David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) thrived in the chaos of Motegi, taking a commanding win at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan after mastering tricky conditions that caught many of his rivals out. Behind him, Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) put together a fierce comeback to grab second and keep his championship push firmly alive, while Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) edged out Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in a last-lap duel to secure his eighth podium of the year.
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When the lights went out, Rueda made the start he needed from pole, though Perrone was equally sharp off the line. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) delighted his home crowd by slotting into third, but the order didn’t last long. Joel Kelso (LEVELUP – MTA) came flying through on Lap 2, barging past Rueda at Turn 5 to seize the lead. Muñoz was quick to follow, while Quiles and Perrone also dispatched the poleman a lap later, pushing Rueda back to fifth. Meanwhile, David Almansa (Leopard Racing), starting from the very back, wasted no time cutting through the pack with fastest laps to join the leaders.
Rain spots soon began to pepper parts of the circuit, injecting another layer of unpredictability into an already frantic contest. Quiles took his first turn at the front on Lap 4, but the lead group was in constant flux. Kelso’s charge faltered on Lap 6 after a brush with Almansa at Turn 10 forced the Australian wide and down the order. By Lap 8, Muñoz had broken clear by a second, leaving Furusato in second with the chasers strung out behind. Rueda and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), the top two in the standings, were mired in ninth and tenth, giving the championship leader a golden chance to stretch his advantage.
Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
But the Japanese fans’ hopes were dashed soon after. Furusato, running second, suffered a vicious highside at Turn 2 on Lap 9. Though he remounted, he went down again at Turn 5 in the tunnel section, ending his chances of a dream home podium. Muñoz, now unchallenged at the front, continued to increase his advantage.
As the laps ticked down, the fight shifted to the podium. Perrone and Quiles scrapped hard, while Almansa, Fernandez, Rueda and Yamanaka formed a chasing pack. Piqueras’ race unravelled further with a crash at Turn 10, though he managed to rejoin in 11th. Almansa’s brilliant ride also ended in heartbreak just two laps from home, leaving Rueda to lock horns with Quiles and Perrone for the podium.
With two laps to go, Rueda pounced on Perrone for second at Turn 7 and dug in defensively. Perrone then tried to muscle past Quiles at Turn 13, but the rookie countered perfectly, holding the outside into Turn 14 to snatch back third place.
At the flag, Muñoz crossed the line almost two seconds clear, securing his third victory of the campaign with authority. Rueda’s determined ride to second keeps his title bid firmly on track, while Quiles continued his stellar rookie season with another rostrum finish.
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Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) capped off his strong weekend with fifth place, just ahead of home hero Ryusei Yamanaka. Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) overcame a double Long Lap penalty to finish seventh, followed by Kelso in eighth, Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in ninth, and Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) rounding out the top ten.
Despite his crash, Piqueras salvaged 11th to keep his fading championship hopes mathematically alive. Behind him came Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP – MTA) on his return from injury, Carpe and Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse) to complete the points scorers.
Muñoz may have owned the day, but Rueda was the big winner in the title picture. With a 78-point cushion, the #99 now heads to Indonesia with a chance to wrap up the Moto3 crown early.
Having never won at this circuit before, Toprak Razgatlioglu extended his winning run to 13 races in the Superbike World Championship after an incredible duel with resurgent polesitter Nicolo Bulega in Race 1 at the Tissot Aragon Round.
With Bulega starting on pole position with a new lap record and Ducati historically holding the upper hand in Aragon, hopes were high that Razgatlioglu would finally be denied as he steamrolls his way to a third WorldSBK title. What ensued under the Spanish sunshine was a thrilling battle that lasted the entire length of the race as 2025’s main protagonists chopped and changed positions throughout and were never more than 1 second apart for the entire 18 laps.
The general pattern was that Bulega would get a much better exit from the long final corner of turn 16 to get close to Razgatlioglu by turn 1, then the latter would be stronger through the middle of the lap. While the top-2 in the championship did battle, Sam Lowes was in close attendance right behind the pair.
This pattern first occurred at the end of the 1st and start of the 2nd lap after Razgatlioglu had stolen the lead on lap 1. Then it happened again at the end of the 2nd lap and the start of the 3rd. Two laps later and again, Bulega slingshotted into the lead at turn 1 before he ran wide at the tight chicane at turns 14/15 to allow Razgatlioglu back through – then Bulega was ahead again by the next time they reached turn 1.
