EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Mikkelsen Leads WRC2

The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 class after the day. 

SSS1, EKO Super Special Stage

WRC2 championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the first stage win of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Posting a time 0.4 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin on the stage. Marco Bulicia finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Gryazin. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Bulicia. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Yohan Rossel tied for the fifth fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. 

Canceled Shakedown

Yesterday it was announced the shakedown stage would be canceled for drivers of all classes due to weather. Storms in the region used for EKO Acropolis Rally Greece have been hit hard with storms as of late. Flooding some roads and turning roads into mud with giant puddles in some spots. Drivers are preparing for a weekend of unpredictability. 

What To Expect From Day Two

Day two of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be the first full day of stages. Andreas Mikkelsen is sitting exactly where he wants to be, in the rally lead. Yohan Rossel will need to put in some work to maintain second in the championship. Oliver Solberg is in the same boat as Rossel. Sami Pajari had a poor showing on the opening stage of the event, finishing 14th in class. He will also have some work to do tomorrow and throughout the rest of the event. 

A Correction 

It was said in the WRC2 event preview that Yohan Rossel would not be contesting EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. That was indeed false. I just happened to miss Rossel’s name on the entry sheet. These things happen from time to time, even if I’ve looked at the sheet a dozen or so times. Luckily the mistake was only made on a small thing and not something completely major. 

Driver Comments

*All comments taken from the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Twitter Page (@AcropolisRally)

SS1-#23 Oliver SOLBERG / Elliott EDMONDSON

“Great fun to put on a show for the fans. It’s going to be tough. I had to drive slowly here to take care of the tyres”

SS1-#22 Sami PAJARI / Enni MÄLKÖNEN

“I’m really looking forward to this rally. The weather will be a challenge, but I hope it will be good”

SS1-#21 Yohan ROSSEL / Arnaud DUNAND

“Honestly I’m happy, it’s my favorite rally on gravel. But it’s like Dakar this week!”

SS1-#20 Andreas MIKKELSEN / Torstein ERIKSEN

“I don’t know what to expect. A bit nervous here, because you reminded me [of] the first stage last year.”

The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads the WRC1 class after the day. 

SSS1, EKO Super Special Stage

Kalle Rovanperä claimed the win on the opening stage of the rally. Posting a time 0.3 seconds faster than fellow Fin Esapekka Lappi. Last years event winner Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time, 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi. The returning Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the outing, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Sordo. 

Canceled Shakedown

Yesterday it was announced the shakedown stage would be canceled for drivers of all classes due to weather. Storms in the region used for EKO Acropolis Rally Greece have been hit hard with storms as of late. Flooding some roads and turning roads into mud with giant puddles in some spots. Drivers are preparing for a weekend of unpredictability. 

What To Expect From Day Two

Day two of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be the first full day of stages. Kalle Rovanperä sits right where he needs to be, in the rally lead. Although Rovanperä doesn’t have the biggest lead heading into the first full day of stages. Just sitting 0.3 seconds ahead of Esapekka Lappi heading into the day. Less than a second separates first and fifth so it’s really anybody’s race heading into the day. It’ll be a test of who gets up to speed the quickest. As without a shakedown drivers aren’t able to make sure their car is completely ready for what’s to come. Expect a push from Elfyn Evans tomorrow, seeing as the championship runner-up sits 2.8 seconds behind Rovanperä heading into the day. 

Driver Comments 

*All comments taken from the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Twitter Page (@AcropolisRally)

SS1-#69 Kalle ROVANPERÄ / Jonne HALTTUNEN

“I have to hope that the conditions are better for me than they are normally in the dry. Opening the road tomorrow will be interesting.”

SS1-#33 Elfyn EVANS / Scott MARTIN

“It’s not going to be easy. I don’t think anybody knows what’s in front of them, so we just have to deal with it as we see it.”

SS1-#11 Thierry NEUVILLE / Martijn WYDAEGHE

“I haven’t felt this good for a long time in the car, so I’m looking forward. There’s a tough rally ahead, but I’m sure we will enjoy it.”

