Gravel Notes - Rallying News

Few wore their heart on the sleeve and entertained like Petter Solberg, which earned him legions of fans and the nickname Mr Hollywood. More than two decades on from winning the 2003 World Rally Championship title the much-loved Norwegian remains a force in the rallying scene.

But what is it like to be Petter Solberg - the showman? Autosport’s WRC reporter Tom Howard and rally journalist Luke Barry find out how defying his parents earned him his first national success, his WRC dream team and discover some of the hidden challenges he’s overcome.

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Kalle Rovanpera is one of the brightest young talents in Motorsport having rewritten the World Rally Championship record books, becoming the youngest ever champion aged 22 in 2022. Last year he joined an elite group of drivers to defend the crown that include Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biasion, Tommi Makinen, Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier.

The Finn may be familiar for tackling the world toughest roads but this year he is expanding his motorsport horizons, dovetailing a part-time WRC campaign with a move into circuit racing. But there is a lot more that makes the Finn tick as Autosport’s WRC reporter Tom Howard and rally journalist Luke Barry find out.

The dust has just about settled from an absolute barnstormer of a Rally Italia Sardinia that saw Hyundai’s Ott Tanak victorious by the joint smallest winning margin in series history.

Tanak defeated Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier by 0.2s after final stage drama, while points leader Thierry Neuville and contender Elfyn Evans found the going tough as the WRC rolled out its new sprint format.

Autosport WRC reporter Tom Howard and rally journalist Luke Barry review a record equalling rally and discuss the championship’s new format.

It has been a big week for rallying already. Lancia has announced it is making a long-awaited comeback to the stages while the World Rally Championship will trial its new sprint concept in Sardinia.

Autosport WRC reporter Tom Howard and rally journalist Luke Barry take a look at what Lancia’s announcement means for the world of rallying and preview the sixth round of the WRC in Sardinia. There is also a return of the Barry’s Brain quiz as Luke’s Sardinia knowledge is put to the test.

World Rally Championship points leaders Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe join Gravel Notes for a special episode.

The Hyundai Motorsport duo have made a blistering start to the 2024 season headlined by a stunning win in Monte Carlo. 

In a wide-ranging interview Thierry and Martijn discuss their first rally memories and how they work together as driver and co-driver. We also find out where their never give up attitude comes from and how they unwind away from the stages.

Sebastien Ogier chalked up the impressive milestone of 60 career World Rally Championship victories at Rally Portugal while Thierry Neuville opened up a 24-point lead in the title race.

Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais produced a faultless display to emerge from an intense head-to-head with a Hyundai’s rejuvenated Ott Tanak to claim a record sixth Rally Portugal win moving him one clear of WRC legend Markku Alen.

In the latest edition of Gravel Notes, Autosport’s WRC reporter Tom Howard is joined by rally journalist Luke Barry to dissect all the key talking points from Portugal. The pair also select their stars, unsung heroes and best quotes from the rally, and discuss the WRC Promoter’s vision for the future.

Four different winners from as many events has left the World Rally Championship delicately poised with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville maintaining a six-point lead over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans heading into Portugal this week.

A founding member of inaugural WRC season in 1973, Portugal is a firm fan and driver favourite, thanks to its challenging, yet brutal stages.But will it serve up another twist in the title chase?

Autosport WRC reporter Tom Howard is joined by rally journalist Luke Barry to discuss all the key topics heading into Portugal, including the return of Kalle Rovnapera and a thrilling WRC2 battle. The pair also go head-to-head in the third round of the Gravel Notes Barry’s Brain quiz.

The World Rally Championship returned to Croatia this past weekend for Round 4 of the 2024 season and with it, an epic battle between Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville took place, but with errors from both men in the closing stages, Sebastien Ogier came through to take the overall victory. 

On this week's Gravel Notes, Tom Howard and Luke Barry break down all the drama, hold a referendum on the controversial points system and the impact it's having on close Rallies like this one. Also, a review of WRC2 and another dominant weekend for Citroen, as well as their favourite quotes and unsung heroes from the weekend! (And check back next week for a special interview with Championship leader, Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe!)

Welcome back to another edition of Gravel Notes and in this episode, hosts Tom Howard and Luke Barry discuss the breaking news that the Ireland Rally attempt for 2025 has sadly been cancelled and whether there's any chance it can be brought back in the future.

The pair also preview the 2024 Croatia Rally and there's an extra challenging edition of "Barry's Brain" as Tom tries to stump Luke over his Croatia Rally knowledge! 

Welcome back to the winner's circle Kallie Rovanpera! It was a dominant victory at the 2024 Safari Rally of Kenya as both he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen led a Toyota 1-2 finish with Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston also on the podium.

In this edition of Gravel Notes, Tom Howard and Luke Barry break down the heavy attrition rate amongst the regulars, another tough rally for Hyundai as their struggles continue, more on the sport's potentially hybrid-less future, and how an upset stomach brought back bad memories for one of the co-hosts in the Quote of the Rally!