By the halfway stage of the race Razgatlioglu had edged ever so slightly clear of Bulega while it looked as if Danilo Petrucci, Alvaro Bautista and Alex Lowes were starting to close up to the top 3. Ultimately, home hero Bautista crashed out with 6 laps to go from 5th place while Petrucci and Alex Lowes stabilised their respective positions of 4th for the former and an inherited 5th for the latter.
Behind them, the two Andrea’s were battling over 6th with Iannone passing Locatelli in the 2nd half of the race. Behind them came Axel Bassani from 23rd on the grid after being penalised earlier, with the Bimota rider making up 15 places and settling into 8th in the closing laps while Jonathan Rea faded after to 13th after his own promising start.
With 5 laps to go, Bulega began to pick up his pace and stretch a small gap to Sam Lowes. However, Sam was saving himself for the last couple of laps and closed back in to the top 2 to finish less than 1 second off the winner.
The MarcVDS rider was so close but just not quite by enough to get involved in the scrap for the lead as Bulega very nearly made it past Razgatlioglu into turn 1 on the final lap. Once again, a superb ride through the long last corner let the Ducati rider close right up to the BMW as they blasted towards the chequered flag and were separated by just 0.030s in Razgatlioglu’s favour.
The win meant a lot to Razgatlioglu and was devastating for Bulega after such a defiant ride. Not only was it the Turk’s first win at Aragon but it matched his record of 13 consecutive wins from last season and was of course another hammer blow in the championship for his Italian rival – but tomorrow’s pair of races should hopefully be another close fought affair with the BMW and Ducati neck-and-neck.
The Formula 2 2022 champion has been off many grids full-time in the hope of landing a Formula 1 seat. However, this was not meant to be as many drivers managed to get their way into a seat, including Drugovich’s fellow Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto.
Instead, Drugovich has opted to join the Andretti Formula E Team, joining Season 9 world champion Jake Dennis and continuing the trend of the Andretti having a new driver beside the British driver throughout each season of the Gen3/Gen3 EVO era. It is speculated that Nico Mueller will make the move to Porsche.
Sam Osborne took his maiden win with a sensational lights to flag victory in round 27 at Silverstone. The Yorkshireman took his first win despite intense pressure from Josh Cook throughout the race.
Championship protagonist Ash Sutton took third to keep the title hopes alive with rival Tom Ingram fifth.
Sometimes the forgotten man in the NAPA Racing stable, Osborne can name race winners Dan Cammish and Dan Rowbottom as team mates, as well as four time champion Sutton no less. But Osborne was picked for pole by virtue of the reverse grid draw.
He led from the start, and held his nerve as there were battles throughout the field. The title rivals Ingram and Sutton were moving up the grid from the middle of the pack.
Sutton made it to third by lap six with Ingram in sixth, with Rowbottom and Jake Hill between them.
Cook was bearing down on Osborne, with the gap standing at seven tenths on lap 12. It was a tactical arm wrestle of when and how to use the boost. By lap 16 the gap was just two tenths with Cook, a multiple race winner, breathing down Osborne’s neck.
With just three laps to go Cook went wide into Luffield, losing the back end. This gave Osborne the slight gap he needed to cruise home for his first win, under intense pressure.
Sutton came third to cut into Ingram’s lead slightly, with Hill between the pair. Aiden Moffat was sixth with Vertu Hyundai pair Adam Morgan and Tom Chilton next. Dan Cammish and Mikey Doble rounded off the top ten.
The final points places were taken by Aron Taylor-Smith, Charles Rainford, Senna Proctor, Rowbottom and Dexter Patterson.
Osborne can finally call himself a race winner, and joins his NAPA teammates in that regard.
Going into the final three rounds at Brands Hatch in two weeks time, Ingram has a 33 point lead over Sutton. The title battle is sure to go down to the wire.
Tom Ingram took another step towards the title with victory in round 26 of the BTCC at Silverstone.
The championship leader and his title rival Ash Sutton showed why they’re the class of the field, finishing first and second by some distance.
At the start, Jake Hill passed race one winner Dan Lloyd into Becketts, while further down the order Ingram made an excellent start and was third by the end of the lap.
Brooklands was seeing plenty of action as Ingram made it second place by the end of lap two, taking Lloyd and chasing down Hill in the lead. The Hyundai man pulled away from the chasing pack and was on the tail of Hill’s BMW by lap four.
Ingram was through and away as he passed Hill down the Wellington straight and was off into the sunset with a lead he never surrendered.
Title rival Sutton, not to be forgotten, followed Ingram through the field and was up to third by lap eight with Hill between them.
The Safety Car was introduced for the second time today on lap nine when Tom Chilton was in the gravel trap. He tried a move on Charles Rainford but caught the front left, causing an instant puncture and he understeered off into the gravel and out of the race.
On the restart on lap 13, there was more drama when Hyundai’s Adam Morgan’s bonnet flew up after slight contact into Becketts.
Back at the front, Sutton could see Ingram pulling away, and in the slower medium tyre, his aim was to minimise the damage. He managed to pass Hill for second into Brooklands on lap 16.
While the top two pulled away, Hill was falling into the clutches of Dan Rowbottom, who was hunting the BMW man for third. The reigning champion was safe and secured third when on the penultimate lap Rowbottom’s engine gave up, and the Ford driver pulled into the pits to retire.
Ingram took the lead, and another small stride towards his second title, but with Sutton following behind, the fight is still very much on.
Hill, who is almost resigned to handing over his crown, was third. Aron Taylor-Smith secured his best finish of the season in fourth, with Rainford and Dan Lloyd close behind. Gordon Shedden and Aiden Moffat followed with Josh Cook and Daryl DeLeon rounding off the top ten.
Mikey Doble and Sam Osborne were next with Max Buxton, Nick Halstead and Chris Smiley taking 15th despite a penalty for track limits.
Dan Lloyd secured Restart Racing’s first ever BTCC win from fourth on the grid in a race which ended under Safety Car conditions. A fire for Nicholas Hamilton brought an early end to his race, and meant Lloyd’s excellent manoeuvres were rewarded with victory.
Title rivals Tom Ingram and Ash Sutton secured vital points finishes with not many races left to fight for the championship.
Pole sitter Daryl DeLeon led off the line with Shedden close behind. Sutton made a good start, squeezing up the inside and gaining a couple of places with a Ingram following his rival through.
Shedden dove down the inside of DeLeon at Luffield to take the lead. DeLeon began to slip down the grid as Dan Lloyd, Jake Hill and Senna Proctor passed the BMW man. Lloyd’s Restart Racing Hyundai took the lead at Brooklands with Shedden slipping into the clutches of Hill.
Further down the grid, the title protagonists were making their way through the field. Ingram made an important pass on Sutton for ninth on lap four, reducing any risk of losing any of his championship lead.
Hill passed Shedden for second and was bearing down on Lloyd in the lead, but the Hyundai driver stayed strong and held off Hill’s BMW.
Lap 11 saw Ingram pass Sutton’s teammate Dan Rowbottom. The Ford driver doing all he could to hold up Ingram but to no avail as the championship leader moved into seventh.
The race was neutralised on lap 18 when Nicholas Hamilon’s Cupra burst into flames. A small fire was spotted under the car which prompted Hamilton to park up on the Wellington straight. The car soon alight and being tackled by the marshals armed with fire extinguishers.
The Safety Car came out but the race never resumed as it finished behind yellow flag conditions.
Lloyd took the win, Restart Racing’s first ever BTCC victory, with Hill and Shedden rounding off the podium. Senna Proctor took fourth from sixth on the grid with Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat following close behind after a race-long battle.
Importantly, Ingram led Sutton home in seventh and eighth respectively with Rowbottom and Adam Morgan ninth and tenth. Aron Taylor-Smith was 11th with Dan Cammish moving from 21st on the grid to 12th. DeLeon fell from pole to 13th with Charles Rainford and Chris Smiley’s Restart Hyundai book-ending the points with 15th.
Ingram’s lead is now 33 points ahead of Sutton with just five races to go, and the chance to build on impressive race one finishes in race two.
It was the series that had it all, the finest drivers, prime time TV coverage, wheel to wheel action, and budgets big enough to make even the deepest pockets feel the pinch.
The British Touring Car Championship in the 1990’s had everything going for it, it was flying high and went from national competition to worldwide fame. But it soon became a victim of its own success and imploded on itself. By the end of the decade the writing was on the wall. All the momentum the series built evaporated and it took the BTCC years to fully recover. Never hitting the same heights.
As we welcome the 25th anniversary of the end of the Super Touring era, it’s still talked about today as one of the most exciting periods in motorsport history – even if it almost consumed the BTCC in the process.
To understand why this era was so significant, and why the ending was so abrupt, we need to go back to the start.
Touring cars in the late 80’s was dominated by Ford and their Sierra Cosworth RS500’s. Footage of Andy Rouse and Steve Soper hurling their fire-breathing monsters around Brands Hatch at breakneck speeds became stuff of legend. Accompanied by motorsport’s finest commentator, Murray Walker, and shown on BBC Grandstand in a highlight package format, the BTCC was indeed popular viewing.
But alas, there was a flaw in the system.
The BTCC field was split into classes, and on rare occasions, slower cars in lower classes would win the outright championship, not the driver finishing first on the road in the fastest car.
A prime example of this was John Cleland (remember that name, it’ll be important later), he won the 1989 title, not in a Group A Sierra, but rather, a Vauxhall Astra competing in Group C. For context that would be akin to a Formula Three car winning the Formula One world championship over the likes of McLaren and Red Bull.
For 1990, changes were made, and the 2.0 litre formula was introduced, which would become known as Super Touring. The cars eligible had to have naturally aspirated six cylinder 2.0 litre engines. Another stipulation was that 2,500 of these cars had to be built and manufactured for homologation purposes.
The beauty of the Super Touring era was that the cars you saw race on TV looked very much like the family car sat on your drive way. Instead of futuristic looking race cars, it was Ford Mondeo’s and Honda Accords you saw battling it out for victory. The phrase “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” became a popular mantra for car dealers around this time.
The move was made to combat escalating costs, and create a more open and even field. The unpopular class system remained in place, reducing to two – A and B. Essentially Class A was for the Sierra RS500’s, while Class B was the genesis of Super Touring. Vauxhall and BMW entered as manufacturers with the Cavalier and the M3 respectively.
Robb Gravett won the championship in a Sierra, but the signs were clear, Super Touring was born.
1991 saw a raft of manufacturers join the series. Vauxhall and BMW remained, and Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi followed. The multi-class system was dropped, instead opting for manufacturer and independent entries which would remain in place for the whole era.
The new rules brought with them the desired effect. Closer action, thrilling races, and the emergence of a host of what would become household names. John Cleland and Will Hoy fought it out for the title, with Hoy coming out on top in his BMW M3 after a thrilling season finale at Silverstone. ‘91 also saw the debut of future three time champion Matt Neal as an independent. BMW took the manufacturers crown.
Little did they know at the time, but the BTCC had stumbled upon a golden formula. One which would grow and be as popular as Formula One over the course of the 90’s.
This is the first of a five part article series chronicling the Super Touring era, what made it great, the controversies that ensued, and hopefully an explanation as to why this series and era of the sport is still very much talked about today.
Onto the final day then and with a little under 55km’s over four stages. Two of the M-Sport crews would return as well as Ott and Martin in their Hyundai. They would be looking to set the highest possible pace from third on the road.
First up then was SS13 Laraquete 1 – 18.62 km and Seb set the pace from Elfyn and Kalle. Ott was fourth despite reporting that his engine was overheating. He reported that he was a bit ragged, but clearly something was working! Greg in the Puma was running in eighth overall.
Into SS14 BioBío 1 – 8.78 km and Elfyn who was trying to catch his rally leading teammate was fastest from Takamoto and Seb. The gap came down a little and with two stages to go was now a little under six seconds. Ott was eighth fastest after setting the benchmark before all the other crews came through beating his time.
We came then to the final stage, SS16 BioBío 2[Power Stage] – 8.78 km and Seb set the pace from Thierry and Elfyn. The Belgian was only three tenths faster than Elfyn as the Welshman who had a larger time gap earlier in the stage and came through the final sectors much faster. It was not quite enough though giving him the third fastest time, whilst Sami and Kalle rounded out the top five.
Seb and Vincent had taken a second victory in a row in Seb’s two-hundredth WRC round. It was also Seb’s sixty-sixth win. Also taking a well-deserved victory in WRC2 were Oliver and Elliot and with it the 2025 WRC2 crown. Elliot becomes the first British co-driver to take a WRC crown since Robert Reid in 2001 when the late great Richard Burns took the WRC for Subaru in Wales Rally GB.
Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the drivers.
Final Overall Classification – Rally Chile
1
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
2:55:42.1
2
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+11.0
3
A. Fourmaux
A. Coria
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+46.5
4
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+59.0
5
S. Pajari
M. Salminen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:03.4
6
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:35.7
7
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+2:14.0
8
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1
+2:44.1
9
O. Solberg
E. Edmondson
Toyota GR Yaris
+8:18.8
10
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Škoda Fabia RS
+8:59.0
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“I’m very happy to take another win in South America and to also come away with the maximum points this time: I think they are well deserved after the ones we lost because of the weather in Paraguay. To take the lead of the championship with three rallies to go is definitely positive too. I’m also very happy for everybody at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing that we could achieve this record win. Thanks to our Chairman, Akio Toyoda, for the great support that means we can keep pushing the limits for better. We can be very proud of what we’ve achieved so far and I’m sure that we can keep adding to these great numbers in the coming rallies.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s mixed feelings for us at the finish because we always want to win, but the big positive is that after struggling for pace two weeks ago in Paraguay we were able to come here and show good speed. I think we paid a big price for being first on the road on Friday afternoon but otherwise I think we’ve done a really solid job. Of course, I would have liked to fight Seb harder over the last day or so, but he is always very strong and tough to beat. Well done to him, as well as the team on a record win for Toyota. The championship is still close and we’re looking forward to the next rallies on asphalt and continuing to give it our best shot.”
