Meeke and Toyota Set to Ignite the 2026 Donegal International Rally

Kris Meeke at the 2008 Donegal Rally. 

Letterkenny, Ireland: Kris Meeke is making a triumphant return to the pointy end of stage rally in Ireland after an 18-year hiatus. Ironically, his last outing was in Donegal in 2008. Now, he’s back and set to compete in the Wilton Recycling 2026 Donegal International Rally.

The five-time World Rally Championship race winner is returning to the pinnacle of Irish asphalt rallying. This isn’t just any entry; it’s Toyota Gazoo Racing landing on Irish soil with a factory-backed developmental car. They’ve now deployed Meeke and co-driver Liam Regan in the potent GR Yaris Rally2.

Exclusive photo, of Kris Meeke testing in Donegal this week, Photo David McDaid.

With Meeke’s entry, defending champion Callum Devine will see some unexpected competition that this will surely test the might of the Derry man! .

Fresh off a masterclass victory at the Rally of the Lakes, Devine arrives in Letterkenny focused and ready to attack the Donegal stages. He’s won this event three times consecutively (2023, 2024, 2025). A fourth consecutive win wouldn’t just be another trophy; it would break the record books and elevate him to a league of his own. The “King of the Hills” knows these roads like the back of his hand, but the pressure of the “four-peat” is a formidable challenge for his co-driver.

We also have it on good authority that WRC driver Josh McErlean is also on the entry list for the Donegal. He’ll pilot a fresh new RALLY2 Fiesta, adding to the excitement building in Donegal.

McErlean is currently honing his skills in the WRC’s top tier with M-Sport’s Puma Rally1. This means he’s accustomed to speeds that are ideal for Donegal’s high-speed classic stages. While the Fiesta Rally2 may not be as advanced as the latest Yaris or Fabia RS, M-Sport’s legendary tarmac setups should allow Josh to maintain a podium finish. Malcolm Wilson’s decision to place a WRC-sharp driver like McErlean in a works-prepped Fiesta is a bold move aimed at disrupting the Irish Tarmac Championship.

Although the entry list is not yet public, its expected we will see a highly ranked entry for Irelands most poplular motorsports event. 

• Meirion Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): The Welshman has made Ireland his home and playground. He secured a strong second place to Devine in 2025 and has already demonstrated the Yaris’s capability on these challenging bumps. He’s overdue for a significant victory.
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• David Kelly (VW Polo GTi R5/Skoda): The local boy has transcended the “talent to watch” status and has become a proven winner. Earlier this year, he clinched a dramatic Circuit of Ireland victory by a mere 0.5 seconds, boosting his confidence significantly. He’s intimately familiar with the Gweedore terrain.
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• Josh Moffett (Citroen C3 Rally2): The 2022 winner never fails to make an impact. While the spotlight is often on the flashy new entries, Moffett’s consistent performance often emerges as the hero when the top contenders encounter difficulties.
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Devine possesses the rhythm, Meeke boasts the raw speed, and McErlean brings the WRC sharpness. However, Donegal rewards the brave, not just the fast. Meeke and Toyota are poised to ignite Donegal, adding to the excitement of the most popular rally on the island. 

Report: Neil McDaid 

Photos: David McDaid / Neil McDaid 

The Master’s Touch: Ogier Orchestrates a Toyota Symphony at the 2026 WRC Canaries

 

Gran Canaria: If you wanted to know why Sébastien Ogier remains the benchmark by which all other rally drivers are measured, you only had to look at his eyes at the stop line of the Moya – Gáldar stage. There was no frenzy. No adrenaline-fueled wide-eyed stare. Just the calm, calculated look of a man who had just dissected one of the most technical stretches of asphalt on the planet and found time where others found only fear.

For the 50th anniversary of Rally Islas Canarias, the WRC returned to the "Atlantic's Asphalt Garden," and while the volcanic backdrop was dramatic, the story was singular: Toyota Gazoo Racing is in a league of its own, and Ogier is still the captain of the ship. 

