Nikara's story @ wrc.com

Jarkko Nikara has shown a great deal of talent by making his way up towards his first opportunity to race in WRC next week in Rally Spain. He has also shown that to be able to pursue a great career in sports, an awful amount of personal commitment is required. The recent report by WRC.com tells the different story of Nikara's journey towards the top.

Jarkko Nikara's first WRC test with ProDrive Mini

Video from the first taster is available here. I wonder what's "...so unusual for a Finnish rally driver." (hear mechanics chatting)

Brilliant in-car footage from 4:00.

Awesome Rally scenes

Look at these awesome photos and graphics from Rally Sierra Morena in Spain last weekend!

Rally Sardegna a prelude for 2013

I think that last week's WRC event in Italy is very well mirroring what next year will be like in WRC and who will be the key players for podium finishes. Mikko Hirvonen will be very tough to beat and will be the hottest candidate for next WRC champion. His development over the last year or two has been very impressive. Many things have changed for better since his move to Citroen – most importantly, he seems to be able to perform quite well in all conditions and all surfaces now, a valuable lesson learned from his legendary team-mate... The runners up - Novikov and Tänak showed all great talent in Italy. Mads Östberg's pace was outstanding towards the end of the rally after the trouble he had earlier. His ability to push fastest times after the incident and with mind free'ed from pressure is somehow similar to what Latvala has showed at times. The young Norwegian still has plenty of time to build his confidence and gain more experience. So, hopefully that will enable him to keep up the speed with improved levels of consistency in the future.

The event also showed how much potential S2000 cars have when conditions are right, when Ogier took the first ever stage win for S2000 classified cars. When the former IRC and ERC series will merge in 2013 we can expect even more competition among WRC2 drivers than within the WRC series where there will be less teams and less drivers.

Ogier takes the first ever WRC stage win for S2000

Ogier showed great talent in Rally Sardegna by taking the first ever stage win in WRC with an S2000 car. The challenging conditions and tyre wear played a significant role in the game, but this still shows the great talent and potential Ogier has. More can be expected from him next year in a WRC Polo R...

Hänninen's plan for 2013 open

According to Autosport, the leading IRC/ERC team Skoda is also planning to cut its contributions as a factory team for next year. This is another disappointing news, particularly after such a successful year Skoda's had in 2012. This decision may leave Juho Hänninen without a factory deal for next year which is a big shame. Juho's been the most consistent driver in IRC/ERC series over the last few years and in my opinion has showed greater talent than most of the existing WRC team drivers. Thumbs up that a new opportunity opens soon!

Latvala's 2nd chance with VW a matter of self-confidence

Latvala's deal with VW for 2013 was finally confirmed. After the many disappointments and inconsistent performances throughout the year, there were many doubts around this issue. Latvala is probably the fastest driver in the circuit but this is not enough with the levels of consistence he has showed. Honestly, the biggest pain for Latvala seems to be in between his ears - he's got the bad habit of constantly over-analyzing his own performance and explaining errors stage after stage. This doesn't build better self-confidence. Another issue he must be able to manage with better in the future, if he wants to pursue a great career with VW, is the tactics. The choice to clean the road in Rally Sardegna seems like another desperate approach to gain advantage to competitors by risky tactics – not by driving. We have seen similar "gambler moves" in the past from Latvala. Is it his lack of trust on his ability to perform that is pushing him to decisions like this?

New VW Polo R WRC in action

Some eye-candy delivered to you by Carlos Sainz & the new VW Polo R WRC.

2 WRC factory teams retire

Ford announced today that it will not continue in WRC as a factory team. M-Sport which just recently announced that it will also get involved in the European rally series for 2013 is expected to continue running Fords in the WRC. The team setups in WRC are under significant change since Mini just last week announced that it will also discontinue its factory team. It seems that for 2013 the international rally series are probably more diverse than ever before with a number of pro teams running the cars from a number of car manufacturers, many of them making their entry to rally.

Basso has set the tune for San Remo

Giandomenico Basso (in a Ford Fiesta) has taken a strong lead in Rally San Remo after the retrieval of some of his strongest opponents (including former IRC champion Juho Hänninen's amazing crash) from the rally. Basso seems to have adapted to his new car very well and is currently dominating the rally with half a minute lead to Jan Kopecky of Skoda in the 2nd place. As expected the Italians are very well presented in the classification holding 4 positions within the overall top5.