Sami Pajari
“It’s been a really positive weekend for us. We’ve had good speed in some other rallies but here I was really trying to fight until the very end. I was on a mission to try and catch Neuville, and we could catch him a little bit but not quite by enough. Still, it’s been nice to see that we are able to fight like this. To be fourth on the Power Stage and Super Sunday is also nice to see because everyone is pushing to catch the points. It feels good to be pushing yourself to the limits and there were some really enjoyable moments this weekend. The next rallies are a totally different challenge on asphalt, but we’ll try to continue like this.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It’s not been a good weekend for us. We needed to get a good result here but unfortunately it didn’t come after what happened on Friday morning. Today we were trying to push hard again and take as many points as we could. It wasn’t going to be easy with our road position and we couldn’t challenge the top times, but I think we did what we could. The championship starts to get more difficult for us now and it’s clear that we need to try to get some wins in the next rallies, but we’ll keep giving it our best.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“It’s been quite a difficult weekend for us, but at least we could end with something positive today. Both of the stages were new for me, but we were still able to match the pace of the others sometimes: on the first pass of the Power Stage, we were second fastest. As usual on the second pass we had narrower lines to follow and I think it was getting faster with every car, but still our time was not too far away. I’m glad to finish this rally and now I will move on and start preparing for the coming rallies on asphalt which are important to me, especially Rally Japan, and I will try to do my best.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Adrien Fourmaux
“I’m happy to be on the podium after missing out in Paraguay, which was really hard to accept. Overall, I would say it has been two strong rallies in South America for me. We ended Friday in the lead and held it well on Saturday morning, but then the advantage shifted to Toyota. However, we managed to keep a world champion in the same car behind, so I am pleased with that. Of course, there are things we need to improve on the car, but I am confident we will be able to push at the remaining events.”
2025 FIA World Rally Championship Rally Chile 2025, 11-14 September 2025 Photographer: Romain Thuillier Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Thierry Neuville
“We survived the day. After three stages, Adrien and I were more or less equal – the gap was pretty steady, and I couldn’t have done much more. I tried a few different settings today that allowed me to push quite well in some places, but the times just weren’t coming. Even though the Power Stage had high grip and was quite abrasive, I knew my tyres weren’t too bad, so I pushed hard. It was a scary run at times, but it paid off!”
Ott Tänak
“It has been a long and frustrating weekend here in Chile. Friday was hard, but it was going quite well for us until our rally went off track. Since then, it’s been a difficult couple of days. The last few rallies have been challenging for us, but we are determined to finish the season strongly. As always, we will go into the final three rallies with full commitment; hopefully, we can finish with some strong results.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Grégoire Munster
“It’s been a good weekend overall and I think we showed some strong pace. We pushed from start to finish without making mistakes, and while there’s always room for improvement, I feel that both the team and I have made a real step forward in performance. It’s a positive way to end the gravel events, and now we look ahead to Central European Rally – an event I really enjoy and one I’m looking forward to.”
Josh McErlean
“It’s been a challenging weekend, obviously it was a shame to miss out on both Saturdays in Paraguay and now Chile. But we still go to do the recce and write the pacenotes, and we got through Friday and Sunday’s stages, but we still need to work on the pace and performance. In Chile it’s been hard to compete with the boys at the top, and we’ve got a lot to take home from the weekend.”
Alberto Heller
“It was a really good rally for us, and we enjoyed it a lot with the team. We learned a great deal, and with all the fans here in Chile it was an amazing experience – the support on the stages was incredible. We gained some valuable kilometres and learned a lot about driving in this category, which is very different and at such a high level. Of course, it was a shame about what happened on Saturday, but that’s part of motorsport and sometimes these things happen. It was nice to be able to restart on Sunday and continue learning, and overall, it’s been a very positive rally for us.”
