Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 wins the 3rd round of Finnish rally championship. The driver is Roope Korhonen, who was faster than Asunmaa and Gronholm:
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results...ri-ralli-2024/
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Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 wins the 3rd round of Finnish rally championship. The driver is Roope Korhonen, who was faster than Asunmaa and Gronholm:
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results...ri-ralli-2024/
Alejandro Cachon was 2nd on the Rally Tierras Altas de Lorca making the Spanish championship debut of the Yaris Rally2.
https://autohebdosport.com/media/xt-...C3%B3n-tc.webp
Mikko Heikkila and his new Toyota easily win Rally Cittŕ di Foligno, the first round of Italian gravel championship. Heikkila was fastest on 8 out of 9 stages:
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results...-foligno-2024/
https://rallyjournal.com/mikko-heikk...tory-in-italy/Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarek Z
Very good debut of Giandomenico Basso in his new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. He was second overall in Rally Il Ciocco, just 25 seconds behind Andrea Crugnola:
https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/8...-serchio-2024/
https://www.rallylink.it/cms23/image...img/tre/02.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GI8neuIX...jpg&name=large
"Castrol teams up with Melvyn Evans Motorsport to launch new Castrol MEM Rally Team for 2024 British Rally Championship
Rolls of Monmouth, 18 March 2024 – Castrol, a global leader in lubricants, announced today its partnership with Melvyn Evans Motorsport (MEM) UK, to form the new Castrol MEM Rally Team, that’s set to compete in the 2024 Probite British Rally Championship (BRC). The team will showcase their talent with a pair of Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars adorned in the iconic Castrol rally livery.
Meirion Evans, along with co-driver Jonathan Jackson, will pilot the first car in the UK’s premier rally series – beginning with the North West Stages this weekend (22/23 March). After strong performances in Ireland on asphalt in recent years, Meirion tried his hand at the Wyedean Stages Rally in the Forest of Dean last year and showed equally good speed on gravel. This has resulted in the Welshman stepping up to concentrate on the BRC in 2024.
The second car is slated for delivery ahead of the third round and will be driven by the 2019 FIA European rally champion Chris Ingram and co-driven by the American ace Alex Kihurani. The cars have been built by Toyota Gazoo Racing in Finland and will be maintained and run in the UK by Melvyn Evans Motorsport – a two-time BRC Teams champion.
The new Castrol MEM Rally Team paid tribute to Castrol’s rich rallying history with Toyota, displaying the ex-Carlos Sainz Castrol Toyota GT-Four ST185 owned by Nicky Grist at their launch event held at the Rolls of Monmouth country estate.
Nicola Buck, chief marketing officer, Castrol, said: “This partnership marks a thrilling chapter in our racing legacy, as we join forces with Melvyn Evans Motorsport UK to unleash the potential of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars. Racing with Castrol lubricants in an extreme rally environment demonstrates the confidence we and our customers have in delivering high performance.”
Meirion Evans said: “This opportunity is the most exciting one I've had in my career to date. For us as a team to be trusted by Toyota Gazoo Racing to bring the first Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 into the UK means a lot to us and to re-establish the iconic Castrol Toyota link and livery is phenomenal, not only for us but for rallying in this country. To have Chris [Ingram] as part of the team is fantastic. We have been friends since we were both very young, so to get the opportunity to finally work together and represent a brand like Castrol is something we are both excited for. It will be a bit of a change for me having driven a Polo for the last few years, but we will try to adapt as quickly as possible to the Yaris so that we can chase results from the outset in what is undoubtedly the strongest field the BRC has seen in over ten years.
Chris Ingram said: “It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to drive in Castrol colours in the prestigious British Rally Championship in the latest Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, prepared by the esteemed British team Melvyn Evans Motorsport. The British Rally Championship’s announcement that it will be covered by ITV will provide a huge boost to UK motorsport and our partners. To represent such an iconic brand is a huge opportunity and I am going to give it my best shot. Including my team-mate Meirion Evans, we are going to face serious competition from some of the UK and Ireland’s best drivers. No driver in history has ever won both the British Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship, so that is my ultimate ambition for the season ahead.”
Fantastic news, I didnt see that coming !
What a beautiful livery! Have a look at that! :)
https://www.facebook.com/RallyTroll/...V4AiVk7pc6PrPl
The early BRC rounds this year should see some of the highest possible number of different R5/Rally 2 models represented, I should think, given that the Proton has been rarely seen outside of the UK, other than France.
The first round at least will have:
Volkswagen Polo GTI R5, Ford Fiesta Rally2, Ford Fiesta R5, Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Škoda Fabia R5, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo, Hyundai i20 N Rally2, Hyundai i20 R5, Proton Iriz R5, Citroën C3 Rally2 & Citroën DS3 R5
The second round could additionally have the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, if Roger Hodenius and/or Jos Verstappen make it.
The BRC North West Stages has over 40 Rally2/R5 entries over the various Championships.