Nikara for WRC entry with Mini in Catalunya

While Mini has announced that it is going to retire from the WRC series in the end of this year, it is giving a once in a lifetime opportunity to Jarkko Nikara for WRC entry at Rally Catalunya. Jarkko is an extremely talented young driver from Finland, and after a very successful season this year, he has definitely earned this award and opportunity to compete side by side with Dani Sordo in a factory WRC team. Congratulations!

Follow San Remo LIVE

The battle for San Remo 2012 is on. Bestofrallylive.com provides with live results.

Hirvonen's challenge for 2013

Year 2013 will probably be the greatest opportunity for Mikko Hirvonen to battle for WRC victory. He will become the no1 driver for Citroen which has been able to provide the strongest setup for drivers year after year. After the Ford years and now driving for Citroen, Mikko seems to have found new kind of confidence and spirit for driving. Having followed his career for a number of years it seems evident to me that Mikko's performance is somehow dependent on how much competition there is within the team he is in. Loeb was able to push Mikko to the limits of his skills and to find an extreme level of consistency in his driving which is increasingly important in the fight for WRC points. The big question for 2013 is whether Citroen will be able to find another driver who can challenge Mikko enough. Dani Sordo is said to join Citroen next year, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Dani has plenty of experience and has had many successful performances in a Mini this year which make him a good candidate for Citroen. The two drivers would complement each other quite well, because Mikko is known for his ability to drive fast on gravel and Dani does the same on tarmac. A perfect match?

San Remo speculations

Rallye San Remo will launch this Friday and the competition for podium will (again) be very tough – probably the toughest off the year 2012. The top shots of IRC – Juho Hänninen & Jan Kopecky will be challenged by the local Italian aces (such as Giandomenico Basso) who know the roads very well and can find the perfect setup for all conditions on San Remo's narrow roads. 

Kimi's reaction time

This goes slightly off-topic, but definitely worth posting... Kimi Räikkönen's amazing reaction time
Kimi is performing incredibly after his lengthy break in F1 and showing what great talent is about. Thumbs extended for a victorious end of the season ;)

Sebastiens of the future

When we look back to the history of rally, Finland and France seem to be the only nations which can year after year raise new talents to the top. A range of incredibly talented drivers from these two nations are currently competing for seats in a WRC car for the coming seasons. While Loeb is said to slowly retire from the sport, another 2 Sebastiens are on "reserve" for France in the WRC. Sebastien Ogier will be VW's first choice for WRC entry. Another young and extremely fast pilot Sebastien Chardonnet did an impressive performance on his WRC entry at last week's Rally de France, placing 10th overall in a Citroen DS3 WRC. "Seb the 3rd" has been supported for some time by Loeb's co-driver Daniel Elena, so his starting point for the fight for a full WRC deal could not be much better. Keep an eye on this young talent – another Seb making an impressive journey in WRC.

Loeb takes his 9th World title

Loeb took his amazing 9th World title today by winning Rally de France – Alsace. Congratulations! Sportsillustrated reports...

Neuville showing great talent in rain

Thierry Neuville has shown extreme talent during the final day of Rally de France – Alsace by winning 3 of the morning stages. The young Belgian from Citroen's Junior Team seems to be able to adapt to rainy conditions very well. We've seen a number of great performances from Neuville this year – both on gravel and on tarmac – and he has improved his driving as the season advances.

Another great win for Lappi in Sweden

Esapekka Lappi and his co-driver Janne Ferm added another victory to their amazing rally year of 2012 by winning the final event "Kolsvarundan" of Sweden's national rally series. Lappi was driving an EVENRally Team sponsored Skoda Fabia S2000 in the event.

Plan for 2013

The plan for 2013 is ready. In 2013 the IRC & ERC series will be replaced by WRC2 which assumably improves the status and image of the sport.

Rally Talent blog opened!

The Rally Talent blog was established to promote and support exceptionally talented young rally drivers on their journey to the top. More coming up very soon!