Loeb Faces RallyRACC Choice

Getty Images

Sebastien Loeb admits it won't be easy to make the right choice when it comes to selecting his road position for the opening day of RallyRACC-Rally de  España.

Loeb, of the Citroen Total World Rally Team, has earned the right to choose his position for Friday’s mainly gravel stages first at the selection ceremony in Barcelona at 17:30hrs local time today after he set the fastest time on the Qualifying Stage this morning.

“I was thinking this morning that it wouldn’t make such a difference if I was the first, second or third or fourth to pick my place [on the road],” said Loeb. “When I think to the first day and where I will run on the road, we have to remember that even if the rain doesn’t come, the road this morning was damp. It’s not the easy choice and we have to think about the asphalt as well. This is not straightforward: Jari-Matti [Latvala] and Mikko [Hirvonen] both have very strong pace for this rally and we have to be wary of them.”

Of his performance on the 2.94-kilometre run, Loeb added: “I was not pushing very, very hard to make the fastest time this morning, but in the end it has happened.”

Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena will receive a special trophy in recognition of their achievements in Spain. They made their WRC debut in the country in 1999 and have won the event seven times. RACC president Sebastia Salvado will make the presentation outside Barcelona cathedral.

Related articles

• Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena WRC World Champions
• WRC - Sébastien Loeb One Step Closer To Heaven
• Loeb Takes 9th WRC Title
• Sébastien Loeb and Citroën
• Sébastien Loeb Makes Perfect Start To Rallye de France
• Winning is Not Everything - Loeb

Loeb Takes 9th WRC Title

Getty Images

Sebastien Loeb secured his ninth FIA World Rally Championship crown - and Citroen's eighth manufacturers' title success - with WRC career victory number 75 on Rallye de France Alsace today.

In emotional scenes at the finish of the final stage in his hometown of Haguenau, Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena celebrated victory by 15.5s ahead of factory Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

“It’s incredible,” said Loeb, whose title was the 20th drivers’ crown scored by tyre firm Michelin. “We were dreaming about this moment at the start of the rally having lived this two years ago. Now we are here again with the victory and the championship in front of all these wonderful people. It’s not possible to get better than this, it was a dream all weekend in front of all these fans. We couldn’t believe the atmosphere two years ago, it was amazing then and it’s amazing now.”

With rain affecting the morning loop of three stages, and mud and damp sections a constant menace in the afternoon, Loeb, Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen - in the second factory Citroen and the only driver capable of denying Loeb the title - drove with caution throughout the day to finish in that order, a result that thrilled Latvala.

“To be honest it is my best Tarmac result,” said the Finn. “I have never ever been so close to Sebastien Loeb on a Tarmac rally if you think about the overall gap so I need to be happy.”

Citroen Junior driver Thierry Neuvile was less circumspect than the leading trio, claiming a total of five stage wins as he climbed from sixth to fourth in impressive fashion, demoting Mads Ostberg and Dani Sordo in the process.

Adapta Fiesta pilot Ostberg took fifth - his best result on asphalt - but Sordo dropped out after a heavy impact on the sump guard of his MINI John Cooper Works WRC on stage 18 bent the engine mounting and moved the power steering pump, resulting in a lost of power steering fluid and failure on the Haguenau street stage.

Ott Tanak won the Power Stage in a strong sixth overall. M-Sport Fiesta team-mate Evgeny Novikov lost almost three minutes on stage 18 when he rolled into a field and suffered considerable delay trying to regain the road. Miraculously, Novikov’s car suffered cosmetic damage only and he was able to finish seventh.

Chris Atkinson finished eighth for WRC Team MINI Portugal with Martin Prokop ninth and Sebastien Chardonnet an impressive 10th on his first run in a DS3 WRC in the world championship.

Sebastien Ogier beat team-mate and fellow Skoda Fabia Super 2000 driver Andreas Mikkelsen to 11th overall in the battle to be top Volkswagen Motorsport driver. Multiple World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller was 14th after going fourth quickest on stage 18. Former Le Mans 24 Hours winner Romain Dumas finished 16th in a similar MINI.