Updates for Fabia RS:
https://www.instagram.com/skodamotor...ruP4/?hl=en-gb
Anyone know if these have already debuted or when they will?
WRCWings @llluis555Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Development continues for the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with a new front splitter tested in the Audi wind tunnel (and tuft flow visualization on the sides of the car) & in field with Oliver Solberg on Scandinavian stages.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJIEKIxX...pg&name=medium
Other modifications under evaluation are new gear ratios (longer) and new dampers, already tested by Erik Cais in Portugal, soon to be homologated.
Nicky Grist seems happy about the new Toyota:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VTwgowV908
Just for info.. Chris Ingram won today's NW Stages Rally in the VW Polo R5 beating his MEM team-mate Osian Pryce in the Yaris Rally2 into 3rd place. (Will Creighton was 2nd in an M-Sport Fiesta).
Meirion Evans. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Got my Welshmen mixed up ! But the point was that the VW Polo R5 is still very competitive in the right hands, even versus the very latest Rally2 cars.Quote:
Originally Posted by the sniper
Nice aero ! Aerodynamics was one of the key areas of the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 development.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/cBeayL9tbmc3dXhD/
It seems Ford Fiesta Rally2 is still competitive, either. 4 Fiestas in top 5 in the third round of Irish championship:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results...2024/?s=455860
Nice! More and more Toyotas around the world! Now also two new ones in 2024 Australian Rally Championship:
https://www.toyota.com.au/news/toyot...y-championship
Tomáš Enge is testing Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 on a racing track in Czech Republic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKXBlr2k3oE
Citroen trying to improve the C3 on gravel...
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/how-c...the-skoda-gap/
Hyundai i20 Rally2 has had its upgrades homologated.
https://motorsport.hyundai.com/debut...rally-croatia/
Will any ERC entries like Paddon have them yet ?
The results in Croatia didn’t seem too promising. Let’s see if they show better in Portugal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
And now he is competing in Rallye Český Krumlov, the second round of Czech rally championship, but he is only 9th overall, with a huge time loss:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarek Z
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results...-krumlov-2024/
....and a BIG Crash on final stage (Crew ok)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarek Z
The Citroen C3 is now able to take the fight to the others on gravel says Rossel...
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/why-c...ravel-in-wrc2/
VW is quitting motorsport for good with this last adventure
https://www.diariomotor.com/competic...ierra-circulo/
how long since the Polos were last upgraded in rallying? i know brands have those "jokers" to work on each year but i dont remember reading anything regarding the Polos. are they really behind the other rally2 brands?
The last package of updates was homologated in November 2023. https://www.fia.com/sites/default/fi..._mars.2024.pdfQuote:
Originally Posted by saco0o
Official info on the C3 Rally2 upgrades, now available to customers...
https://www.media.stellantis.com/em-...op-of-the-game
New Yaris for Freddy Loix:
https://www.rallylovers.be/nb/13588/...s25I-iEkpKNsQm
Any thoughts on the side impact safety of Rally2 cars following the Ostberg / Barth crash in Italy ?
Can anything be done or is it too late and costly to fit any improvements retrospectively?
You can't do much more with Rally2 because there are limits given by the stock bodyshell. The Rally1 is better thanks to it being a prototype spaceframe design but I guess you didn't consider that when you called for Rally2 being used in the top class.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Anyway look at it from the brighter side. If this accident happened twenty years ago, it was likely fatal.
Mads' update...
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-BbHeXI...FyY251ZXJ1MDVv
Paddon development testing the i20 in Spain yesterday. It's a good job somebody is !
https://x.com/llluis555/status/1818382228549955718
Abiteboul confirms more development for the i20 Rally2 but production will be discontinued at the end of the year...
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/whats...is-rally2-car/
skoda looks to be doing so well selling R5s. toyota looks to be at the start of doing the same thing. it looks lucrative, idk why hyundai would stop doing that, but ehh, i dont have all the real details on that. no ideia what the next cycle will be, this class is just ideal
As you say, so many Rally2 cars have and are still being sold. I dont know how any new Regs could be much different to allow new cars to compete with all the current cars and vice versa.
Regarding Hyundai, it could be the finances were/are being concentrated on the Rally1 car.
I would add to the roll cage a third lateral beam running horizontally between bases of A and B pillars, in parallel with the X. It would help a bit. This is already being done by some small workshops when preparing (under the former group A/N regulations) bodyshells of models from the 80s, 90s, and 00s. These chassis are not as robust as the cars nowadays, and it has been proven at the field that makes a big difference. Some guys call them "tree-pullers" for that instance. Although, I am not sure if this is a mod that could be applied to already built Rally-2 cars (I would have to investigate on the thermal hardening / tempering / welding "brittlening" effect - sorry, I am not anymore up to date with the metallurgical specs / characteristics / workmanship processes of Rally 2 roll cages - my time is limited :mark: ). For new built cars this could help a bit (not a lot) in my humble preliminary opinion (detailed structural FEM calculations would be needed).Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC