WRC

MINI Countryman WRC Caught Testing in Portugal [video]

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MINI Countryman WRC Caught Testing in Portugal [video]
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Last week we reported that MINI’s new Countryman WRC had completed its initial shakedown, and now we’ve got a trio of videos to prove it. The Prodrive-developed WRC car has been testing out in Portugal with Markko Märtin behind the wheel. As we mentioned before, the aerodynamics seen on the MINI Countryman WRC currently won’t… Continue Reading...

MINI Countryman WRC: A First Look at MINI’s Rally Car as Prodrive Completes Shakedown

MINI Countryman WRC: A First Look at MINI’s Rally Car as Prodrive Completes Shakedown
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MINI‘s new Countryman WRC car has just completed its initial “shakedown” by Prodrive, the incredibly successful motorsports company that is building the rally car. More importantly, however, we’ve been provided with the first glimpse at the rally version of the MINI crossover, with a massive rear spoiler, big off-road tires and a significantly lowered suspension…. Continue Reading...

Saab Mulling WRC Entry After Decades-Long Absence from Rally Series

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Saab Mulling WRC Entry After Decades-Long Absence from Rally Series
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Saab is reportedly considering a return to the World Rally Championship. News of this exciting development comes after executives at Saab’s new parent company (Dutch sports car maker Spyker) recently met with WRC bosses in private. Not having competed in the world’s premiere rally car series since 1979, the Swedish automaker is believed to be… Continue Reading...

Rumor: Ken Block Edition Ford Fiesta In The Works, Sideways Hat Not Included

Rumor: Ken Block Edition Ford Fiesta In The Works, Sideways Hat Not Included
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Now that Ford has wrestled Ken Block away from the clutches of Subaru, the company is looking to leverage their alliance with the internet superstar beyond their collaboration with the new Fiesta and the upcoming rally car based off the compact hatchback. In an interview with radio station KROQ, Block was asked about a special… Continue Reading...

MINI to Compete in 2011 WRC Series With Prodrive-Built Countryman

MINI to Compete in 2011 WRC Series With Prodrive-Built Countryman
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MINI has officially announced that it will enter the World Rally Championship (WRC) next year, teaming up with Prodrive and running a Countryman crossover. The MINI Countryman WRC is being developed by the legendary Prodrive race team (which helped Subaru win six championships) to run part of the 2011 season as it prepares for a… Continue Reading...

Citroen’s Ten Best Big-Air WRC Images

Citroen’s Ten Best Big-Air WRC Images
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To build hype for the upcoming Rally Finland, reigning WRC Champions Citroen have released ten of their best “big-air” photos from this year’s rallies in Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. Having attended a few rallies ourselves, we know a thing or two about getting big air in a car, and we like it. The… Continue Reading...

MINI to Announce WRC Entry This Week

MINI to Announce WRC Entry This Week
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Rumors that MINI will enter the World Rally Championship have been swirling for almost a year now, but that could all end later this week. According to the most recent reports, MINI will confirm its intentions to join the WRC series later this week with renowned British racing firm Prodrive set to take over operations… Continue Reading...

Why it Took Subaru So Long to Bring Back the WRX STI Sedan [video]

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According to a recent report by Car & Driver, the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI sedan is three years late to the party for a number of reasons. Initially, Subaru decided to focus its efforts on the hatchback body style for the current generation STI because of advantages this body shape would provide their WRC… Continue Reading...

Toyota To Display Rally Cars At Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Toyota To Display Rally Cars At Goodwood Festival Of Speed
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Despite Toyota‘s lack of results in Formula 1 racing, the Japanese automaker has had considerable success in rally racing. With their TTE performance division having significant ties to Europe, Toyota is planning to show off some of their important rally cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. The Celica ST185 and the Corolla WRC will… Continue Reading...

Toyota Linked to Prodrive for 2011 World Rally Championship Team

Toyota Linked to Prodrive for 2011 World Rally Championship Team
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Toyota appears set to return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) next year after an absence from the sport of over a decade. Last week we reported on Toyota’s fact-finding missions at several WRC races, and now the Japanese automaker has been linked to Prodrive – a motorsports company that helped Subaru rise to fame… Continue Reading...

Toyota Delegation Spotted At Rally De Portugal, But No Further Plans Announced

Toyota Delegation Spotted At Rally De Portugal, But No Further Plans Announced
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After being kicked out of the WRC for cheating, and then coming back to win the championship in 1999, it’s safe to say that Toyota has had an interesting history with the World Rally Championship. Whatever you think of the team, their white and green Castrol livery is still one of the most iconic examples… Continue Reading...

MINI Countryman to Compete in WRC in 2012?

MINI Countryman to Compete in WRC in 2012?
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MINI is set to join the World Rally Championship in 2012, competing with the new Countryman crossover. Rumors to this extent swirled just ahead of the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year where the Countryman was unveiled, but nothing ever came of it. The MINI fans at MotoringFile say the project is still in the… Continue Reading...