SS1-#8  Ott TÄNAK / Martin JÄRVEOJA

“The priority is a consistent drive, to get the car through with not much drama. That would help after a tough couple of events.”

SS1-#17 Sebástien OGIER / Vincent LANDAIS

“The recce was very challenging, it’s going to be a tough weekend for all of us. I’m happy to be here and I’m looking forward to driving this great car.”

SS1-#4 Esapekka LAPPI / Janne FERM

“I’m not sure if anybody likes the unpredictable conditions. But I’m sure it’s  going to be very entertaining.”

Subaru has one of the most legendary histories in Rally. The manufacturer has recently been linked to a return to the sports top level. 

A Legendary Manufacturer 

Subaru has been absent from WRC competition since 2008. They only pulled out their team due to the financial crisis in 2008. Since then there have been rumours circulating about a potential return. With one rumour from last season mentioning 2003 World Champion Petter Solberg as team principal, and rally icon Ken Block joining suit. Those rumours have never been said to be true. Subaru is probably the most famous manufacturer in WRC history. With drivers such as Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Petter Solberg, Ari Vatanen, and Carlos Sainz among others. The team has held 3 driver’s championships, and 3 manufacturers championship in its history. 

Where Is This Coming From?

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. He spoke to Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda who is also at the event this weekend. The two talked about bringing more manufacturers into the WRC, among other things. But Subaru was mentioned in said conversation. Toyota owns a share in Subaru and will support Subaru if they wish to enter the championship. Subaru currently doesn’t build an engine suitable for the WRC. However, Mr. Toyoda is reported open to the idea of sharing engine technology. 

A Welcomed Return

If Subaru were to return to the WRC they’d be welcomed with open arms by both fans and drivers. As the WRC is in desperate need of more manufacturers for the championship. The WRC currently has 3 manufacturers, those being Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford. However, M-Sport Ford has very little budget compared to Toyota and Hyundai, with both manufacturers being able to spend pretty much whatever they want. Adding another well-funded manufacturer would give drivers more opportunities to drive at the sports top level. 

Who Could Subaru Work With?

Subaru likely will need some help to get back to a full-fledged WRC team, but who could help the team? Toyota will likely help Subaru get their foot in the door and give some tips and such, but it wouldn’t come as much of a shock if they enlisted the help of Vermont Sportscar and Subaru Motorsports USA. Vermont Sportscar is the primary builder of Subaru Motorsports USA’s top-of-the-line rally cars. Something they have done for nearly 2 decades with great success. The team has won basically every championship since 2010, and more before then. With the team hosting drivers like Travis Pastrana, David Higgins, Brandon Semenuk and Ken Block. Vermont Sportscar could give Subaru the building blocks to building a successful WRC car. I mean we are talking about the team that wanted to bring their open-class rally car to the WRC in 2015 but was turned down because the thing was too fast. 

Photography Courtesy Of Motorsport Images and Subaru Motorsports USA

The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 10, EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. 

Driver’s Championship Rundown

Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 Drivers’ Championship heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Yohan Rossel who sits second in the championship, will not be at the event this weekend. Rossel hasn’t scored championship points since Rally Italia Sardegna. He did contest Secto Rally Finland but didn’t score points. Instead, he raced the event to gain some much-needed experience at the gravel Grand Prix. Rossel sits 5 points behind Mikkelsen. After winning his home event in Finland, Sami Pajari moved into third in the championship. Now sitting just 6 points behind Rossel. Pajari passed Oliver Solberg in Finland. Although Solberg was the class winner in Finland. Solberg wasn’t scoring points, however. Solberg dropped to fourth in the championship because of this, now sitting 7 points behind Pajari. Gus Greensmith and Emil Lindholm sit tied for fifth. With both drivers sitting just 2 points behind Solberg heading into this weekend. Lindholm will not be at the event this weekend. Meaning Greensmith only has to score 1 point to move into sole possession of fifth. 

What To Expect This Weekend 

It’s likely that the top five drivers will battle it out to try and move into a higher position this weekend. Solberg and Pajari will battle for second place this weekend. Whilst Mikkelsen will try to expand his championship lead. Adrien Fourmaux who sits 9th in points will likely move into 6th after this weekend. As Kajetanowicz and Lindholm aren’t at the event, and Gryazin isn’t scoring points. Meaning he shouldn’t have much of an issue getting the 10 points needed to move into sole possession of 6th place. Marco Bulicia sits tied for 10th heading into this weekend. Bulicia is tied with Teemu Suninen for the position. Bulicia will likely pass Suninen to take sole possession of the position. 

No Points For Gryazin

Nikolay Gryazin will not be scoring Drivers’ Championship points at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. He will be scoring team points for the Toksport WRT 2 team. Gryazin currently sits tied for 7th in the championship with Kajetan Kajetanowicz. Gryazin has been consistently on the WRC2 podium this season. Finishing second in Monte-Carlo after a penalty took his rally win away. He also finished second in Croatia and third in Finland. 

Storms have started to affect how EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be run, and they could possibly lead to the cancellation of the event. 

What’s Going On?

Heavy rain and storms have caused the gravel roads in the regions of Greece that EKO Acropolis Rally Greece uses to turn into mud and puddles. Cars have been getting stuck in said mud during recce. With recce at some points being canceled due to the conditions. Stages 14/15 have been cut short already by 10.77km to just 9km. Stage 15 is the Powerstage so this shortening isn’t just a minor thing. Recce for stage 7/10 will continue on Thursday before Shakedown. Shakedown will see drivers in the Rally1 class run a minimum of once on the stage, as opposed to the normal 3. This isn’t the first nature event to affect EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this season. As teams had their pre-event testing cut short or postponed due to forest fires in the region. From one extreme to the other, the WRC just can’t catch a break in Greece.

Could The Event Be Canceled?

Yes, anything is possible at this point in time. As if the cars are unable to contest the stages the stewards will have no choice but to cancel the tenth round of the championship. That is however a more extreme case. As a WRC round is barely canceled. The only times an event is really canceled is when they can’t do the rally due to fires or other extreme weather conditions. An example of this would be 2019 at Rally Australia. Which is also the last WRC event to be canceled not due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chances are drivers will have to contest the stages of the rally in the conditions that they are in. 

What If It Was Canceled?

The cancellation of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be a major one for the WRC. As it’ll move the championship down from 4 remaining rounds to just 3. With a tight battle between Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans expected to play out throughout the remainder of the season, a canceled event would Harper this battle. As just 25 points separate Rovanperä and Evans, with a potential 120 points available for each driver. If EKO Acropolis Rally Greece is canceled, the potential points drops to 90. It does guarantee the championship can’t be won until the Central European Rally, however. As previously mentioned this would be the first event canceled due to extreme conditions since 2019. The WRC and organizers of the event will do their best to try and make sure the event is run. Even if it is in a condensed format. 

Is There Another Option

Realistically speaking no, it’s either run the event or have it canceled and the championship be a 12-round series. There is one potential that would allow EKO Acropolis Rally Greece to run if it weren’t this weekend, however. As the championship could postpone the event if the organizers were to secure permits to run the event at a later date. There is an issue, however. Permits aren’t easy to get especially to close down the roads needed to run a WRC event. The WRC likely doesn’t have the time to wait for new permits to be approved, especially with Rally Chile Bio Bio being a couple of weeks away. They have limited time to get the rally run and the cars ready to ship over to South America. 

Updates

Shakedown has been canceled due to weather.

The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 10, EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. 

