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 

What a finish! Big power Power Stage moments - Croatia Rally 2021

Jacques Villeneuve Frustrated After His First FIA World RallyCross

Montalegre, Portugal — Sunday 4 May, 2014; Albatec Racing was forced to miss its place in the semi finals in the opening round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy today, after fire damage sustained to the Peugeot 208 of Andy Scott in heat four brought his hopes to an end. Series debutant, former F1 and Indycar World Champion Jacques Villeneuve also had his chances of progressing halted prematurely after he was unable to take to the grid for today’s third heat, which effectively dropped him out of contention.

The Dumfries-based team worked into the early hours to iron out the issues that had affected both two-litre 16v cars yesterday, and the result was a return to pace by Jacques in this morning’s warm-up session. Unfortunately a steering issue just before the session started meant Andy was unable to take to the track.

Ahead of heat three though, a water leak was discovered on Jacques’ car leaving him and the team understandably frustrated, although the French Canadian bounced back in the fourth heat with a strong drive in front of the enthusiastic crowd. It wasn’t enough to see him progress through to the final, but nevertheless he proved more than a match for the established runners.

With the steering problem now rectified on Andy’s car, he headed out to the grid for heat three but was forced to joker twice, dropping him down to tenth, but an exhaust fire in the last heat effectively ended his hopes. Despite the best efforts of the team to get the car repaired and out onto the pre-grid for the six-car semi final, they were unable to keep the engine running, denying Andy the chance to start the race.




Andy Scott, Team Principal, Albatec Racing driver #26:

“I had a good reaction to the start but didn’t have the right strategy, I had too much wheel spin and no chance to challenge for position onto the main circuit, so I elected to joker. On the second lap, I was pushing hard but locked up going into the first corner, missing the turn in point and was forced to take the joker again. The second heat started well, but immediately the exhaust problem we had yesterday returned and after two laps I had to stop as the underneath of the car was on fire.”

“All the boys worked really hard to try and get the car going again after the fire damage but we simply ran out of time to get into the semi final. We could get the engine running but we couldn’t keep it going and under the rules that meant we were out.  It’s not the weekend we wanted or expected, we’re now on the back foot, we planned to go away and just perfect the set-up of the car we’ve got, but now we have to go and build a new car.”

Jacques Villeneuve, Albatec Racing driver #25:

“Everything went wrong this weekend, but that’s part of racing. I’ve been racing long enough to know that nine times out of ten you get hacked off, but then you have that one special day when it makes you forget about the other nine times. It’s been a hard weekend for everyone, the car was late, we didn’t have enough people working on the cars due to things outside of our control and the guys have had to do a couple of all nighters, so it’s turned out to be a weekend more of an appetiser than the proper start to the season.”

“Coming here from Indy I was really hoping to have a good result here and go back ready for the Indy500 pumped up, but that hasn’t happened which leaves me a little frustrated.  It’s left me hungry, it didn’t really give me a taste of real rallycross as we had too many issues, so it took the fun away, but the little testing we did have gave me a better outlook of what it should feel like so I’m not going to take this weekend as an example. We’ll have more time to prepare before the next time.”

Global Rallycross Confirms 2013 Schedule Featuring International Expansion

Los Angeles, Calif. (June 11, 2013) Global Rallycross (GRC) confirms its 2013 schedule will total nine rounds including races on three different continents in conjunction with Global X Games events in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), Barcelona (Spain) and Munich (Germany). As one of the fastest growing forms of motorsport, rallycross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. The series is made up of four Global X Games events and five GRC events to total nine rounds that will culminate in the crowning of both a driver’s champion and manufacturer’s champion. The 2013 championship features live broadcasts on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 available in over 198 countries. With more than 15 hours of primetime live content on major networks, the telecast package comprises the most expansive television coverage that the sport of rallycross has ever seen. The series’ star drivers include Ken Block, Brian Deegan, Travis Pastrana, Scott Speed and 2011 and 2012 GRC Champion Tanner Foust. The 2013 Global Rallycross schedule: April 21: GRC at X Games: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil May 19: GRC at X Games: Barcelona, Spain June 29 & 30: GRC at X Games: Munich, Germany* July 11: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon NH July 20: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol TN August 04: GRC at X Games: Irwindale Speedway, CA August 10: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta, GA September 22: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC November 07: Las Vegas, NV *Barcelona rainout makeup race on June 29 For more information: http://www.global-rallycross.com/news/press-releases/global-rallycross-confirms-2013-schedule-featuring-international-expansion/

Second Rallycross Race Added to X Games Munich A second medal race has been added to the X Games Munich competition schedule on June 29th. The race will serve as Round 2 of the Global Rallycross (GRC) season, replacing last month’s rain cancelled event in Barcelona. Round 3 will be contested on the same circuit on June 30th and each event will feature its own practice and qualifying sessions. Both events will count for full points in the GRC standings and X Games will award medals for both rounds. The weekend schedule will be as follows: SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013 2:00 - 3:00 Practice & Seeding 3:00 - 3:30 Track prep 3:30 - 5:00 Heats, LCQ, Finals SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2013 2:20 - 3:00 Practice 3:00 - 3:15 Track prep 3:15 - 4:00 Seeding 4:00 - 5:00 Track prep 5:00 - 7:00 Heats, LCQ, Finals Please tune in to ESPN and www.global-rallycross.com for full coverage and broadcast times.

