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Ott Tänak snatches Rally Central Europe win to take WRC fight to Japan
The Finnish driver triumphed at the final gravel round of 2024 as Hyundai's Thierry Neuville consolidated his championship lead.
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The icy roads of the French Alps. Brutally rough dirt tracks in Kenya. Asphalt in Croatia and Japan. Snow in Sweden. The rock-riddled routes of Italy, Greece and Portugal. These are the extremes that drivers in the 2024 World Rally Championship are set to face.
After a thrilling 2023 season that saw Toyota Gazoo Racing's Kalle Rovanperä secure his second consecutive world title, the 52nd season of the WRC races in 13 very different destinations across four continents in the fight to see who'll become champion.
Whatever happens, rally fans already know that they'll see a new champ crowned in 2024 as Rovanperä has made the decision to race only a part-time WRC schedule as he looks to give other motorsport disciplines a try, following in the footsteps of fellow WRC champions Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier.
So where will the likes of Elfyn Evans, Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville – the three most likely title contenders – and the rest of the WRC field battle it out? Check out the full 2024 FIA World Rally Championship calendar below, and get the highlights from each round right here as they culminate.
World Rally Championship 2024 calendar
Event
Date
Rally
Location
1.
January 25–28
Rallye Monte Carlo
Monaco
2.
February 15–18
Rally Sweden
Umea
3.
March 28–31
Safari Rally Kenya
Nairobi
4.
April 18–21
Rally Croatia
Zagreb
5.
May 9–12
Rally de Portugal
Matosinhos
6.
May 30 – June 2
Rally Italia Sardegna
Alghero
7.
June 27–30
Rally Poland
Mikolajki
8.
July 18–21
Rally Latvia
Liepāja
9.
August 1–4
Rally Finland
Jyväskylä
10.
September 5–8
Acropolis Rally Greece
Athens
11.
September 26–29
Rally Chile
Concepcíon
12.
October 31 – November 3
Central Europe Rally
Passau
13.
November 21–24
Rally Japan
Nagoya
How to watch the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)?
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01
Rallye Monte Carlo 2024 – a 20th FIA World Rally win for Thierry Neuville
Sunday highlights – Monaco
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo, the first stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
January 25–28
Thierry Neuville celebrated his 20th world rally win at Rallye Monte-Carlo alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe. Neuville opened his 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season with a sublime performance in the French Alps, mastering the ice-patched mountain roads to head Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sébastien Ogier by 16.1 seconds.
Neuville shrugged aside early engine issues before launching an attack on Saturday, overtaking both Ogier and his GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to storm into the lead with a slender 3.3-second advantage. A clean sweep of fastest times in Sunday’s final leg cemented his position ahead of the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Ogier.
02
Rally Sweden 2024 – a record-breaking battle on ice for Esapekka Lappi
Sunday highlights – Sweden
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Sweden, the second stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
February 15–18
Esapekka Lappi claimed first place aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. While his rivals deployed full-attack mode, it was Lappi's calm – but fast – demeanor that ensured he reached the finish line unscathed and with his lead intact.
His victory – alongside co-driver and fellow Finn, Janne Ferm – comes six years, six months and 19 days since he won in the WRC for the first time at Rally Finland in 2017. This result breaks the record for the longest gap between WRC wins, which previously stood at five years and 359 days and was jointly held by Shekhar Mehta and Jean-Luc Therier.
Toyota's Elfyn Evans secured second place by outperforming Adrien Fourmaux, despite facing challenges like sliding into snowbanks. Coming in third, Fourmaux notched his first WRC podium finish. While Thierry Neuville ended up fourth, his efforts alongside Lappi's helped Hyundai maintain a strong championship standing.
03
Safari Rally Kenya 2024 – a dominant win for Kalle Rovanperä
Sunday highlights - Kenya
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Safari Rally Kenya, the third stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
March 28–31
Kalle Rovanperä put in a dominant drive at Safari Rally Kenya, leading from the outset to bag the win for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
The reigning world champion was out in front from Friday morning alongside co-driver Jonne Halttunen as a succession of their World Rally Championship rivals ran into trouble to battle over the podium places behind them.
Second place went to Takamoto Katsuta, while Adrien Fourmaux finished third. An honorable mention goes to Elfyn Evans, who overcame a series of punctures to clinch fourth place.
