Solberg Survives Scare to Retain Monte-Carlo Lead on Day of Alpine Chaos

MONTE CARLO – The treacherous slopes of the French Alps lived up to their fearsome reputation on Saturday, turning Day 3 of the 2026 Rallye Monte-Carlo into a high-stakes game of survival. In a day defined by black ice, slush, and snowbanks, Toyota’s young sensation Oliver Solberg defied the odds—and physics—to maintain his lead, despite a heart-stopping off-road excursion that nearly ended his fairytale run.

The drama peaked on SS12 (La Bréole / Bellaffaire), where Solberg, pushing to defend his advantage against teammates Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier, lost the rear of his GR Yaris Rally1 on a patch of fresh snow. The car ploughed through a fence and into a field, leaving spectators breathless. In a display of raw talent and luck, Solberg kept the throttle pinned, wrestling the machine back onto the tarmac to not only survive but incredibly win the stage.

"I tell you: my god! That is the craziest stage I've ever done in my life," a shell-shocked Solberg said at the stage end. "I had ruts in my pacenotes, I was just trying to follow them and on one exit there was full snow... I was lucky. Very lucky."

While Solberg escaped, others were not so fortunate. The unforgiving conditions claimed Toyota’s Sami Pajari, who crashed out of fourth place on the morning loop after sliding wide into a snowbank and striking a tree. Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon also fell victim to the ice, sliding off the road and losing over four minutes as spectators scrambled to push his i20 N back into play, dropping him out of the top 10. Rookie Jon Armstrong continued his trial by fire, clinging to an impressive sixth overall despite a puncture and clipping a bridge on SS10.

As the sun set, the action moved to the glitter of the Principality for the SS13 Super Special Stage on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux dazzled the crowds with the fastest time, but the night belonged to Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer locks out the podium places heading into Sunday, with Solberg holding a precarious lead of just over a minute.

Sébastien Ogier, chasing a record-extending 10th Monte victory, appeared resigned to a podium finish after struggling to match the leader's pace in the slush. "Top spot is too far," the Frenchman admitted. "I didn't put on a show tonight, I think we all look ridiculous here [on slicks], but that's how it is."

Top 10 Overall Classification (After Day 3)

1. O. Solberg / E. Edmondson (Toyota) – 2:11:13.1
2. E. Evans / S. Martin (Toyota) +1:04.7
3. S. Ogier / V. Landais (Toyota) +1:31.3
4. A. Fourmaux / A. Coria (Hyundai) +6:13.8
5. T. Neuville / M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai) +7:29.5
6. J. Armstrong / S. Byrne (M-Sport Ford) +10:06.1
7. L. Rossel / G. Mercoiret (Citroën - WRC2) +11:01.8
8. G. Munster / L. Louka (M-Sport Ford) +11:24.8
9. T. Katsuta / A. Johnston (Toyota) +11:47.1
10. R. Daprà / L. Guglielmetti (Skoda - WRC2) +12:29.5

Sunday Preview: The Col de Turini Awaits
The final day promises a sting in the tail with four stages covering 71.90km. Crews will face two loops of Col de Braus and the legendary La Bollène-Vésubie / Moulinet, which crosses the iconic Col de Turini. With ice reported on the pass, the Power Stage offers one last chance for heartbreak or glory. Solberg stands on the brink of a career-defining victory, but in Monte Carlo, the rally isn't over until the engines are silenced in the harbor.

Report: Neil McDaid 

Toyota Gazoo Racing Ignites the 2026 ARA Championship

 

The sleeping giant has awakened, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) has officially entered the 2026 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship, ending years of speculation and setting the stage for a titanic manufacturer war with Subaru..

Leading the charge is American phenom Seth Quintero. Transitioning from his dominant tenure in Dakar and T3 lightweight prototypes, Quintero brings a "maximum attack" philosophy to the cockpit. Beside him sits veteran Finnish co-driver Topi Luhtinen, whose clinical European experience and "ice-in-the-veins" delivery are designed to temper Quintero’s raw desert-bred speed with the discipline required for technical forest stages.

The weapon of choice is a specially homologated Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Optimized for the high-speed gravel sweeps of the Pacific Northwest and the punishing bedrock of the Ozarks, the car features a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine paired with a sophisticated five-speed sequential gearbox. While its footprint is smaller than the competition, its nimble chassis and TGR’s world-class dampers make it a surgical instrument on tight, technical stages.

The path to the podium, however, is blocked by the gold standard of American rallying: Travis Pastrana and the Vermont SportsCar Subaru powerhouse. Quintero faces a steep learning curve; while he possesses world-class car control, he must now battle Pastrana’s decades of "reading" the changing grip levels of North American forests. The Subaru WRX remains a refined beast, and Pastrana’s psychological edge in the ARA is immense. For TGR, the 2026 season isn't just a debut; it is a high-stakes baptism by fire against an icon who knows every crest and jump on the calendar. The battle for North American supremacy will open on round 2 of the ARA Championship, 100AW in March. 

