Drivers, riders teams & cars show how it is done While Dakar 2020 will ultimately be remembered for Carlos Sainz senior winning his third race in a third different make of car, Ricky Brabec taking his first bike win and Honda’s first since 1989 and also for the loss of the life of Dakar motorcycle […]
“Everything is well and prepared, looking forward to regaining ground.” That was the first message Alonso sent by ‘Instagram’ after completing the tenth stage with that turnaround that made him lose several pieces of his car and more than an hour. But he took it with philosophy, as evidenced by his smiling pose next to the Toyota. The same one […]
Honda’s Ricky Brabec has won the Dakar Rally for the first time while Toby Price claimed a fifth podium in six attempts. Brabec’s margin of victory in the Bikes class is 16:26s after he finished second to Monster Energy Honda team-mate Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo on Stage 12 from Haradh to Qiddiya. The event leader […]
Carlos Sainz has secured this third Dakar Rally victory in the 2020 edition of the event, held in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever.Two-time world rally champion Sainz, father of McLaren Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr, finished 6m21s clear of reigning champion Nasser Al-Attiyah after 12 stages. Representing X-raid Mini in this […]
M-SPORT FORD’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT ESAPEKKA LAPPI AND TEEMU SUNINEN WILL SPEARHEAD ITS 2020 WRC ASSAULT BRINGS BACK FOND MEMORIES OF PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF FINNS IN FORDS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE COMPETITION. In the WRC’s first season, Ford’s Finns were winning immediately with Timo Mäkinen taking victory at home in the 1000 Lakes Rally and […]
FIVE-TIME WORLD RALLY WINNER KRIS MEEKE HAS ADMITTED HE REMAINS IN CONTACT WITH TOYOTA GAZOO RACING ABOUT A YARIS WRC RETURN THIS SEASON. The Northern Irishman lost his full-time seat for 2020 but says there’s still a chance he could be back in action at some point this year. He said: “I’m still in talks […]
Quintanilla built up a one-minute advantage in the early part of the 379km Shubaytah-Haradh test, but was chased down rapidly by KTM rider Matthias Walkner, who assumed a narrow one-second lead at the 324km way point. But the Chilean rider fought back in the final stretch to the finish line, taking the stage victory by […]
Stephane Peterhansel snatched a dramatic 11th stage of the Dakar Rally on Thursday when he pipped Nasser Al-Attiyah to the line by just 10 seconds.Frenchman Peterhansel won his fourth stage of this year’s race in his Mini ahead of Toyota’s Al-Attiyah in Haradh, and finished more than eight minutes ahead of overall leader and teammate […]
Extreme action all round with a day to go Dakar Saudi Arabia delivered another scintillating penultimate day of racing to see the lead battles tighten up following the closest of finishes in both the car and bike races on Thursday. Stephane Peterhansel beat Nasser Al Attiyah to win the car race by just ten seconds, […]
Sainz, Brabec in control after shortened stage Dakar 2020 has started to deliver its much-feared sting in the tail following a shortened stage 10 on Thursday that still delivered drama and then some on the road to Shubaytah. While the competitive stage was shortened to 223 of its intended 540km after gale force Arabian Desert […]
Honda rider Joan Barreda led Ricky Brabec in Stage 10 of the Dakar Rally, which was shortened due to weather conditions.The route from Haradh to Shubaytah was going to be 534 kilometres, but the competitive part of the stage ended at 345km due to strong wind, and the rest of the stage was neutralised. As […]
X-raid Mini driver Carlos Sainz has taken a commanding lead in the 2020 edition of the Dakar Rally after topping the 10th stage, which was suspended before the halfway point. The Haradh – Shubaytah test was due to feature 534 kilometres of timed competition in the Rub’ Al Khali desert, but worsening weather conditions forced […]
Nine-time FIA World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena are back for their second season with Hyundai Motorsport, sharing the third car together with Daniel Sordo. Loeb is WRC’s most decorated and revered driver, he has amassed nine championship titles in an illustrious career over the past two decades. He made his WRC debut in 1999 at […]
Calderon signs a deal with the Drago Corse team for the 2020 Super Formula season, switching from Formula 2. Tatiana Calderon will become the first woman to race in the Japanese Super Formula championship after announcing her move into the series for the 2020 season. Calderon, 26, will race for the Honda-powered Drago Corse with […]