04
Rally Croatia 2024 – Ogier snatches Croatia Rally victory
Sunday highlights – Croatia
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Croatia, the fourth stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
April 18–21
Sébastien Ogier moved from third to first overall on a Sunday packed with high drama at the Croatia Rally, claiming a surprise win as Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans suffered late heartbreak.
A late pace note meant overnight leader Neuville arrived too fast into a left-hander and slid wide, before riding up a bank and into a tree, destroying his Hyundai’s rear aerodynamics and costing him 25 seconds.
Evans also made a costly misjudgment on the same stage, which delayed him by 20 seconds, while Ogier remained steady with two stages to go and didn't relinquish the lead handed to him by his rivals to win by 9.7 seconds and earn a milestone 100th WRC podium.
05
Rally de Portugal 2024 – Ogier now most successful driver in event's 56-year history
Sunday highlights – Portugal
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the fifth stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
May 9–12
In a dramatic final day, Sébastien Ogier etched his name in history by becoming the first driver to win the Vodafone Rally de Portugal six times. The Frenchman fended off a strong challenge from Ott Tänak to secure victory by 7.9s.
Second place marked Tänak’s best result since re-joining Hyundai at the beginning of the year, and the additional seven points he earned for topping the Super Sunday classification helped move him ahead of Adrien Fourmaux to third in the championship standings.
Thierry Neuville finished third, extending his lead in the overall championship standings to 24 points over Elfyn Evans after the Welshman faced misfortune with a coolant leak, finishing in sixth.
06
Rally Italia Sardegna – last-minute drama sees Ott Tänak claim shock win
Sunday highlights – Italy
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
May 30 – June 2
Ott Tänak pulled off a surprise win – the Estonian's maiden victory of the season – at Rally Italia Sardegna after a late tire puncture denied Sébastien Ogier a third consecutive victory. The result marks the joint-closest finish in WRC history, with Ogier finishing just 0.2 seconds behind Tänak.
Dani Sordo completed the podium in third, while Thierry Neuville retained the championship lead despite finishing outside the top three. For Puma youngster Grégoire Munster, consistency rewarded him with a fifth-place finish.
07
Rally Poland – Rovanperä powers to phenomenal victory as a last-minute stand-in
FIA WRC: Sunday highlights – Poland
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Poland, the seventh stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
June 27–30
Kalle Rovanperä claimed one of the most remarkable victories in FIA World Rally Championship history at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland.
The reigning world champion, who is undertaking a selected program of events in 2024, had never even planned to start this rally, but was called upon by his Toyota GAZOO Racing team to replace Sébastien Ogier at the final hour. Ogier was sidelined by an accident during reconnaissance on Tuesday, leaving Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen with less than 48 hours to ready themselves.
Those frantic preparations didn’t seem to affect the Finn too much as he romped to his 13th career victory behind the wheel of a GR Yaris Rally1, heading team-mate Elfyn Evans by 28.3s in a Toyota 1-2, with the Ford Puma of Adrien Fourmaux in third.
08
Rally Latvia – Red-hot Rovanperä storms to stunning win
FIA WRC: Sunday highlights – Latvia
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Latvia, the eighth stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
July 18–21
Kalle Rovanperä sealed a dominant start-to-finish victory at Tet Rally Latvia on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up his second triumph in as many high-speed gravel events.
Having started his first-ever rally on Latvia’s roads more than 10 years ago aged 12, the Finnish driver rolled back the clocks to win the Baltic nation's first FIA World Rally Championship round.
Rovanperä was never seriously challenged during the four-day fixture, which started in the capital city Rīga on Thursday evening before journeying west to Liepāja. He built a comfortable lead during the first two legs in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 and eased through the finale to win the season’s eighth round by 39.2s.
Sébastien Ogier completed a one-two for the Japanese marque while Ott Tänak stole the final podium spot from Mārtiņš Sesks after the local hero was slowed by transmission fault in the Wolf Power Stage.
09
Rally Finland – A surprise victory for Sébastien Ogier
FIA WRC: Sunday highlights – Finland
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Finland, the ninth stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
August 1–4
Sébastien Ogier claimed an unexpected Secto Rally Finland victory on Sunday after his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled out of a massive lead. Rovanperä had led for almost every kilometer of this four-day gravel fixture and looked set to end Finland’s seven-year wait for a native winner. However, it all went wrong for the 23-year-old when he clipped a rogue rock, pushing his GR Yaris Rally1 off the line and into a rally-ending roll.