Brazil World Rally Team’s Daniel Oliveira went off the road on stage 18, while countryman Paulo Nobre failed to complete stage 21. Petter Solberg restarted under Rally 2 rules following his crash on day two but finished outside of the top 20 in his works Ford. However, there was no restart for Qatar World Rally Team’s Nasser Al-Attiyah after he also went off the road on Saturday.

Related articles

• Sebastien Loeb wins 9th straight world rally title
• Sebastien Loeb wins 9th straight world rally title
• Sebastien Loeb wins 9th straight world rally title
• Loeb secures title on home soil
• Winning is Not Everything - Loeb
• Sebastien Loeb wins ninth straight world rally title, Rally France

Winning is Not Everything - Loeb

Getty Images

Sebastien Loeb has been mobbed like Jesus on Rallye de France Alsace, but he's not going to go all-out for victory on his home event, however much his disciples might want him to.

In fact, he doesn’t care where he finishes at all - as long as it’s ahead of his Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen: his only opposition for the FIA World Rally Championship.

“The only person I’m bothered about is Mikko, he is the only rival I have and I’m not too bothered about the others,” said Loeb, who had to clamber over the bonnet of his recce car to get in while doing the recce for the Haguenau stage earlier this week, such were the crowds around him.

“If I can win the rally it’s obviously better, but I’m really not going to risk everything to do this,” he added. “If I’m in a close fight with Latvala, for example, and the others are far behind I can finish second, no problem. There’s no obligation to win so I will see how I feel.”

Worryingly for his rivals though, the Frenchman pointed out that he didn’t necessarily have to try and win in order to take a victory.

“I ended up winning in Finland and Germany while being in the same frame of mind, so we’ll just see what happens,” he explained. “Some people say that I need to win because it’s the last time I’m coming here but that’s not true. There is a certain pressure and we want to do well but with time and experience I’ve learned to manage that pressure so now it’s fine.”

For the moment, Loeb doesn’t have to think about it at all because he has a lead of 13.1s starting Saturday’s stages - but even if he didn’t, it’s not the end of the world. Even for an eight-time world champion, winning isn’t everything.

Related articles

• Sébastien Loeb Makes Perfect Start To Rallye de France
• Loeb set to clinch 9th straight world rally title
• Loeb homes in on WRC title in Alsace
• Loeb Makes Asphalt in Deutschland
• Loeb Leads Neste Oil Rally Finland

Wales Rally GB Agreed for 2013

Wales Rally GB appears guaranteed to be on the World Rally Championship calendar for a 14th consecutive year in 2013.

The Welsh government has reached an in-principle agreement with the organisers, International Motorsports Ltd, to host the event in Wales next year.

Confirming the agreement, Minister for Business Edwina Hart said: "Wales Rally GB is one of Wales' longstanding flagship events and has been exclusively hosted here since 2000.

"In addition to reaching an in-principle agreement for 2013, we have agreed to undertake a full review of next year's event, with a view to extending the agreement for a further two years.

"The value of the relationship between the staging of Wales Rally GB and Wales' automotive sector should not be underestimated.

"Wales Rally GB has significant links with the automotive sector in Wales, which is home to 150 component and systems manufacturing companies."

"The industry in Wales also employs 18,000 people in automotive manufacturing, retail & maintenance and has an annual turnover of £3billion."

The Welsh Government provided a funding package worth £1.4million to support this year's Wales Rally GB event.

Related articles

• Win 2 tickets to the new Celtic Manor stage of the Wales Rally GB.
• Latvala wins Wales Rally GB
• Wales News: Rally of Great Britain set to start in Wales for 14th straight year
• High speed action at Wales Rally GB - Your chance to win 4 tickets
• Win tickets and helicopter transfers, Wales Rally GB 2010, Sport
• VIDEO: Hayden Paddon set for Wales Rally GB

Loeb Makes Asphalt in Deutschland

Getty Images

Sebastien Loeb marked the 10th anniversary of ADAC Rallye Deutschland's elevation to the FIA World Rally Championship by winning the asphalt event for a ninth time in the Citroen DS3 WRC he shares with co-driver Daniel Elena.

Loeb won the opening stage on Friday morning to take a lead he would never relinquish following a dominant display in changeable weather conditions. The result was his seventh victory of 2012 - his fifth in succession - and hands him a 54-point title lead heading to Wales Rally GB next month.

“It was a hard rally, the conditions were extremely difficult, which meant I had some very difficult tyre choices to make,” said the 38-year-old, who claimed a total of nine stage wins during the course of the three-day event in Trier, including the Sunday’s first rain-hit test, Dhrontal, and the Circus Maximus Power Stage in Trier. “We had a good drive, a perfect car and I made no mistake. Winning the Power Stage also meant this was a perfect weekend. I also had a lot of support from the fans.”

Loeb’s only cause for concern occurred on the repeat of Dhrontal when he reported a slight lack of turbo response, which led to him mistakenly fearing that he would be unable to fight for the three bonus points awarded to the Power Stage winner.

Jari-Matti Latvala was the leading Ford finisher in second - his best result on asphalt in the WRC - with Mikko Hirvonen making it two Citroen runners on the podium in third despite not showing the kind of speed that has carried him to 14 WRC victories in the past. Latvala’s only cause for concern on day three occurred when the bonnet of his Fiesta RS WRC began to lift on stage 13, while Hirvonen spent the day conducting set-up work.

Mads Ostberg finished fourth for the Adapta World Rally Team with Chris Atkinson a strong fifth in his debut for WRC Team MINI Portugal. Sebastien Ogier shone for Volkswagen Motorsport, guiding the German firm’s Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia to sixth overall with team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen next up. The undoubted highlight for Norwegian Mikkelsen was his capture of the third fastest time on the Power Stage.

Ott Tanak restarted under Rally 2 rules following his exit on Saturday’s closing test and finished ninth on the road behind London 2012 Olympics bronze medallist Nasser Al-Attiyah, who was fourth fastest on the Power Stage on his WRC comeback with the Qatar World Rally Team. However, the Estonian was withdrawn from the event to enable the fitting of key linked components for the next asphalt event in France.

That decision by the M-Sport Ford squad meant Dani Sordo took ninth on his return under Rally 2 rules in Prodrive’s MINI John Cooper Works WRC, the Spaniard moving ahead of French Peugeot 207 driver Mathieu Arzeno in the closing stages.

Petter Solberg followed Arzeno home in 11th, the ex-world champion restarting following repairs to his factory Fiesta when he crashed on day two. Solberg left first service in Trier this morning having set up his car with the aim of challenging for Power Stage glory only for a few mistakes on the slippery surface to hold him back.

Thierry Neuville lost a few seconds with a brief loss of traction exiting a hairpin on stage 13 before he stopped to change a puncture two kilometres into the following test. Russian Evgeny Novikov retired with a broken rear differential after stage 13.

Sepp Wiegand’s outside hopes of a top 10 finish were dashed when the young German talent spent several minutes repairing a damaged wishbone on Sunday’s first stage.

Related articles

• WRC - Rallye Deutschland - Day 1
• Loeb Leads Neste Oil Rally Finland
• WRC Title Not Over Yet - Solberg
• Gronholm Tempted by WRC Return

Gronholm Tempted by WRC Return

Flying Finn Marcus Gronholm has admitted he is still tempted by a return to the FIA World Rally Championship.

Speaking to WRC Live’s Becs Williams during the recent Neste Oil Rally Finland, the double world champion and a seven-time winner of the Jyvaskyla-based round, said he “got the urge many times” to make a WRC comeback.

The 44-year-old, still recuperating following his accident in the X Games in Los Angeles last month, was a visitor to his home round of the world championship last Saturday.