Report: Neil McDaid 

The Digital Maverick’s Destiny: Jon Armstrong and the Great Irish Ascent to Rally1

 

For twenty years, I have stood in the mud-soaked ditches of the Donegal hills and the frozen passes of the Col de Turini, waiting for that one specific sound: the engine note of a driver who refuses to lift. I have chronicled the era of Loeb, the reign of Ogier, and the tragic, soaring spirit of the late Craig Breen. But today, standing in the service park on the eve of the 2026 WRC season, I am witnessing something that defies the modern laws of motorsport. Jon Armstrong, the Fermanagh man who was once written off as a "gamer" without a budget, has officially taken his seat as a factory driver for M-Sport Ford in the brutal Rally1 category.

Armstrong’s rise is not merely a career—it is a resurrection. A decade ago, he was a precocious talent lighting up the British Rally Championship, but the brutal, cold reality of motorsport finance hit him like a concrete wall. By 2017, the funding dried up, and the helmet was nearly hung up for good. Yet, where others would have drifted into the "what could have been" category, Armstrong pivoted. He conquered the virtual world, winning the 2018 WRC eSports Championship, using a gaming wheel to prove his "pixel-perfect" precision was a match for anyone on Earth.

That digital detour was the spark that reignited a fire in Cumbria. Malcolm Wilson, a man with a legendary eye for raw talent, saw the steel in Armstrong’s eyes. The road back was paved with grit and "shoestring budgets," fighting through the Junior WRC trenches. However, his 2025 campaign in the European Rally Championship (ERC) served as the final ultimatum to the WRC establishment. Finishing as the 2025 ERC Runner-up with dominant victories in Croatia and Wales, Armstrong made it "impossible to ignore" him for the top flight.

This monumental leap for 2026 is bolstered by a historic partnership. Motorsport Ireland has stepped up with an expanded collaboration, providing the crucial backing that allows Armstrong to join fellow academy driver Josh McErlean in an all-Irish factory assault. Crucial, too, has been a steadying force off the stages. Armstrong’s partner, Hollie McRae—daughter of the immortal Colin McRae—has been a constant presence in his corner. In a touching tribute to the 1995 World Champion, Armstrong will run the #95 on his Puma Rally1, a "hat tip" to a legacy of "flat-out" bravery that continues to inspire his journey.

The Machine and the Man: A Decade of Evolution

Armstrong has tamed a diverse stable of machinery to reach the pinnacle:

• Ford Fiesta R2/Rally4: Where he learned the art of momentum in the British woods.
• Ford Fiesta Rally3: The tool used to dominate and win the 2023 ERC3 Championship.
• Ford Fiesta Rally2: His "giant-killer" for the 2024–2025 ERC seasons.
• Ford Puma Rally1 (2026): The 500hp hybrid beast he now wields as a full-time factory professional.

The Tally of a Tenacious Talent

Accomplishments:

• 2026: Secured full-season factory WRC Rally1 seat with M-Sport Ford.
• 2025: ERC Runner-up with overall victories at Rali Ceredigion and Rally Croatia.
• 2023: ERC3 Champion, proving his dominance in 4WD machinery.
• 2021 & 2022: Two-time Junior WRC Runner-up.
• 2018: WRC eSports World Champion, bridging the gap from sim to reality.

Struggles:

• Funding Crises: Nearly forced into retirement in 2017 due to a total lack of commercial backing.
• Budgetary Warfare: Years spent competing on a fraction of rivals' budgets with minimal testing.
• Junior Heartbreak: Twice missing the Junior WRC title by agonizingly slim margins.

Photos: Motorsport Ireland, Neil McDaid 

Toyota Blitz in Gap: 2026 WRC Season Ignites at Monte Carlo Shakedown

The 2026 World Rally Championship season erupted into life on the dry, sun-drenched asphalt of the 

Gap

 hills on Wednesday afternoon, January 21, 2026. While the pristine blue skies offered a momentary respite, they did nothing to mask the underlying tension of a 14-round championship reaching its Rally1 crescendo.

The story of the 4.25 km shakedown was a clinical display of dominance by Toyota Gazoo Racing, which secured a staggering lockout of the top five positions. Takamoto Katsuta stunned the service park by setting a blistering 2:31.8 on his very first run—a benchmark that remained untouched for the rest of the three-hour session.

However, the drama wasn’t confined to the timesheets. Hyundai Shell Mobis suffered a nightmare start to their campaign. Thierry Neuville, the 2024 world champion, saw his session end prematurely when he ripped a front right wheel off his i20 N during his second run, leaving him buried in 14th place. Teammate Hayden Paddon, making a high-profile return to the WRC, also endured a "moment" at the bridge, stalling and shedding aerodynamic components early on.

Top 5 Shakedown Results

Rank	Driver	Car	Time
1	Takamoto Katsuta	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:31.8
2	Sébastien Ogier	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:33.1
3	Oliver Solberg	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:34.4
4	Elfyn Evans	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:35.0
5	Sami Pajari	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:35.1

Voices from the Service Park

• Takamoto Katsuta (1st): "New season, fresh mind... I will try everything I can to do things in a bit more of a clever way than last year. I'm happy and really confident".
• Sébastien Ogier (2nd): "Happy to be here like always. Monte Carlo is a special place. Sunshine today [but] may be the last of the week".
• Oliver Solberg (3rd): "It is incredible, it is a dream come true. I’m so excited to start. I was a bit nervous... but all good".
• Hayden Paddon (10th): "It was just a small moment... This is going to be a tough rally and we are in the deep end".
• Jon Armstrong (7th): "My nerves are not too bad but obviously it is a tricky rally to start with... a lot of new pace notes".

Report: Neil McDaid