WRC Hero Mikko Hirvonen Takes Ford Focus RS500 For A Spin (Videos After The Jump)

WRC Hero Mikko Hirvonen Takes Ford Focus RS500 For A Spin (Videos After The Jump)
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Mikko Hirvonen has done an admirable job in WRC. Despite never winning a championship, Hirvonen has stepped into the shoes of legendary driver Marcus Gronholm as Ford’s new factory driver, regularly battling the reigning champion, Sebastian Loeb. When Hirvonen isn’t flinging the Ford Focus WRC car through various rally stages, he can be found driving… Continue Reading...

Toyota Has No Intention Of Returning To Formula 1, Will Stick With Turning Left

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Toyota Has No Intention Of Returning To Formula 1, Will Stick With Turning Left
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Toyota announced that they have no intention of returning to Formula 1, labeling the sport as “elitist” and a bad fit with the company’s customer base. The sour grapes come from Tadashi Yamashina, the head of Toyota’s international racing program. Yamashina said that the company would focus on “grassroots” motorsports like Nascar and endurance racing such… Continue Reading...

How To Distract A Rally Driver, Braveheart Style

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Rally driving requires serious concentration on both the part of the driver and co-driver. If the co-driver reads stage notes wrong, or a driver doesn’t react quickly, a crash and possible rollover is almost a given. Many seasoned rally drivers have trained themselves to ignore the spectators along the sides of the stage, but one… Continue Reading...

Subaru Returns to WRC With Announcement of WRX STI Spec C Homolgation

Subaru Returns to WRC With Announcement of WRX STI Spec C Homolgation
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Several months ago Subaru announced a more hard-core WRX STI Spec C model exclusively for Japan and now the reason for that car has become clear. With just 900 units being offered, that is just enough to qualify for Group N (production car) homologation set by the FIA for such series as the World Rally… Continue Reading...

Video: Racing in Super Slow Motion II Compilation Released

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Going by the name of Mattzel (or FONESupports), his videos have become a YouTube phenomenon. That being said, we couldn’t resist the urge to post up his latest motorsports-related work – a compilation of slowed down clips from some of the world’s premiere racing series including: Formula One, NASCAR, ALMS, WRC and there’s even some… Continue Reading...

Report: Subaru Stunt Driver Ken Block Headed to WRC in a Ford

Report: Subaru Stunt Driver Ken Block Headed to WRC in a Ford
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American stunt driver and Subaru USA Rally America driver Ken Block (left) is close to getting the call to the big leagues. AutoSport is reporting that Block is close to a deal with Ford that would seem him driving in the World Rally Championship (WRC), the world’s premiere rally car racing series. The deal will… Continue Reading...

Report: Porsche Panamera Bests Cadillac CTS-V with New Nürburgring Record

Report: Porsche Panamera Bests Cadillac CTS-V with New Nürburgring Record
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Porsche might not be in the running for the title of the fastest sports car on the famed Nürburgring, but it can now claim the fastest lap by a sedan. According to a report in German auto pub Auto Sport, the four-door Panamera recently flew through the Green Hell in a time of just 7:56… Continue Reading...

Subaru Building Legacy Race Car to Compete in Japan’s Super GT Series

Subaru Building Legacy Race Car to Compete in Japan’s Super GT Series
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Is this the face of a race car? Subaru certainly thinks so. The latest rumors indicate that the automaker intends to enter a version of its new 2010 Legacy model (launched at the New York Auto Show this year) into Japan’s top-level Super GT series. The car will no doubt receive numerous modifications, but engine… Continue Reading...

800 Horsepower Ford Fiesta to Take On Pikes Peak

800 Horsepower Ford Fiesta to Take On Pikes Peak
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In an attempt to drum-up interest in the launch of the Fiesta in North America, Ford is putting on a serious publicity stunt by running two 800 horsepower versions of the economy car in the legendary Pikes Peak race. Ford is eager to appeal not just to econonomically-minded individuals with the Fiesta sub-compact, but also… Continue Reading...

Suzuki Planning Return to WRC for 2011

Suzuki Planning Return to WRC for 2011
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Suzuki WRC fans have something to cheer about for the first time in four months. Yes, it’s been that long since the Japanese automaker announced it would with draw from the World Rally Championship, but now it seems they may already be planning a return. RallyBuzz is reporting that Urmo Aava, who raced five seasons… Continue Reading...

New WRC Rules Mean No More Turbos

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New WRC Rules Mean No More Turbos
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Subaru recently announced it would not compete in the 2009 WRC Series due to economic concersn, however, new “no turbo” rules for 2011 would most likely have seen the Japanese automaker pull out anyway. The World Rally Championship’s governing body, the FIA World Motor Sport Council has just confirmed that as of 2011 competing vehicles… Continue Reading...

Subaru Pulls out of World Rally Championship (WRC)

Subaru Pulls out of World Rally Championship (WRC)
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Not two weeks after the final race of the 2008 season, Subaru has made the surprise move to withdraw from the 2009 World Rally Championship. The move follows a similar announcement the day before by Suzuki. For the past 20 years the Subaru WRC team, under the direction of Prodrive, has won six WRC Championship… Continue Reading...
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