Drivers’ Championship Rundown

Kalle Rovanperä remains in the drivers’ championship lead after crashing out at Secto Rally Finland. Rovanperä now leads the championship by just 25 points over Elfyn Evans. Meaning there isn’t much of a room for error for Rovanperä this weekend. As if he were to retire Evans could tie him or pass him in the championship standings, now wouldn’t that be something. Thierry Neuville who had his championship hope renewed in Finland sits 11 points behind Evans and 36 behind Rovanperä. The championship is realistically a three-horse race. As last season’s runner-up, Ott Tänak sits 30 points behind Neuville and 66 points behind Rovanperä. Although Tänak hasn’t had the greatest luck in either Estonia or Finland. Sebastien Ogier has found a way to remain in the top five although he hasn’t competed since Kenya. Ogier sits just 6 points behind Tänak and 11 ahead of Esapekka Lappi. 

Manufacturers Championship Rundown

As per usual the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team leads the manufacturer’s championship standings, because who else would. Toyota sits 67 points ahead of Hyundai heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Led by Thierry Neuville, Hyundai will have their work cut out for them in Greece and the remaining rounds if they want to stop Toyota from winning another manufacturers championship. M-Sport to put it simply sits last in the championship and can’t win the title. That was expected however as the team only has two drivers eligible to score points at most events. It’s a two-horse race to determine who is the top manufacturer in the WRC.

Team Rundowns

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is probably the most comfortable team heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. Not really having to worry about either championship. As if Rovanperä makes another rare mistake this weekend, Evans or Ogier can step up to the plate, as they’ve proven they can before. Rovanperä won the event in 2021, and Ogier won it ten years earlier in 2011. The team had a poor showing last season, however. With none of their drivers finishing top 5, the highest was Takamoto Katsuta who finished 6th. Elfyn Evans has also never won a stage in Greece, and retired last season from the event. 

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT

Hyundai is in the middle right now and needs a push from Thierry Neuville to keep their hopes for a championship this season alive. Neuville won the event last season after Sebastien Loeb and Pierre-Louis Loubet retired from the event for M-Sport. The team also swept the podium at the event last season. With Neuville finishing first, Tänak second and Sordo third. This season will likely be different however as Tänak isn’t with the team anymore and Lappi finished 8th in class last season. Sordo also hasn’t been on the same level as last season. As last season Sordo was pretty much a lock for a podium spot, this year has been different for him. 

M-Sport Ford WRT

M-Sport Ford’s best event last season was EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With both Sebastien Loeb and Pierre-Louis Loubet dominating the opening day. That was until an alternator problem forced Loeb to retire and a puncture forced Loubet out of a chance to win. Loeb won’t be at the event this weekend, Loubet will be, however. Loubet will likely be looking to conquer the event and prove he belongs in a rally1 car. M-Sport also has Ott Tänak who finished second at the event last season. 

The entry list for Rally Chile Bio Bio was announced earlier today, among those entered was WRC2 driver Grégoire Munster in a Rally1 car. 

Munster’s Career Before 2023

Grégoire Munster made his WRC2 debut in 2019 at the Rallye Monte-Carlo in a Sköda Fabia. He ultimately retired from the event on SS11 due to an accident. Munster remained absent from the championship until Rally Finland where he finished 45th overall, and 8th in the WRC2 class. 2020 saw Munster compete at the Rallye Monte-Carlo once again, finishing this time 14th overall and 5th in the WRC2 class. Munster switched to a Hyundai i20 R5 for the remainder of his season. Finishing 11th in class at Rally Estonia and retiring from Rally Monza. In 2021 Munster didn’t compete at Rallye Monte-Carlo instead making his debut at Ypres Rally Belgium, finishing 9th in class at the event. Munster once again competed at Rally Monza, this time finishing 4 in the WRC3 class. I’m 2022 Munster competed at 6 events with Hyundai. Finishing 5th in class at Rallye Monte-Carlo, 25th in class at Croatia Rally, 5th in class at Ypres Rally Belgium, retiring from EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, 12 in class at Rally Catalunya and 1st in class at Rally Japan. 

Munster’s 2023 Season

In 2023 Grégoire Munster joined M-Sport Ford as a WRC2 driver. He made his season debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo where he finished 8th in class. Munster was then absent until Vodafone Rally De Portugal where he finished 27, at the Rally Italia Sardegna he finished 7th in class. He retired from Kenya and finished 9th in class at Secto Rally Finland. Munster will drive for M-Sport this weekend at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Munster also competed Rally Estonia in the WRC Junior Category, winning the class at the event. 