Friday: The Warning Shot 

The "Golden Edition" began not with a whimper, but with a statement. After the stadium-style theatrics of the Thursday night Super Special at the Estadio de Gran Canaria, Friday’s loop into the interior was where the real war began.The narrative coming into the weekend was about the abrasive surface—the "black gold" that eats tires for breakfast. But while others managed, Ogier attacked. He claimed four of the five stages on Friday, his GR Yaris Rally1 dancing through the dizzying climbs of Valleseco and Tejeda with a fluidity that belied the violence of the grip levels. 

Oliver Solberg, driving with a maturity that seems to grow with every event, was the only one to keep the Frenchman honest. The young Swede ended Friday just 3.8 seconds adrift, a gnat in the ear of the eight-time champion. Behind them, the gap was already yawning. Elfyn Evans sat a distant third, struggling to find the rhythm in the twisty sections, while the Hyundai squad looked lost. Thierry Neuville, usually so potent on tarmac, was fighting a car that refused to turn in, ending the day over two minutes back in a despondent eighth. 

Saturday: The Pressure Cooker

Saturday was supposed to be the day the tires gave up. The Moya – Gáldar stage, the "Queen Stage" of the rally at nearly 29km, was the litmus test.

Solberg didn't blink. He kept the pressure on Ogier, trading tenths throughout the morning loop. By the midday service, the gap had extended slightly to 8.9 seconds, but the tension was palpable. It was a heavyweight bout—the master versus the apprentice. 

Meanwhile, the battle for the final podium spot was turning into a Toyota intra-team scrimmage. 

Sami Pajari

, the young Finn promoted to the Rally1 seat, was driving the rally of his life. He leapfrogged a hesitant Takamoto Katsuta, showing incredible poise on the heated asphalt to hold fourth, eyeing Evans' third place.

For Hyundai, the nightmare continued. Local hero 

Dani Sordo

, drafted in to save face on home soil, couldn't find the magic of old. He languished in seventh, complaining of understeer that made the i20 N feel "like a boat in a bathtub". 

Sunday: Heartbreak and History

Sunday morning in the Canaries is usually a time for a leisurely café con leche. For 

Oliver Solberg

, it was a bitter shot of espresso.The drama that reshaped the rally struck on the second pass of Ingenio – Telde. 

Solberg

, pushing to close the gap to 

Ogier

, clipped a wall on a narrowing right-hander. The damage was terminal. In an instant, a career-defining fight for the win evaporated, promoting the entire Toyota train up the order. 

With 

Solberg

 out, Ogier was released. He cruised through the final Santa Lucía – Agüimes Power Stage with the window-down coolness of a Sunday driver, sealing his first victory of the 2026 season. 

But the story behind him was just as compelling. 

Solberg's

 exit confirmed a historic 1-2-3-4 lockout for Toyota Gazoo Racing. 

Elfyn Evans

 took a comfortable, if distant, second. But the cheers were loudest for 

Sami Pajari

, who claimed his maiden WRC podium in third, a result that justifies every ounce of hype surrounding him. 

Takamoto Katsuta

 brought the fourth Yaris home to complete the humiliation of the rival manufacturers. 

The WRC2 Clinic

While the Rally1 contest turned into a procession, the WRC2 category delivered the dogfight we craved. 

Yohan Rossel

 was simply untouchable. After establishing an early lead on Friday, he managed the gap to perfection, holding off a spirited charge from 

Alejandro Cachón

. Rossel’s victory was a masterclass in tire management, proving that the Citroën C3 Rally2 is still a weapon in the right hands on tarmac. 

Final Classification: Rally Islas Canarias 2026

Pos	Driver	Team	Time/Gap
1	Sébastien Ogier	Toyota Gazoo Racing	2:43:18.9
2	Elfyn Evans	Toyota Gazoo Racing	+19.9s
3	Sami Pajari	Toyota Gazoo Racing	+1:40.8s
4	Takamoto Katsuta	Toyota Gazoo Racing	+1:51.2s
5	Adrien Fourmaux	M-Sport Ford	+3:29.5s