Oliver Solberg
“What can I say?” smiled Oliver. “This has been my dream for as long as I can remember. We came so close last year, but that ended with disappointment, to do it like we have this year is so important for me. I said at the start of the year that I wanted the title this season and we really had to do it this time – the way we have done it is really nice. Winning five rallies from the seven WRC2 rounds we started is something special.
“I think we deserve this one.
“The rally has been a tough one, we had to play lots of strategy with the tyres, but Toyota, the whole Printsport team, Elliott, everybody back at home – all of my family and my fiancée Chloe – I can’t thank them enough for the support they’ve given me.
“And the same for Monster Energy, HTB Racing, Quadrant, 4F, Autopay, OMP and Bell – all of our partners are so, so important to us. We couldn’t have done this without all of you!
“This has been the most amazing year for us, winning Rally Estonia in the [GR Yaris] Rally1 car and now this. Honestly, I’m a little bit lost for words and it’s definitely going to take some time for this to sink in.
“But to bring another world championship – a fourth one – home for the Solberg family. That makes me very proud. I guess we still have one more step to make before I can really equal my dad, but tonight we will definitely be celebrating as world champions!”
Elliot Edmondson
“This one is definitely going to take a moment to sink in. I’ve been so impressed – not just on this rally but for the whole season – with how cool, calm and collected Oliver has been. We knew what we wanted to achieve this year, we knew how close we’d come last year, but we had a plan for 2025 and we stuck to it.
“Well, I say we stuck to it… winning Rally Estonia in a Rally1 car wasn’t part of the plan at the start of the season, but we’ll definitely take it! Like Oliver said, it’s been one very special year – but we still have more to achieve. I would like to thank him, the whole team and all of my family and friends for the support.”
Summary
What a drive then from the new leaders of this years world championship. Seb and Vincent had a very good drive to take their fifth victory this year. They did benefit from good road positions to take these wins, but nevertheless it has been quite remarkable.
For Elfyn and Scott though, this for me was an even better drive than their teammates. They opened the road throughout Friday and were even leading at the mid-day service on the first day. Then on Saturday’s first stage they moved up two positions in the first stage to hold third place before taking the lead in the last morning stage. They then continued to set great pace throughout Saturday’s stages finishing second overall at the end of the day. Then Sunday saw them take a stage win, their second of the rally and then finish second overall, securing very good points for their championship challenge. They are now just two points from the championship leaders as the next round moves to asphalt for two rounds.
Finally, Adrien and Alex had a great result taking a well-deserved podium. They’d lead a rally for the first time on the overnight halt from Friday to Saturday’s stages. Then in the morning stages on Saturday they lost time, but not as badly as their teammates and took a very good result, especially after they were ‘retired’ following the end of the last rally.
There is a gap now before the next round, the Central European Rally over the weekend of the 16 to 19 of October. The teams will use that time to head back to their bases and prepare for this event.
2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 11
1
S. Ogier
224
2
E. Evans
222
3
K. Rovanperä
203
4
O. Tänak
181
5
T. Neuville
166
6
T. Katsuta
94
7
A. Fourmaux
86
8
S. Pajari
70
9
O. Solberg
60
10
G. Munster
25
2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 11
Jose Antonio Rueda [Red Bull KTM AJO] pulled off the kind of move that defines champions, diving up the inside at the final corner in Misano to snatch a dramatic Moto3 victory. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider denied Maximo Quiles [CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar] what looked like a sure win, extending his already commanding lead in the standings as the paddock now heads to the flyaways. For Quiles, it was heartbreak but also a strong second place that reinforces his rapid rise in his rookie season, while Adrian Fernandez [Le0pard Racing] returned to the podium in what is turning out to be a challenging season with a hard-earned third.
Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A
The opening laps set the tone for what would become another Moto3 classic. Joel Kelso [Levelup-MTA] and Valentin Perrone [Red Bull KTM Tech3] were locked in combat right from the first corner, David Muñoz [Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP] battled for the podium places and Jacob Roulstone [Red Bull KTM Tech3] also fought at the front in the opening laps. True to form David Muñoz pulled off an agressive move early in the race running himself and rookie Valentin Perrone out wide closing the door on both riders podium hopes.
At the front, Rueda capitalised, making his first move for the lead on Lap 7. The Spaniard was instantly on the offensive, showing the confidence of a championship leader. Quiles wasn’t about to let him escape. The Aspar rookie cut through the group, first picking off rivals before turning his attention to Rueda and Kelso. On Lap 10, Quiles launched a bold move to snatch second from the Australian, only for Kelso to strike back immediately. The top six were glued together, Fernandez and Piqueras hanging onto the tail of the fight while Perrone regrouped after his earlier clash.