Getting A Chance

Grégoire Munster will get a chance to show what he can do at rally’s top level at Rally Chile Bio Bio. Munster will be given the keys to the Puma Rally1 car that is owned by Jourdan Serderidis. This may be the beginning of a bigger chance for Munster. As Serderidis is retiring from Rally at the end of the season. What will happen with Serderidis’s car is unknown. He could loan it to a driver like Munster and give them a chance to drive it, or he could return the car to M-Sport. If Serderidis were to loan the car to a driver, Munster would likely be the favourite. Given that Munster is getting the chance in the car now. How Munster performs in the car is yet to be determined. However, Munster hasn’t shown much at the WRC2 level. Only winning a single event, and only finishing on the podium once as well. What Serderidis sees in the 24 year old is unknown, but he must see something to be giving him a chance. 

The final round of the WRC Junior Championship final event takes place this weekend at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Let’s take a look at the 2023 championship contenders.

William Creighton, 96 Points

William Creighton sits at the top of the WRC Junior Championship standings. Sitting just 19 points ahead of Laurent Pellier heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. A 29-point advantage isn’t much in the WRC Junior class, as points are awarded for each stage win, as well as event win. Meaning Creighton will have his work cut out for him this weekend. If Creighton wins the championship this weekend he will be just the second driver from Ireland to win the title. The last Irishman to win the title went on to have a decent career in the WRC. That driver was the late Craig Breen who passed away earlier this year. Since then Ireland has been looking for another WRC star. Creighton could be that next big Irish star. 

Laurent Pellier, 67 Points

French drivers who win the WRC Junior Championship tend to go on to have decent careers in Rally. The last Frenchman to win the championship was Quentin Gilbert in 2015. Gilbert didn’t find success in the WRC. Only driving one rally at the top level, which was the 2016 running of Rally Wales GB. Pellier sits 29 points behind Creighton but has a chance to win. Although he has only won 19 stages this season, meaning he will have to hope Creighton has a rough Rally or an issue if he wants a chance to win.

Diego Dominquez, 64 Points

Domiquez has proven to be a strong competitor throughout the season. Although hasn’t taken a win in the junior category this season. He did take home 2 wins in the WRC3 class. Winning both Vodafone Rally Mexico and Safari Rally Kenya. Domiquez beat Canadian Jason Bailey at both events. Dominquez has won just 4 stages in the WRC Junior category, but that hasn’t stopped him from finishing on the podium on 3 different occasions, however. Sitting just 3 points behind Pellier and 32 behind Creighton, Dominquez won’t have an easy time if he wants to win the championship. Needing Creighton to have a poor showing at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece or winning a bunch of stages and the event. 

WRC Junior Event Winners

Rally Sweden- William Creighton

Croatia Rally- Eamonn Kelly

Rally Italia Sardegna- William Creighton

Rally Estonia- Grégoire Munster

The 2023 WRC Season is halfway over. It may be time to start looking ahead to 2024 driver lineups. This article will look at who could drive for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT next season.

Full-Time Drivers

Kalle Rovanperä

Kalle Rovanperä is pretty much a shoo-in to drive for Toyota next season. Yes, there have been rumours that Hyundai have talked with Rovanperä. But there’s about a 95% chance Rovanperä stays with Toyota. For one simple reason, Toyota’s car has proven it can win. Going to Hyundai means a lot of uncertainty. How will Neuville handle moving over from the number one driver spot to Rovanperä? How will Rovanperä do in a Hyundai? And finally, can the Hyundai compete with the Toyota’s consistently for Rovanperä to win the championship? All of which Rovanperä knows the answer to with Toyota, so why leave? He’d be in a perfect spot, he’d have a team willing to put all the cards on him, and a car that allows him to compete as a guarantee. 