BLOCK HITS ARGENTINA FOR THE FIRST TIME, FINISHES AND PULLS OFF HIS BEST STAGE PLACEMENT TO DATE.

May 30, 2011, Cordoba, Argentina – Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino headed to South America for their first visit to WRC Argentina and came away with their best-ever WRC stage finish this past weekend. Over the course of the rally, Block and Gelsomino attacked the notoriously difficult stage roads of the Argentinean country side at a promising pace, showing consistent top 10 stage finishes, until a broken driveshaft stunted their effort. Still the two pressed on, and upped the pace, eventually laying down speed on WRC Argentina’s SS17 that placed them 5th fastest, the team’s best-ever stage finish in a WRC rally.

“I’ve loved being down here for WRC Argentina. If it wasn’t for suffering yet another mechanical issue on Saturday, I would have been on pace to score my first points of the season. So, missing out on that sucks. It wasn’t all bad though, on Sunday I took 5th on-stage for SS17, which is a personal best for me in the WRC. I’m definitely stoked about that. Plus the fans are absolutely wild and the stages have been incredible.”

Following a win in the heads up format of Thursday’s opening SuperSpecial SS1, Block and Gelsomino headed out on Friday in good shape and with the intention to run a conservative, steady pace. Block’s overall goal for the rally was simply to keep it clean, have fun and cross the finish line. By the end of Leg 1 on Friday, that goal was being realized as Block found himself sitting in 9th place overnight. Saturday however, would be less kind. After Friday’s reserved pace, Block decided to step things up as he gained back his in-car confidence following an eight-week hiatus from racing. Unfortunately, on the second stage of the day, SS9, Block suffered a broken driveshaft, which eventually forced a retirement on SS11.

However, Sunday morning brought a fresh chance to restart for Block under SuperRally rules. Unfortunately, on the first stage of the day, a slight off, which caused a tire puncture, cost the two 16 minutes. Despite this though, Block went on to lay down his best WRC stage finish to date on the next stage, placing 5th, while being about 3 seconds off of stage winner, and fellow Ford teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala.

“To have Ken driving at this level after being out of the car for eight weeks and pull off a personal best for a stage finish on these roads is massive,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “He showed great poise on some very difficult stages and demonstrated great future potential for next year here in Argentina.”

The next WRC stop for MWRT will be ADAC Rally Deutschland, August 18-21. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

Sebastien Loeb Pulls a Victory Out of His Sombrero at WRC Mexico

Leon, Mexico, March 2-6^th. Sebastien Loeb claimed a fifth Rally Mexico victory on Sunday, driving Citroen's all-new DS3 World Rally Car to its maiden victory in the WRC. The triumph is Loeb and co-pilot Daniel Elena's 63rd success at world championship level, out of 140 starts in the series (that's 45 percent, if you're keeping track).

The Citroen Total Team stars began the final day of the event locked in tight battle with teammates Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who were 10.5 seconds ahead. Then in an incredible stroke of rotten luck, Ogier crashed on stage 20, allowing Loeb and Elena to move in front, where they were able to preserve their advantage for two stages until the finish in Leon.

The rally gods must have been smiling on Loeb and Elena. Though they ultimately benefited from Ogier's retirement, it wouldn't have mattered had they not fought back so brilliantly after a 50-second time penalty incurred when they were late starting stage 15 following a transmission problem.

While Ford didn't lock out the podium in Mexico, the Abu Dhabi World Rally Team did score valuable podium real estate; Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished second in their Fiesta RS WRC, with teammates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila third.

Rally Mexico began with a special ceremonial street stage through the city of Guanajuato on Thursday night. By the end of SS1, Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson had a slender lead of two-tenths of a second heading to Friday's first gravel stage.

The 2003 world champion was fastest on the stage in his Petter Solberg World Rally Team Citroen DS3 WRC, emerging through the short tricky city course in a time of 53.2 seconds.

Cheered on by thousands of spectators, Solberg just edged Loeb on the stage, held under the cover of darkness, despite reporting nudging a wall in the tunnel section; the damage was restricted to a scuffed tire and Solberg was able to make it to the finish line. Ogier took third fastest in his DS3, and Latvala was fourth quickest in his Fiesta RS.

American superstar driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino meanwhile had to contend mechanical gremlins with the Monster Energy Ford Fiesta RS literally just feet from the start line. An electrical issue left the car dead, forcing the pair into a situation where they were too late to start, leaving them to Superrally for Friday morning with a 10-minute penalty.

"I'm really bummed about the car leaving us stranded at the start," said Block. "Not only did we miss out on taking part in Rally Mexico's awesome opening ceremonies, the 10-minute penalty has pretty much killed our chances of a good overall finish here. And after all the work and preparation, it's tough to start off like this, but we're here and we are still looking forward to getting back out onto these amazing roads tomorrow."

After a late night three-hour service, M-Sport had Block and Gelsomino back in the rally for Friday morning.

DAY-1
Ogier completed the two runs over the Super Special Stage at Leon's race circuit with an overall lead of 2.3 seconds heading into day two of Rally Mexico. The 27-year-old Frenchman eclipsed factory Citroen teammate and countryman Loeb, with world championship leader Hirvonen, the top Ford driver, in third.

Ogier was fastest on four of the six all-gravel stages, and Loeb was fastest on two. Hirvonen spent day one cleaning the road in his Fiesta RS, indicating it had been a huge struggle to remain in contention.

Solberg was on course for completing day one in third place, but an electrical glitch on stage six cost him almost seven minutes and dropped him out of contention.

Latvala was fourth heading to the final day of the rally, albeit almost three minutes off the lead after he picked up a puncture on stage four in his Fiesta. Block returned Friday only to encounter another reported mechanical fault with his Ford.

DAY-2
Saturday closed with Ogier 11.3sec ahead of Loeb after a wild day that saw Loeb claim the overall lead for a time starting with SS11. With his advantage over Ogier increasing, Loeb prepared to line up for the start of stage 15 only for the car's gear selector pin to break, leaving the Frenchman's DS3 WRC stuck in third gear.

With the stage featuring several uphill hairpins, Loeb knew it would be impossible to complete the stage without making repairs. Although Loeb and Elena were able to fashion a temporary fix, they were five minutes late starting the stage and incurred a 50-second time penalty as a result.

Having led by 19.7sec, Loeb now trailed Ogier by 24.1sec after the 15th stage. It appeared Loeb's challenge was done until Ogier's car suffered an intermittent power loss with 3.1 miles of stage 16 left to run and dropped some five seconds.

Ogier's misfortune and Loeb's pace meant the gap was down to 10.4sec with one gravel stage remaining. But any hopes Loeb had of trimming Ogier's lead still further evaporated when he stalled on the final hairpin of stage 17 as a result of his car's handbrake not working and lost vital time.

Hirvonen in third led the Blue Oval camp, followed by Latvala, who suffered a puncture on Saturday's first test but bounced back with Ford's first stage win of the rally when he went fastest on the second Derramadero run. Block crashed out on Saturday.

DAY-3
The deciding moment of Sunday's final three stages came when Ogier left the road eight miles into the Guanajuatito morning test, damaging his DS3's front-left wheel. The off gave Loeb a Rally Mexico lead he would not relinquish.

Hirvonen also benefited from Ogier's exit to inherit second place. The result means the Finn maintains his lead in the world drivers' championship following his triumph on Rally Sweden last month. He ended the event by winning the Power Stage to secure three bonus points in his bid to become world champion for the first time.

Latvala completed the podium in his Fiesta and secured his second stage win of the rally with the fastest time on the penultimate test of the event.

Up next for the WRC is the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, March 24-27 in the city of Faro (MFL photography provided by Citroen, Ford Abu Dhabi WRT and Monster WRT).

Where are the Solberg girls? Petter reveals his 2011 WRC Livery.

With much less fanfare than the introduction of Ken Block’s 2011 WRC Fiesta, Petter Solberg unveiled his new Citroën DS3 WRC for Rally Sweden. The livery is surprisingly tame, but somewhat expected based on the struggles Petter has gone through to get to this point. The team is structured under the name “The Petter Solberg World Rally Team”, there had been some talk of Petter joining Kimi Raikkonen as team mates in the "ICE 1 Racing Team" but that seems to have gone by the wayside for at least the WRC season opener in Sweden.

“I am so ready to start this rally now, says Petter Solberg. – I felt at home behind the wheel in my new Citroën DS3 WRC from the very first moment. I’m going to fight for a podium this weekend! Yesterday he laid eyes on his rally car for the first time, and he was impressed. – It is a masterpiece, with so many small fine details. It looks so cool, also inside the cockpit. The DS3 is easy drive and has a good balance, so I’m looking forward to finally start.

22 stages and 351 competitive kilometres are waiting for the drivers. A brand new stage is presented this year, SS4 and 7 Løvhaugen, which starts in Sweden, takes the drivers to Norway, and ends back in Sweden. The final stage of the rally, SS22 Gustavsfors, will be broadcasted live on TV. The stage is the weekends Power Stage, and drivers are able to score extra points.

To finish the rally with a Power Stage is a great idea, says Petter Solberg. – If you are fastest trough, you will be awarded with 3 points, and that is important points. I think that this may give the spectators some action at the end of the rally, and prevent us from just driving safely to secure our places”.

Source: PSWRT