Porsche motorsport chief Fritz Enzinger has conceded he was “sceptical at first” about the possible success of Formula E, but says it was “love at second sight” following the German manufacturer’s entry to the series. Porsche made its Formula E debut at the 2019-20 season opener in Saudi Arabia in November, recording a podium finish […]
ge 10 was undoubtedly the most eventful of the 2020 Dakar. After a number of crashes, the event was brought to a standstill after 345km. According to our sources on the ground, the total of six evacuation helicopters are all occupied and the organisers can’t risk another accident happening. Weather conditions are also deteriorating. Roman […]
Dakar 2020 is developing into an absolute epic — not only did Mini star Stephane Peterhansel’s Mini buggy beat Toyota’s Nasser Al Attiyah to a sensational Day 9 win by all of 15 seconds, but Al Attiyah closed to just 24 seconds behind Carlos Sainz Sr.’s second Mini buggy at the top of the overall […]
BY GRAHAM KOZAK Packing a V4, independent front suspension and monocoque construction, the Lambda was a revolution. One of the most gratifying aspects of the classic car hobby is, at least for me, how my appreciation for different marques and eras only broadens with time. Experience and exposure enable you to pick up on nuances […]
Italian Botturi retains reduced motorcycle lead over Ullesvalseter into Chami T4 leaders Bouwens, Boerboom and Driesmans head Martin duo in car and truck section Aussie rider Matt Sutherland and French driver Patrick Martin won their respective motorcycle and car categories on the sixth stage of the 12th Africa Eco Race (Monaco-Dakar) between Arzmeila and Chami […]
DAKAR RALLY 2020 Saudi Arabia Stage 9 from Wadi Al Dawasir to Haradh Tuesday, January 14th 2020 13:45 Quintanilla wins in Haradh Pablo Quintanilla has enjoyed his best stage since the start of the rally to win the special with a lead of almost two minutes over Toby Price. As a result, he continues to […]
When Michael Schumacher crossed the finishing line first at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix, we knew we had seen one of the last victories of a tremendous career. Just two rounds of the season remained, and Schumacher had already announced he would leave F1 at the end of the year. His eventual return to F1 with […]
The three frontrunners of the 2020 marathon benefitted from an advantageous position in the running order for the 476km Wadi ad-Dawasir – Haradh stage, following their respective low-key finishes on Monday. But whereas Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah took full advantage, clocking in first and second at nearly every waypoint, Sainz suffered a costly five-minute loss shortly […]
Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso recorded his best result of the Dakar Rally on Monday, finishing second behind Frenchman Mathieu Serradori on stage eight.The stage was shrouded in mourning after the death on Sunday of Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves. The motorbike and quadbike categories were cancelled for the stage, a 477km loop incorporating […]
Former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore says he is a fan of Max Verstappen but admit the Dutchman must “learn to keep his mouth shut” if he is to become one of the sports elite. Verstappen is never too far from the headlines and, when accusations of Ferrari using illegal practices to increase output from their power unit, it […]
The 2020 Dakar Rally continued its relentless journey across Saudi Arabia on Stage 8 of the classic desert race. Leads came and went as competitors were forced to navigate a series of dunes amid spectacular scenery. It was another pulsating day of action in the car race with the leading trio even closer together after Stage […]
Racing from Wadi Al Dawasir to Wadi Al Dawasir over 477ms of dunes and canyons, double F1 World Champion Alonso, competing in his first-ever Dakar, set the pace.The Spaniard, driving a Toyota Hilux, was sitting top of the pile at the end of the stage with only Serradori still in the hunt. The Frenchman took […]
Toyota claims its Hilux 4×4 “can’t compete” with the X-raid-built Mini John Cooper Works Buggy on the Dakar Rally and that a rule change is needed to level the playing field between the two cars. At the halfway point of the first-ever Saudi Arabia-based edition of the legendary rally-raid, X-raid Mini driver Carlos Sainz Sr […]