Elfyn Evans

Much like Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans is pretty much a shoo-in for Toyota. He’s proven he can compete and win rallies. Which for a team that is looking to take home both the Drivers and Manufacturers championship each season is what they need. Somebody who can step up when Rovanperä makes a rare mistake like he did in Rally Finland. An Evans and Rovanperä pairing is what Toyota should continue with if both drivers want to stay. Which is what will likely happen. Evans will likely get offers from both Hyundai and M-Sport if he decides to move on from the Japanese manufacturer. 

Ott Tänak

A return to Toyota could be in the books for the 2019 champion. Tänak’s future with M-Sport is uncertain at this point. As he doesn’t have a contract for next season, and it sounds like he could move on from M-Sport again. Hyundai doesn’t seem like much of an option for Tänak, as he left the team last offseason due to issues. Toyota could give Tänak a chance at winning his second championship, although he would have to fight with Rovanperä for it in equal machinery. For Tänak to move back to Toyota he would need a spot freed up if he wants to go full-time again. Which is likely what he will want. The team ran three full-time cars this season, and have four cars. Could Toyota have four full-time cars or do they think Katsuta is ready for a larger role. The other way is if Evans or Rovanperä leave Toyota, which as previously stated is unlikely. 

Takamoto Katsuta

Takamoto Katsuta has driven the last two full WRC seasons. Albeit with very little presume for the most part. As he either hasn’t been scoring manufacturers’ points or hasn’t been in the position to. As the rounds he has been nominated to score manufacturers points on Evans or Rovanperä take care of those duties. Besides Secto Rally Finland were Rovanperä crashed out. Meaning Katsuta had to step up to the plate. That he did, finishing third after battling it out with Teemu Suninen during days three and four. 

Part-Time Drivers

Sebastien Ogier

Sebastien Ogier’s time in the WRC likely isn’t over. As the 8-time champion has proven he can still compete with the top guys in the WRC this season. Winning in Kenya, Mexico and Monte-Carlo and leading the championship for a period of time. He’s been the only driver to bring the fight to Rovanperä who has all but won the championship heading into Greece next weekend. Ogier has been linked to Hyundai however, but chances are Ogier remains with Toyota as he’s a great fit for the team. 

Oliver Solberg 

Solberg was moved down to the WRC2 class after he and Hyundai parted ways before Rally Japan last season. Solberg wasn’t able to secure a Rally1 drive this season but has proven to be a strong competitor in WRC2. Winning rallies in the double digits often, or retiring. Solberg has been head and shoulders above his WRC2 competition this season, and would likely lead the championship if he had a bit more luck and didn’t retire as much. Solberg is one of the brightest young stars the WRC has. This is something Toyota loves, they gave a young Kalle Rovanperä a chance and turned him into a star. They are doing the same with Takamoto Katsuta. Solberg could be a good candidate if Toyota wants to grow another young star into a potential champion. 

Gus Greensmith 

Much like Solberg, Greensmith was forced into a WRC2 car after he and M-Sport parted ways last off-season. Gus Greensmith didn’t have the greatest 2022 season, often crashing out or being below a top-five spot throughout the rally. Greensmith, like Solberg, has shown he can compete in the WRC2 class. Greensmith was a mainstay for M-Sport until last season. Toyota could give Greensmith a chance back at the top level in a good car. 

Sebastien Loeb

What do you do if one multi-time champion leaves your team? Replace him with another multi-time champion of course. Sebastien Loeb could prove a strong replacement if Sebastien Ogier leaves Toyota. Loeb has been absent from the WRC this season, competing in the WRX after he lost his spot at M-Sport due to a lack of funding on M-Sports part. Loeb has never driven in a Toyota during his illustrious career. Driving for Citroen, Hyundai and M-Sport. 

Andreas Mikkelsen

Mikkelsen was rumoured to be getting another chance at the sports top level. As he was rumoured to be the driver selected by Hyundai to take Craig Breen’s spot after Breen passed away. If Mikkelsen wants a WRC drive and Ogier leaves Toyota he could be a suitable replacement. Mikkelsen has proven he can compete, almost winning the WRC2 championship last season, and being a top runner during his days with Volkswagen. 

