 114 Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) 71
Kuwait Times
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Kuwait Times
Solberg secures first WRC win in Estonia
KAARIKU: Winners Swedish Oliver Solberg (right) and his British co-driver Elliott Edmondson celebrate on the podium after winning the Rally Estonia. – AFP TARTU: Sweden's Oliver Solberg followed in his world champion father's footsteps as he claimed his first WRC victory in the Rally of Estonia on Sunday. The 23-year-old is the son of 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg and was making his first appearance in the elite class since 2022. Solberg made the most of the opportunity handed to him by Toyota, who gave him the chance to drive one of their cars for this rally in the absence of eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier. The Swede charged into the lead on Friday and never relinquished it on the high-speed gravel roads. He finished 25.2 seconds ahead of home favorite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville of Belgium came in third place. 'After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and (co-driver) Elliott (Edmondson) finally made it,' said Solberg. 'I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life.' Tanak replaced Elfyn Evans at the top of the WRC standings, moving a point clear of the Welsh driver who ended the weekend in sixth place. – AFP
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Oliver Solberg almost doubles Rally Estonia lead as charge continues
Oliver Solberg won three of the four Saturday morning stages to extend his Rally Estonia lead as his impressive top-flight World Rally Championship return continued. The 23-year-old increased his advantage to 22.8s over Hyundai's Ott Tanak having ended Friday with a 12.4s lead. Competing in the Rally1 category for the first time since 2022, Solberg was untouchable on Saturday morning as he reeled off three more stage wins to take his event tally to six out of 12 tests. Solberg almost completed a clean sweep of stage wins only to be denied by Tanak in stage 12 by just 0.5s. The son of 2003 world rally champion Petter Solberg did admit that not all of his runs were perfect, but crucially he and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were faster than their more experienced Rally1 rivals. Tanak had hoped to make inroads on Solberg's overnight lead, but a couple of mistakes in stage nine (Raanitsa, 21.45 km) proved costly. The Estonian misjudged two braking points with the second causing an overshoot at a chicane and a brief stall. Tanak dropped to third behind team-mate Thierry Neuville as a result of the errors. Tanak responded in stage 10 to take the position back by 0.7s, only to drop 0.3s behind Neuville, who managed to outpace his team-mate in stage 11. Tanak fought back again in stage 12 to snatch second position from Neuville, who had to battle dust coming into the car after losing a window. Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 'Quite a few mistakes this morning. Damaging the front bumper and no front aero meant in high-speed sections like this it's quite tricky. Hopefully it'll be better than this morning,' said Tanak. Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera dropped away from the podium fight, ending the loop 17.6s adrift of Neuville. The Finn couldn't find the sweet spot with his GR Yaris package and was fighting the car in an event that he's previously won on three occasions. "It's always not the best feeling [when the pace is not there], but there's also not much else to do. You just keep going and trying,' said Rovanpera. The battle for fifth provided a close fight as Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux edged Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta by 2.8s. Championship leader Elfyn Evans maintained seventh position, but ended the loop 11.4s behind Katsuta. Toyota's Sami Pajari emerged from the loop in eighth ahead of Martins Sesks, who remained the lead M-Sport-Ford runner. Josh McErlean was lucky to escape a brief excursion into a ditch on Stage 12 to hold onto 10th ahead of team-mate Gregoire Munster. Rally Estonia - Day 3 Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Austral / Hyundai Motorsport Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Sami Pajari, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Oliver Solberg, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Grégoire Munster, Louis Louka, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Oliver Solberg, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Grégoire Munster, Louis Louka, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Romet Jürgenson, Siim Oja, FFIA Rally Star Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally2 M-Sport Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Joshua McErlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Sami Pajari, Marko Salminen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Red Bull Content Pool Kalle Rovanperä, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Toyota Racing Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1 M-Sport Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Austral / Hyundai Motorsport Ott Tänak, Hyundai World Rally Team Austral / Hyundai Motorsport Cyril Abiteboul, Team principal Hyundai World Rally Team, Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport Oliver Solberg, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Read Also: How Oliver Solberg's rapid WRC return shakes up Rally Estonia Estonia's Robert Virves led the WRC2 class by 31.9s from compatriot Georg Linnamae. The crews will tackle four traditional stages later today, before rounding out the day with a run through the Tartu Vale, 1.76km super special this evening. To read more articles visit our website.
Straits Times
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Swede Oliver Solberg wins maiden World Rally Championship race in Estonia
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Swede Oliver Solberg (right) and his British co-driver Elliott Edmondson celebrate on the podium after winning the Rally Estonia, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, on July 20, 2025 in Kaariku. Sweden's Oliver Solberg claimed a stunning maiden World Rally Championship (WRC) victory at Rally Estonia on Sunday, nearly 20 years after his father Petter Solberg won the last of his 13 WRC races. The win marked Toyota's 100th in the WRC. Solberg extended his lead to seal a 25.2 second win over home favourite and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak and the Estonian's Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville finished third. However, Tanak snatched the championship lead from Toyota's Elfyn Evans by a single point, with the Briton managing a sixth-place finish in Estonia. On his debut in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, the 23-year-old Solberg and British co-driver Elliott Edmondson were drafted in for a one-off drive a few weeks prior to the rally and had only two days of testing. 'After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and Elliott finally made it,' Solberg said. 'I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I've never had such a good time in my life.' Solberg got off to a flying start, winning Friday's opening stage and taking a lead he did not relinquish all weekend. He carried a 21.1-second overnight lead into Sunday's final three stages, where he emerged untroubled by the tricky grip in slick, damp conditions. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Both Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Solberg's father Petter, who represented Norway, won 13 WRC races from 2002 to 2005. Hyundai's Tanak battled inconsistent grip and Neuville, who started the day four seconds behind, was handed a 10-second penalty for a false start on special stage 18 and finished 23.1 seconds back in third. 'I think we got the best out of this weekend, with or without my mistake on Saturday morning, Oliver was still difficult to beat,' Tanak said. Tanak had ended Saturday in second place, 21 seconds behind Solberg, his gap could have been smaller if not for a costly stall after clipping a chicane bale on the opening stage, which caused him to lose around seven seconds. 'I expected a challenging weekend, and I knew it would be tough to get the most out of these Estonian roads. They're super fast and have some big jumps, so you need a good balance and a perfect rhythm,' he added. 'We learnt a lot here to take to Finland. I'm happy to be going there in the championship lead, and we will see what it's like opening the road.' Rally Finland, which runs from July 31 to Aug 3, is round nine of the WRC season. Toyota, who have won every rally so far this year except for Greece, also tightened their grip on the manufacturers' race with 399 points to Hyundai's 347. REUTERS