“I decided on Friday afternoon to come up to Jyvaskyla,” said Gronholm, who claimed 30 wins from 152 starts during his lengthy stint in global rallying’s top tier. “It’s not easy to stay here and not drive but finally it’s nice to be here and see old friends. I’m happy I decided to come.”

Gronholm, pictured during his visit to Rally Finland, has tackled two WRC rounds since retiring from full-time competition at the end of the 2007 season. He revealed he drove a version of MINI’s John Cooper Works WRC in initial testing but otherwise had no knowledge of the latest-generation World Rally Cars.

Despite his fondness for WRC competition, Gronholm conceded he would not have relished being in Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen’s shoes starting the final Ouninpohja stage still in the fight for victory.

“If you are leading with only a few seconds going into Ouninpohja then it’s scary for the drivers who will be afraid to have to fight for the win,” said Gronholm. “For the spectators and media it’s great but not for the drivers.”

Philippe Bugalski 1963 - 2012

Philippe Bugalski, who died in a fall at his home near the French town of Vichy yesterday aged 49, will be remembered as the man who honed Citroen's rally cars into world championship winners and gave the firm its first win in the WRC.

‘Le Petit Bug’ first competed back in 1984 but joined Citroen full time in 1998, making his debut in the all-conquering Formula 2 Xsara Kit Car in Spain: the first of three asphalt rallies that he would contest with the squad that year.

The undisputed high point of his career came a year later, when he won in both Catalunya and Corsica in the car, co-driven by Jean-Paul Chiaroni. It was a performance so dominant on both occasions that the sport’s top stars at the time called for the car to be handicapped on WRC events. He could have added a Sanremo victory to that total had not conditions been wet on the second day, robbing the two-wheel drive Xsara of vital traction and dropping him to 11th.

The final day was dry, and Bugalski crashed out after a spectacular, all-or-nothing charge through the field that was breathtaking to watch. At the same time, he wrapped up three consecutive French titles from 1998 to 2000, again with the F2 Xsara: his favourite rally car.

In 2000 he also alternated occasional world championship outings in a Citroen Saxo alongside a testing campaign with the Citroen Xsara T4, which would eventually become the Citroen Xsara World Rally Car once the PSA Group gave the green light for Citroen to go head-to-head against stablemate Peugeot. His debut in the car came in Spain in 2001, where he finished eighth, but the best result of his first Xsara WRC season came on the rough gravel of the Acropolis - by no means his favourite surface - where he finished sixth.

In 2002, once the Xsara WRC really hit its stride, he was back on the podium with third in Catalunya: the same rally where he ended his distinguished career a year later at the age of 40.

Latterly, he devoted his time to historic rallies - where he competed in cars such as the iconic Audi Quattro - and the well-known Automeca team. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

It’s an overused phrase but Bugalski was a true gentleman, with a warmth and personality that far exceeded his diminutive stature. He was driven by a passion for rallying that led him to always help youngsters coming up through the sport, with Citroen regarding him as not just a valued test driver, but a true brand ambassador.

Courtesy: Anthony Peacock

Loeb Leads Neste Oil Rally Finland

Five seconds will separate Citroen chargers Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen in the race for success on Neste Oil Rally Finland, round eight of the FIA World Rally Championship, which concludes with six ultra-fast gravel stages on Saturday.

Loeb and Hirvonen have fought a close battle for glory throughout day two in their factory DS3 WRCs. While Loeb has remained in front, a rear differential glitch and a rare driving error on today’s penultimate test have helped to ensure the flying Hirvonen remains firmly in the fight for victory.

“It’s a long final day tomorrow and we will see what we can do,” said Loeb. “The gap is so small, it will be a hard fight but we have to do it correctly.”

Hirvonen, chasing his first win for Citroen and his second on home soil, said: “I was pushing really hard and so was Sebastien. Little by little I have taken time out of him. It will be a big fight tomorrow but I am confident.”

Jari-Matti Latvala is the top Ford driver in third overall although the Finn admits his pace has not been fast enough to threaten the top two crews. “I did only one mistake but the time is not there and there is nothing else I can do,” said Latvala. “Anything can happen but I can’t take any more speed anywhere.”

Petter Solberg, in the second works Ford is fourth after going fastest on the penultimate test. His fellow Norwegian Mads Ostberg is a strong fifth despite set-up issues in the morning and brake issues in the afternoon. Ostberg had been in a close battle with Thierry Neuville until the Citroen Junior driver failed to hear a pace note on the penultimate stage and roll into a retirement.

Ott Tanak is sixth after a cautious run through the afternoon stages after he used his only spare tyre following a puncture on the repeat of the Mokkipera test. Jari Ketomaa has been dogged by a persistent misfire for much of the day but completes in seventh place for Autotek Motorsport. Matti Rantanen is eighth with Martin Prokop ninth and Ken Block climbing to 10th for the Monster World Rally Team.

“I was absolutely loving the stages on the second pass,” said the Gymkhana star, who moved ahead of Sebastien Ogier when the Volkswagen Motorsport driver was slowed by a front-right suspension failure. “I had confidence with the pace notes and after being called a grandma by my engineer for my slower driving this morning I knew I had to do more in the afternoon.”

Chris Atkinson was in eighth overall, having lost time with an intercom glitch this morning, when he left the road on stage eight after mishearing a pace note. He lost several minutes when his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen got stuck on a tree stump. The Australian eventually retired from the day when he damaged the front-right of his car striking a rock on stage nine.

Evgeny Novikov was also out of luck, rolling twice on stage two. Despite inflicting significant cosmetic damage to his Fiesta he was able to continue although his co-driver Denis Giraudet spent the rest of the day nursing a sore back, the result of a heavy landing on the today’s opening test.

Riku Tahko is the leading MINI John Cooper Works WRC driver despite spinning at a junction on the penultimate test. Armindo Araujo was able to make improvements to the set-up of his WRC Team MINI Portugal entry. However, his team-mate Paulo Nobre retired on stage 10 when he went off the road and got stuck.

Loeb Early Leader of Rally Final

Sebastien Loeb leads Neste Oil Rally Finland, round eight of the FIA World Rally Championship, following the opening three special stages around Lahti this evening.

Driving a Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC, the eight-time world champion holds an advantage of 7.3s ahead of Friday’s action getting underway with the 12.75-kilometre Urria stage at 07:42hrs local time.

Loeb, who chose to run 10th on the road following Wednesday night’s Qualifying Stage, set the pace through the opening Koukunmaa run to take a lead of 1.6s to the Jokimaa superspecial, which Petter Solberg won in his Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC to narrow the Frenchman’s advantage to 1.5s.

But a stunning time by Loeb through stage three, the 14.22-kilometre Mynnila test, has enabled the world championship leader to edge slightly clear in his bid for a third victory in Finland.

“I feel well in the car at the moment and I tried really hard,” said Loeb. “I know I can fight for the victory, the feeling was good and I took the opportunity to go flat out. But there are a lot of Finnish drivers wanting the victory as well so I will try my best.”

Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen are tied on time in second and third places respectively with Solberg slipping to sixth after he struggled through stage three with traction issues. Rising stars Mads Ostberg, who was second fastest through stage three, and Thierry Neuville - third quickest on stage one - are fourth and fifth respectively heading to the overnight halt in Jyvaskyla.

Australian Chris Atkinson, driving a DS3 WRC for the first time, was satisfied with his pace on his first start in Finland since 2008 and only his second appearance of the 2012 season. He is seventh overall ahead of Russian Evgeny Novikov and Estonia’s Ott Tanak. Meanwhile, Jari Ketomaa said he struggled for rear-end grip on high-speed corners, which resulted in a few brief off-road moments. The Finn completes the top 10 for the Autotek Motorsport squad.