The same stage had earlier served up further drama when Rovanperä’s colleague, Elfyn Evans, also left the road while chasing down Super Sunday points to make up for a broken driveshaft on Friday.
On his first Finnish outing since 2021, Ogier was on hand to pick up the pieces and took his 61st WRC victory by 40.1s from Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver Thierry Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux, driving a Puma Rally1 for M-Sport Ford, filled the final podium spot 34.0s further back.
"It's hard to smile right now," Ogier admitted. "A win in Finland is always nice, but this is not the way we like to have it. Very sorry for Kalle and Jonne, they were unlucky with the stone and it's a shame for them. We were unlucky in Sardinia and lost in the last stage, but we are lucky here. That's motorsport."
10
Acropolis Rally Greece – Neuville powers to a vital victory
Sunday highlights – Greece
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, the 10th stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
September 6-8
World Rally Championship points leader Thierry Neuville drove a brilliant EKO Acropolis Rally Greece claim victory in the punishing, incident-filled rally by 1m 46s to head a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2-3 finish ahead team-mates Dani Sordo and Ott Tänak.
The Belgian driver managed the balance of risk and reward perfectly while so many rivals around him, including title hopefuls Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, crashed on the famously rough roads around Lamia and came away from Greece having extended his advantage at the head of the Drivers' Championship.
Ogier, winner of the previous round at Rally Finland and the early leader of the rally in Greece, suffering a dramatic roll on the final Wolf Power Stage while on course to finish second overall. The Frenchman was able to push his Toyota GR Yaris back onto its wheels and finish the rally, but plummeted down the overall rally standings after dropping more than 20 minutes.
The result extended Neuville's lead in the Drivers’ Standings to 34 points over Tänak, as Ogier fell to third, with 90 points still available from the remaining three rounds of the championship.
11
Rally Chile Bio Bío – Rovanperä wins treacherous Rally Chile
Sunday highlights – Chile
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Rally Chile Bio Bío, the 11th stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
September 27-29
Kalle Rovanperä secured victory at Rally Chile Bio Bío on Sunday, mastering dense fog and treacherous conditions to clinch his fourth win of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season.
Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID, the Finn edged out his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans by 23.4s at the final gravel fixture of the year, which took place on roads across Chile’s Bio Bío region.
Rovanperä made a cautious start to this 11th round of the season, admitting that the Chilean gravel didn’t suit his driving style. Nevertheless, as the rally progressed, he found his rhythm. The turning point came on Saturday afternoon when he overhauled Evans in near-zero visibility, navigating through thick fog high up the mountain stages to seize a 15.1s lead heading into the final day.
The two-time WRC champion remained unflappable in equally difficult conditions today, outpacing Evans on all but one of the final four stages to secure the 15th victory of his WRC career.
12
Rally Central Europe – Tänak on top as Neuville and Ogier slip up
Sunday highlights – Central Europe
Watch highlights from Sunday's stage of Central European Rally, the 12th stop of the FIA WRC 2024.
October 17–20
The fight for this year's FIA World Rally Championship will go down to the wire at Japan's final round after Estonia's Ott Tänak took advantage of errors by Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier to claim a dramatic victory at the Central European Rally.
In yet another twist to a thrilling 2024 season, points leader Neuville threw away a golden chance to secure his WRC title after spinning out whilst leading on Saturday and Tänak took the win by 7s after Ogier crashed on a left-hand corner in the penultimate stage. Ogier had been trailing the Estonian by just 1.5s at the time of his incident.
Tänak’s victory, his second of the year, has set up a showdown with Hyundai team-mate Neuville at the 13th and final round of the season, the FORUM8 Rally Japan on November 21–24.
Long-time WRC points leader Neuville looked on course to secure his maiden title after leading on Friday night, but after running off track twice in the space of one minute during Saturday's racing, dropping him from first to fourth. The Belgian fought back to third place at the finish behind Tänak and Elfyn Evans, but saw his championship lead cut from 29 to 25 points.
Thierry Neuville had the chance to secure a first WRC title, but missed out
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
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