The closing stages saw the intensity rise with every corner. With five laps left, four riders—Rueda, Quiles, Kelso and Perrone—were slightly clear, a quartet that seemed destined to decide the podium. Fernandez edged ever closer as Piqueras slipped back, unable to quite bridge the gap when it mattered most. The final two laps delivered the fireworks. Quiles muscled his way into the lead through Turns 12 and 13, Perrone briefly climbed to second, and Rueda found himself shuffled back before regrouping.
Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A
It all came down to the last lap. Quiles led across the line with Rueda shadowing him, Perrone still in the mix but under pressure. At Turn 13 Perrone ran wide, ending his hopes of victory. That left Quiles to defend through Turn 14, but Rueda had planned his attack to perfection. Carrying more speed into the final corner, he dived underneath his rookie rival and made the move stick, crossing the line just over a tenth clear to claim one of the most decisive wins of his season.
Behind them, Fernandez’s persistence was rewarded with third, denying Kelso by a fraction. Angel Piqueras [Frinsa – MT Helmets – MSI] settled for fifth, while Perrone slipped to sixth, less than a second from glory showing how close this Moto3 battle was. Muñoz recovered superbly from his early aggressive mistake to finish seventh, ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka [Frinsa – MT Helmets – MSI], rookies Guido Pini [Liqui Moly Dynavold Intact GP] and Alvaro Carpe [Red Bull KTM Ajo], who rounded out the top ten.
Rounding out the points were Jacob Roulstone and Taiyo Furusato [Honda Team Asia] in eleventh and twelth. Just behind them was Dennis Foggia [CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team] and David Almansa [Le0pard racing]. Scott Ogden took the final point in fifteenth.
The second full day then of this southern hemisphere springtime rally and the crews faced 139km’s over six stages which included the longest stage of the event at just a little under 30km’s. Ott and Martin returned to the action and would open the road.
First up then was SS7 Pelún 1 – 15.65 km and the rain which had been falling overnight was still falling. It would really make this first stage super tricky and slippery. Ott would set the pace despite opening the road, with Elfyn going second fastest just 1.4 seconds off the pace of the Estonian’s, whilst Kalle was third fastest. Elfyn and Scott’s pace brought them up two positions and into third overall as Seb and Sami slipped behind, now holding fourth and fifth respectively. Sadly, we lost two of the M-Sport crews as Josh and Alberto both had mechanical problems with their Puma’s. Greg was still running though, now in eighth place after being passed by Kalle after the Puma slid into a bank.
Onwards then into SS8 Lota 1 – 25.64 km and Ott was again fastest in the stage. There was no rain in this stage, but there were still sections with were damp. Kalle and Seb were second and third fastest. There were some changes on the leaderboard as Elfyn who set the fourth fastest time passed Thierry for second overall as the Belgian was around five seconds slower with the sixth best time. The Welshman’s pace took him and Scott really close to rally leaders Adrien and Alex, just nine tenths of a second now separating first and second positions. Also moving up the top ten were Kalle and Greg who both passed Takamoto as they moved into sixth and seventh respectively.
Now to the final stage of the morning loop and the longest stage of the whole weekend, SS9 María Las Cruces 1 – 28.31 km. Before the stage started Ott and Martin who were on their way to the start of the stage, then turned around and headed back to the service park. There was no problem with their car, and this was a decision it seemed to protect their car and look to Sunday’s stages and the points available. Kalle was fastest from Elfyn and Seb. Elfyn’s time saw him move into the lead passing Adrien, whilst Seb also moved into second overall. Adrien fell to third and Thierry was now fourth. The two Hyundai crews were not quite able to show the pace on this one.
Into the afternoon stages then, SS10 Pelún 2 – 15.65 km and Seb set the pace again from Elfyn and Thierry. It was an encouraging run from the Belgian crew who hoped that the afternoon would show that they were back on the pace after the struggles in the morning. With Seb setting the pace, he and Vincent halved the gap to Elfyn who remained 2.7 ahead of his teammate in the lead.
Onto the middle stage of the day then, SS11 Lota 2 – 25.64 km and Seb was again fastest from Elfyn and Sami. The Frenchman’s pace took him into the lead as Elfyn was 3.7 seconds slower with the gap now one second between them. The Hyundai crews really struggled on this one, going 7.8 and 10.3 seconds slower than Seb.
Onto the final stage of the day then, SS12 María Las Cruces 2 – 28.31 km and Seb was again fastest from Elfyn and Adrien who were 5.3 and 8 seconds slower than the leader. Thierry lost a huge 13.6 seconds in this one and was now over 40 seconds back from the lead.
Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day Two
1
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
2:23:13.9
2
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+6.3
3
A. Fourmaux
A. Coria
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+26.8
4
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+41.7
5
S. Pajari
M. Salminen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+50.4
6
K. Rovanperä
J. Halttunen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:23.2
7
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:54.3
8
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1
+2:00.4
9
O. Solberg
E. Edmondson
Toyota GR Yaris
+6:12.7
10
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Škoda Fabia RS
+6:42.9
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“I can be pleased to be in the lead tonight but not with my whole day. The conditions were not easy this morning and unfortunately I was not in the right rhythm in the first stage. I was just too cautious and lost a lot of time. That was a frustrating start, but we managed to react well and find a good rhythm. Elfyn was very strong in those conditions this morning, but we managed to turn it around in the afternoon. Tomorrow will still be very intense: the fight for the win is very much on and there are a lot of extra points to try and secure too. Every stage will be important, so I will need to be awake and on it from the first one.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been a very positive day overall today. We had a really good run this morning in difficult conditions. It rained a lot overnight and during the first stage, and it was there where we were able to make the biggest difference, so I was happy with that. This afternoon the tyre wear wasn’t as bad as expected and I was maybe a bit conservative, especially at the start of the loop. Seb’s driven really well and taken some time back, but it’s still pretty close and all to play for tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to the fight.”
Sami Pajari
“This morning the conditions were surprisingly tricky. Like everyone, we were expecting the rain and the muddy sections, but the tyre wear was also quite high, and I quickly realised that I had to be clever and not just push like crazy everywhere. I don’t think we did too badly, and we were able to catch Thierry a little bit. I was hoping we could have done even more this afternoon, but we do have some new tyres available and will do all we can to try and catch him tomorrow.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It was pretty good for us this morning when the rain came: in those conditions it was not so bad to be at the front of the pack and we were able to do some good times and catch up quite a lot. But after all, three cars running in front of us dropped out, the afternoon was tough as first car on the road. It was drying up a lot, especially the last stage, and with so much loose gravel we lost a lot of time. Hopefully everyone restarts tomorrow, and we have more cars in front of us and we’ll try to get what we can from the final day.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“It was a difficult start today with the conditions. The first two stages of the loop were new for me, and we did the recce for them in fog, so it was not easy to trust the pacenotes and we had to accept that we would lose some time there. The last stage of the loop wasn’t so bad, so I knew that the pace was there, and the speed was quite OK in sections this afternoon too. Overall, I can’t be satisfied but the rally is not over yet and I’ll try to make tomorrow a good day.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Adrien Fourmaux
“We were aiming for the win here in Chile, and while today has been frustrating, the rally is not yet over. Let’s see what tomorrow brings – it will be a big fight with Séb and Elfyn, as well as Thierry. We gave it everything today, but the times just weren’t there; we are definitely missing something. However, I will not give up, and tonight we will try to improve the car to be on the pace tomorrow.”
2025 FIA World Rally Championship Round 11, Rally Chile 11 – 14 of September 2025 Photographer: Austral Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Thierry Neuville
“I took a gamble this afternoon by running with one more soft tyre than Adrien, but the conditions were still humid and tricky. We were quicker on the first stage of the afternoon, but he was faster on the second. Ideally, I would have had four hard tyres on the final stage, and I lost a bit of time. Overall, today, I was on the limit and couldn’t have gone much faster. Tomorrow is going to be a close fight with Adrien, and we’re going to enjoy it.”
Ott Tänak
“We returned to service after the first two stages today to save the engine for tomorrow. We gained good data from this morning that will aid in our preparations for Sunday, where we are aiming to score as many points as possible. It is not the position we want to be in, but we will do everything in our power to get the best out of this event and the remaining rallies this season.”
Oliver Solberg
“There was quite a lot of rain around in the first stage this morning,” said Oliver. “It was quite muddy and dirty in places, but after that the road was drying quickly and we had to look after the tyre. I was maybe taking it a little bit too easy in some places.
“The middle stage this afternoon, I was a little bit cautious, so we were back pushing harder on the last one – just to keep the gap. Now the focus is on tomorrow and not taking any major risks. The team, Elliott, everybody has done a fantastic job, and it would be amazing to bring this thing home tomorrow.”
Sunday
The final day will see the crews tackle 54km’s over four stages. Can Elfyn and Scott pass their teammates and take victory, or will the French crew hold on and take another win? Can the Hyundai crews fight back after a poor Saturday?