Matti Rantanen stalled the engine of his Fiesta at the start of stage one before opting for a cautious approach on his first event since Rally Finland 12 months ago. He is 14th overnight. Ken Block momentarily tipped his Monster World Rally Team Fiesta onto two wheels when he ran wide into a bank on the opening test. The Rally Finland newcomer and Gymkhana star, who is 17th overall, said he needed to work on improving his pace notes.

Finnish privateer Riku Tahko, competing in a World Rally Car for the first time, was the fastest of the three MINI John Cooper Works WRCs through stage one as WRC Team MINI Portugal drivers Armindo Araujo and Paulo Nobre concentrated on refining set-up and gaining confidence with their pace notes on the high-speed gravel stages. However, Tahko dropped behind Araujo on stage three as he struggled to see through his windscreen - damaged on the superspecial - in the low-lying sun.

Sebastian Lindholm, the 51-year-old Finnish veteran, spent the day opening the road at the head of the field in his privateer Fiesta and reported that he struggled in the slippery conditions caused by the loose surface gravel. Martin Prokop also complained about the lack of grip starting sixth on the road. The Czech is 11th overall, one place ahead of Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sebastien Ogier.

Impressive Finnish wildcard Esapekka Lappi, 21, moved into the lead of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship division with the fastest category time on the Jokimaa superspecial in Lahti and extended his advantage over title leader Hayden Paddon with another strong run through Mynnila. PROTON driver P-G Andersson is third in class with Craig Breen fourth.

Elfyn Evans topped the FIA WRC Academy after two stages with a lead of 5.3s over fellow Briton Alastair Fisher.

Citroen Underlines WRC Commitment

Citroen has underlined its commitment to the FIA World Rally Championship beyond the end of the 2012 season.

The French manufacturer has always talked of its long-term commitment to the WRC, with team principal Yves Matton emphasising that fact with his efforts to unearth a natural successor to Sebastien Loeb, the Frenchman who has won eight world titles and 72 rounds of the championship in a Citroen.

Despite difficult mid-year results from patent company PSA Peugeot Citroen, a Citroen spokesperson said: “The announcement of last week, won’t impact our WRC programme. However, we are doing our best to look at options to reduce the financial support of the brand in our sporting package.”

Loeb has a signed Citroen contract until the end of 2013, but the title leader is currently deciding whether or not to retire - he has a clause in his Citroen agreement that allows him to leave at the end of 2012 if he wishes.

With Citroen, Ford and MINI being joined by Volkswagen for next year, the 2013 season looks like being one of the most eagerly anticipated in the WRC’s recent history.

The next round of this year’s world championship is Neste Oil Rally Finland from 2-4 August.

Ford Trail Citroen in NZ - Day One

Following a bout of bad luck on the opening day of Brother Rally New Zealand, round seven of the FIA World Rally Championship, Ford team director Malcolm Wilson has vowed that the squad will not give up.

Team driver Jari-Matti Latvala had been running third until the Finn went off the road on stage seven and his Ford Fiesta RS WRC became caught in a fence. Latvala was forced to wait until a nearby farmer cut the wire that had become wrapped around his car’s wheel.

“I can’t remember being so disappointed in such a long time. It feels like nothing is working for me at the moment,” said a deflated Latvala at the end of day one.

Ford Team Director Malcolm Wilson, however, refuses to let today’s misfortunes affect the team going into the event’s final two days.

“Today wasn’t the best of days,” admitted Wilson. “Jari-Matti was in the battle for the lead but he lost his chance for victory when he cut a corner and went through a fence. Now we need to try to keep the pressure on over the last two days.”

Hirvonen Holds Early Lead

Subscription only

McRae Relishes Kiwi Gravel

Alister McRae says one the best things about Brother Rally New Zealand is that the spectacular gravel roads make it hard to resist pushing to go as fast as possible.

