Disputed on stages in the Ardèche, day one of the 80th Rallye Monte-Carlo more than lived up to expectations.

Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena let their driving do the talking as they chalked up three fastest times out of four. The eight-time World Champions ended the first day at the top of the standings.

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen had a more difficult opening day in their first competitive outing in a Citroën Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC. The Finnish driver pairing ended the day sixth in the overall standings. more...

At the end of a challenging day one of the Monte Carlo Rally the MINI WRC Team crews of Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) and Pierre Campana (FR) and Sabrina de Castelli (FR) were second and eighth respectively after 134.70 kilometres of competition over four stages. The weather was cold and dry with a little snow and some icy patches on the stages.

The story of the rally was always going to be about tyre choice and so there was a lot of interest in which rubber was being favoured. The MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars both used soft tyres, while some used the super soft. more...

Ford World Rally Team’s newest recruits, Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson, finished the opening leg of Rallye Monte-Carlo in a competitive podium position following an impressive drive on arduous road conditions.

Solberg, who completed only two days testing the Ford Fiesta RS WRC prior to the season’s curtain-raiser, proved his abilities as a world class rally driver by setting a string of top three stage times. more...

As the 80th Rallye Monte Carlo got underway in Valence today, there was an impressive showing from the WRC’s leading privateers, the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.

On a day when tyre choice was key, the M-Sport crews showed real maturity in their selections, rewarded with some impressive times from all three drivers.

Come the end of competition on Day 1, all three of M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta RS WRCs lay inside the top-ten with Evgeny Novikov fifth, François Delecour seventh and Ott Tänak ninth. more...

As the first day of competition got underway in Valence today, there were mixed fortunes for the Go Fast Energy World Rally Team.

Henning Solberg’s return to Monte Carlo was blighted by misfortune as he suffered from mechanical problems in both the morning and afternoon loops. Elsewhere, Matthew Wilson adopted a cautious approach as the British driver took the opportunity to gain the vital experience needed to prosper on the unforgiving stages of Rallye Monte Carlo. more...

Pierre Campana was pleased to bring the first day of action for this year’s World Rally Championship to a generally trouble-free conclusion in Monte Carlo this afternoon, lining up in eighth position on the overall classification after the opening four stages of competition.

Conditions were mixed on this opening day with dry weather making for clear conditions in SS1 and SS3 but lingering snowfall from previous days made for tricky second and fourth stages with snow and icy conditions giving all drivers a tough time. more...

The two Citroën DS3 WRCs prepared by Citroën Racing Technologies had to drop out of the race at the end of this first day of racing.

After making a promising start to the day, notably with the fifth best time on SS3, Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul had a collision on SS4.

With part of their front right-hand axle broken, the Citroën Junior World Rally Team driver pairing couldn’t make it to the Valence service park.

The fourth stage also proved fatal for the driver pairing of Peter Van Merksteijn and Eddy Chevaillier, after they went off. more...

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) announced today that David Higgins, the 2011 Rally America National Champion, will continue as factory driver for the team in 2012 in a bid to defend his title.

Higgins and SRT USA begin the 2012 Rally America National Championship at the season opener Sno*Drift Rally in northern Michigan, Jan. 27 and 28 against a stacked field of over 70 entries.

Co-driver Craig Drew will once again join Higgins; the duo will pilot a Vermont SportsCar-prepared 2012 Subaru WRX STI in all six rounds of the 2012 Rally America National Championship. more...

At the end of the opening day of competition on Rallye Monte-Carlo, round one of the FIA World Rally Championship, reigning World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb heads the leaderboard.

Spaniard Dani Sordo is second with Petter Solberg in the final provisional podium position.

One of the world’s most historic rallies started last night in Valence, but it was today when the action kicked off in earnest. The route covered two stages, both run twice, but the 134.70 competitive kilometres proved tricky for the crews with tyre choice proving to be a decisive factor. more...

After an almost perfect performance on the 2012 Mountain Rally, Mads Østberg finished second to winner Andreas Mikkelsen.

The Gol-based event got the Norwegian Rally Championship season underway and served as a snow test opportunity for Østberg, who will compete in WRC Rally Sweden in early February.

Østberg believes his result may have been hindered by his position as road sweeper, saying, "The roads were quite snowy which made it difficult for me to drive faster than I did. Mikkelsen started out as number seven and had a much better grip than me." more...