Citroën Racing is to continue competing in the FIA World Rally Championship in association with its leading C3 R5 customers, beginning with this month’s Rallye Monte-Carlo and concluding in November in Japan after taking in many of the WRC’s classic fixtures. This stepped up programme with the C3 R5 will see development of the car […]
First win for SA team as lead fight tightens Standalone South African race car maker Century scored an upset at Dakar 2020 Saudi Arabia when Frenchman Mattieu Serradori stormed to a convincing maiden stage win for the team over double world Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and the might of Toyota and BMW-Mini aboard the […]
Goncalves, 40, was contesting his 13th Dakar for Indian manufacturer Hero, and was lying 46th overall as the rally resumed following Saturday’s rest day. During Sunday’s 546km Riyadh-Wadi Al Dawasir test, the Portuguese rider suffered a crash at the 276km mark at 10.16am local time. Fernando Alonso, the two-time Formula 1 world champion who is […]
Portuguese motorbike rider Paulo Goncalves has died after a crash during the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. The 40-year-old suffered the fatal accident after 276 kilometres (171 miles) of the seventh stage. A statement from organisers said he was pronounced dead in hospital having earlier been found unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest. “The entire […]
Another strong day for Dakar Nissan crews Red-Lined Motoring Adventures enjoyed another good day on the desert in Sunday’s longest 546km stage of Dakar Saudi Arabia 2020 from Riyadh along a varied route to Wadi Al Dawasir. The team’s two Nismo-V8-powered Navara V8s powered home to see both cars climbing up the overall order as […]
But Dakar is marred by a tragic news The 2020 Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia has been rocked by the tragic news that Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall sustained 276 kilometres into today’s special stage. The organisers received an alert at 10:08 and dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the […]
World’s toughest race gets to halfway mark Dakar 2020 reached its halfway point as the epic race stormed into Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh Friday evening, ahead of the traditional rest day there on Saturday as Carlos Sainz followed Mini teammate Stephane Peterhansel home to consolidate his overall car lead and Ricky Brabec extended his overall […]
M-SPORT FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM UNVEILED AN EYE-CATCHING NEW LIVERY FOR ITS 2020 FIESTA WORLD RALLY CAR AT THE AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL SHOW IN BIRMINGHAM ON THURSDAY MORNING. A largely white design carries highlights of blue and green to represent the team’s close partnership with Ford, as well as increased support from Castrol. The Fiesta won […]
Stephane Peterhansel took his second stage win of the Dakar Rally on Friday, completing the desert run from Ha’il to the Saudi capital of Riyadh 1m35s ahead of JCW X-Raid Mini teammate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard retains a solid lead in the overall standings, however, 7m48s ahead of Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, who finished third […]
DAKAR RALLY 2020 Stage 6 from Ha’il to Riyadh Friday, January 10th 2020 Cars at the start 78 12:51 Alonso is battling well Fernando Alonso has been rather efficient on this 6th stage. The Spaniard is only 4 minutes behind Stéphane Peterhansel after 265 km of the special! 12:36 Peterhansel regains the lead Stéphane Peterhansel […]
Reigning Formula One world champion has asked his followers to consider what they are doing to impact the world after expressing his ‘devastation’ at the Australian bushfires Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has donated $500,000 (£382,000) towards the relief efforts fighting the Australian bushfires, and has urged his fans to “think about the impact we are […]
Ken Block will be driving in an all electric Odyssey Extreme E E-Suv at the Dakar Rally on Friday 17 January at the opening of the Grand Prix of Qiddiya, joining together with future alternative of E-Bikes, E-Trucks and hybrid cars. Ken Block was invited by Extreme E to enter the last 20 kilometres of the […]
Østberg and co-driver Torstein Eriksen finished second in WRC 2 Pro last year behind runaway winner Kalle Rovanperä. They return in a car run by PH Sport with backing from Citroën Racing. They will tackle eight rounds, beginning with the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo (23 – 26 January). Their programme also includes Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Finland, […]