McRae, the younger brother of rallying legend Colin, is chasing success in the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship section of the event for the factory PROTON Motorsports team and is a big fan of the Auckland-based round.

“Rally New Zealand is always a favourite among the drivers,” said the Scot, who achieved a New Zealand personal best of sixth in 2003. “The fast and flowing nature of the roads encourage you to attack and push harder. The roads work with you on this event, you can use the camber of the road to pull you through the corner - at times you can be a gear higher than you would be on the same sort of bend without the camber.”

McRae hasn’t competed on Rally New Zealand since 2007 when he came close to winning the Group N division. However, he took part on International Rally of Whangarei in the country back in April and hopes that will hand him and his PROTON team-mate P-G Andersson an advantage.

“It’s great that P-G and I have been down here already once this year, that’s given us a good chance to dial ourselves into the specific nature of these stages,” he said.

Meanwhile, PROTON team boss Chris Mellors has paid tribute to SWRC co-driver Gareth Roberts, who lost his life in a crash in Sicily last weekend.

“We are all deeply saddened by the news from last Saturday morning,” said Mellors. “Gareth was one of Britain’s brightest co-driving talents and for his life to be cut short is a tragedy.”

Gareth Roberts 1987 - 2012

A rising Welsh rally star Gareth Roberts has been killed in a crash during the Targa Florio rally in Sicily.

The 24-year-old, from Carmarthen, was navigator in a Peugeot 207 being driven by Irishman Craig Breen which crashed on the eighth stage of the event. 

Emergency crews attended the scene but Roberts died as a result of his injuries the series organisers, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, reported on its website. 

As a mark of respect the IRC called off the remainder of the event. 

A statement from IRC said: 'On stage eight of Targa Florio-Rally Internazionale Di Sicilia there was an accident involving car number 15, Craig Breen and Gareth Roberts, which resulted in the stage being stopped to enable medical crews to attend the scene. 

'Despite their best efforts, Gareth Roberts succumbed to his injuries and the remainder of the event has been cancelled as a mark of respect. Craig Breen was unhurt in the accident. No spectators were involved. 

'Intercontinental Rally Challenge promoter Eurosport Events joins the IRC community in offering its sincere condolences to Gareth's family and friends who are in our thoughts at this very sad time.'

Breen and Roberts were lying sixth in the rally after seven stages when the accident took place.

IRC Manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas said: 'It's a very sad accident that reminds us that motorsport is dangerous: accidents can affect both driver and co-driver in rallying.

'As the president of the Automobile Club Palermo, Antonio Marasco, said after the accident, the Targa Florio is an event where many great champions have left us in the past, and sadly this has happened again. 

'The death of a 24-year-old young man at the start of a fantastic career is always a tragedy. 

'From the start of this year, together with Craig Breen, Gareth has put in some excellent performances and the crew really got themselves noticed. 

'There's no doubt in my mind that these performances would have got even better. 

'At this terrible time, I'm thinking very much of Gareth's family, to whom all of us at Eurosport Events pass on our sincere condolences.'

Solberg Confident of WRC Wins

Petter Solberg is "confident" of winning again in the FIA World Rally Championship this season but says he doesn't want to let his absence from the winners' circle constantly play on his mind.

Factory Ford driver Solberg, who hasn’t won in the WRC since 2005, lost ground in this year’s title battle when he crashed out of the previous round in Greece last month. Victory on Brother Rally New Zealand next week would bring him back into championship contention, not that Solberg wants to entertain that possibility.

“I try not to think about [not having won since 2005],” said Solberg. “We have come close so many times so it’s hard not to think about this but the main thing is to get the full package together to win the rally. The [Fiesta RS WRC] is very good but we just need to get all the small details together. Then after that we try to fight for the world championship but winning is very important because to deserve to win the world championship you have to win rallies. But I am confident this can be achieved this year, no problem.”

Solberg will start Rally New Zealand, which is based in Auckland from 21-24 June as one of the favourites for victory. He won the event while driving for the works Subaru team back in 2004.