2026 OLYMPUS RALLY, THE BATTLE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN

SHELTON, WA — You could hear the intake of breath across the service park when the news broke: Brandon Semenuk was in. After months of "will-he-won't-he" speculation, the four-time American champion made a last-minute return to the Olympus Rally, not in his familiar blue-and-gold Subaru, but in a Proworx-run Ford Fiesta Rally2. It was the ultimate "mic drop" moment for the ARA, setting the stage for a heavyweight bout against Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala."This rally was, for me, like a round of the world championship. It was a long event where things could happen and you needed to adjust your speed wonderful full stages, not unlike Rally GB in places, with some work the opportunity for WRC to be here would be great" Latvala drove the newly devloped RC2 GR Corolla "I have to say, when you haven't driven a Rally2 car for a long time, the speed feels quite high at first. It feels like with the Celica you wouldn't be able to attack the corners as hard as with a Rally2 car, great progress with only 2 rally completed"

Friday was meant to be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the final Group B WRC round here in Washington, but it quickly turned into a modern-day slugfest. With nearly 200 stage miles ahead—the longest in ARA history—nobody expected the fireworks to start so early.

Day 1: The Briefest of Battles

The script for SS1 looked like it was written in a Hollywood boardroom. Semenuk, despite having virtually zero time in the Fiesta, came out swinging. He didn't just beat Latvala on the opening stage; he thumped him by 3.4 seconds. For a moment, the Washington woods went silent—the "boss" of the WRC had been put on notice by the "king" of the ARA.

But then, the brutality of Olympus struck. On the very next test, the 18-mile monster known as Wildcat, Semenuk's challenge collapsed. An overheating rear differential turned his Ford into a front-wheel-drive passenger, costing him six minutes and any hope of a fifth consecutive Olympus win.

Latvala didn't need a second invitation. He stormed through the dust to claim the lead, but he wasn't alone. Tom Williams, driving with a clinical aggression in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, hounded the Finn all afternoon. While others fell by the wayside, Williams stayed within striking distance, ending the day as the only man truly keeping the WRC legend honest.

Retirements & Drama

• Brandon Semenuk: Sidelined from the lead battle by a rear diff failure on SS2; the battle that would not be."It’s tough. If I’m honest, I never thought I’d see my name above that name Latvala on a stage... my dream is that, even if he’d got the better of me, just having the battle [was awesome]."
• Pat Gruszka: A water pressure issue on his Hyundai i20 Rally2, Gruszka was having a great rally solidly in the top 5 over the first 2 days, he retired after the second stage on day 3, a massive blow for the Green APU team.
• Vivian Campbell: Suffered a transition issue that they decide to change out.. he had a blast regardless.. 
• Lia Block: A puncture on SS2 cost her two and a half minutes, forcing a massive recovery drive, all the way to the podium. "The final day went well. We had no issues, and we completed eight stages... The roads seem to suit my style very well... I'm just really excited for the road ahead."
• Travis Pastrana: After roll on day 2, the Subaru team would pull an all nighter to get Pastrana out to chase some power stage points. "We’re honestly just happy to make it to the finish and come away with third in class. After the rollover, the team did an incredible job getting the car back out there, and to fight back like that is huge."
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  Top 5 Overall (End of Day 1)

Pos	Driver / Co-Driver	Car
1	Jari-Matti Latvala / Tuukka Shemeikka	Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2
2	Seth Quintero / Topi Luhtinen	Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2
3	Lia Block/ Alex Gelsomino	Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2
4	Ricardo Cordero / Marco Hernandez	Citroën C3 Rally2
5	Martynas Samsonas/Ugnius Vainevicius	2007 Subaru STI

The Three-Day Notebook

Day 1: The Dust & The Diff

A high-attrition opening that saw the favorite, Semenuk, fall. Visibility was the enemy, with dust hang making the high-speed sections of Wildcat a terrifying lottery.

Day 2: The Marathon

The rally heads into the high country for over 90 competitive miles. This is where Tom Williams made his stand, refusing to let Latvala escape. The switchbacks of Spider Lake will be the judge and jury of tire management.

Day 3: The Final Sting

The rally culminates in the final sprint, but keep your eyes on the SS16 milestone. This is where Tom Williams, who had held a firm P2 behind Latvala for the entire event, saw his podium dream evaporate in a cloud of retirement. His exit paved the way for a Toyota 1-2 finish, but the leaderboard doesn't show the heart he poured into these woods.