Sami Pajari

It’s not a secret that Toyota wants to add Sami Pajari to their driver roster. Toyota will likely put Pajari in their new WRC2 car next season. As they will need a top driver for that, and Pajari has proven he can compete in the WRC2 class given the right chance. With Pajari winning Secto Rally Finland and consistently improving as the season progresses. Pajari could be another Rovanperä or Katsuta for Toyota. Being on the younger end of the scale and bursting at the seams with potential. Pajari will likely get a load of offers from teams trying to swipe him up from Toyota. 

Who Could Drive For Hyundai In 2024

Brandon Semenuk is now a 2 time ARA champion. Winning the championship this past weekend at the Ojibwe Forests Rally. Should Semenuk consider competing in some WRC events?

The Facts

Brandon Semenuk is the newest multi-time American Rally Champion. Following in the footsteps of legends like Travis Pastrana and David Higgins. On the way to winning the 2023 Green APU American Rally Association Championship Semenuk won all but 9 stages so far this season. Only losing those stages to 2020 champion Barry McKenna at the Rally In The 100 Acre Wood. That was also the last time Semenuk had any real competition. As Semenuk has finished every rally at least 3 minutes ahead of his competition. Patrick Gruszka’s Hyundai i20 R5 or Tom Williams Ford Fiesta R5 aren’t on the same level as Semenuk’s Subaru WRX STI. 

An Ongoing Want From Fans

This conversation about seeing Semenuk compete in the WRC or ERC has been going on since last season. Last season Semenuk won his first championship. Beating the late Ken Block in the final round after Ken crashed and retired. Semenuk and Block went neck to neck all season long, Semenuk led most of the season but Block was hot on his tail. Semenuk stepped up for 2021 ARA Champion Travis Pastrana when Pastrana wasn’t on pace with Block. 

Why He Could Give It A Chance 

Semenuk is an extremely talented driver. When he competed in a Subaru Rally Team USA young driver event in 2018.  Semenuk was on the dot consistently and shocked the Subaru engineers and team at the event. Semenuk was no stranger to Rally at that point, however. With the Canadian competing in both the CRC in a Subaru Crosstrek and the ARA in a Ford Fiesta R5. Claiming multiple rally wins in the Canadian Championship. Semenuk could prove to be a strong competitor in the WRC2 championship. Although he has limited experience in the WRC2 cars, they would also be a step down from his Open Class Subaru he currently drives. It would be a bit of a learning curve for Semenuk that may or may not be worth it in the long run.

Why He May Not

The biggest reason why Semenuk may not compete in European rallies is due to his already packed schedule. Semenuk competes as both a Rally driver and a Mountain Biker. Something he already juggles in North America and is tight at times. Add in the extra time needed to compete in a WRC or ERC event and it would likely be difficult. Semenuk also isn’t a young guy. Being 32 years old and 33 in February he’s a bit of a disadvantage. Although it’s not unheard of for a driver to make thier debut after the age of 30. As Kajetan Kajetanowicz has done it before, and done well since then. There is a difference between Kajetanowicz and Semenuk however. Kajetanowicz was already competing in R5 cars and in Europe. Semenuk has spent limited time in a R5 car and hasn’t competed in Europe. 

Another Option

There isn’t a complete loss for those hoping to see Semenuk compete in the WRC2 class. As Semenuk could compete in the class when the championship comes to the Americas. This would be optimal for Semenuk as it’s closer to home and wouldn’t require long travel. Subaru Rally Team USA drivers are also no strangers to competing in the WRC when it comes to the Americas. With both Ken Block and Travis Pastrana competing in Mexico with the team. 

The Verdict

Brandon Semenuk will likely drive a handful of rallies in Europe at some point in his career. When that happens is the question that will have to wait to be answered. As timing is the biggest factor. Everything has to make sense for Semenuk to do it, especially for a round in Europe.