WRC – World title chase and rising WRC rookies centre stage in Chile
The race for overall FIA World Rally Championship honours and a head-to-head contest between two rising talents are among the highlights in store on next week’s Rally Chile Biobío.
Counting as round 11 of the 13-event FIA WRC season, the third Rally Chile Biobío is the eighth and final gravel event of the current campaign.
Scheduled from September 26-29 in Chile’s spectacular Biobío region, the South American fixture continues to be based in the port city of Concepción, close to the Pacific Ocean and with stages run in the forests to the south.
Rally Chile Biobío will be held in the second week the Southern Hemisphere’s springtime, which can mean rain and cooler weather conditions.
But while the temperature might be colder in Chile, the FIA WRC title battle will be red-hot with Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team’s Thierry Neuville aiming to stay clear of the chasing pack. It’s headed by his team-mate, Ott Tänak, the 2019 FIA WRC champion, and Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’s Sébastien Ogier, who remains in contention for a ninth world crown. And with a maximum haul of 90 points up for grabs across the deciding three rounds of the season, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Adrien Fourmaux are not out of the title frame just yet.
It’s a similar story in FIA WRC2 for Rally2 cars with Oliver Solberg leading the provisional order. The 22-year-old Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia RS driver from Sweden is three points ahead of Sami Pajari having claimed a hat-trick of wins in 2024. Pajari is also a three-time winner in the category but the Finn, 22, has his focus fixed on Rally1 power on Rally Chile Biobío. The event marks his second appearance in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid following his stage-winning top-level debut on Secto Rally Finland in August.
Mārtinš Sesks from Latvia, another driver rated as a possible future world champion, also returns to Rally1 level in Chile. The 25-year-old’s Ford Puma Rally1 won’t run with the standard plug-in hybrid system under new rules for this season that have been designed to make the FIA WRC’s headlining class more accessible. However, Sesks’ Puma must carry the equivalent weight of the full EV system in ballast and won’t be eligible for Manufacturer championship points.
Pirelli, the FIA WRC’s official tyre supplier, will provide its soft-compound Scorpion KX tyre as he first choice in anticipation of cool and damp conditions with the hard-compound version available as the option tyre should the weather be warm and dry. A maximum of 28 tyres, including four for shakedown, can be used by the Rally1 teams.
RALLY CHILE BIBÍO ROUTE IN SHORT
South America’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship follows a similar route to the 2023 edition, albeit with a new shakedown stage and tweaks to the Pelun and Lota timed tests on leg two and Laraquete and Bio Bio on leg three. The ceremonial start location has also changed with a return to Concepción for 2024 after it took place in Los Ángeles in 2023. Leg one consists of two loops of three stages over a competitive distance of 112.76 kilometres.
Located southeast of Concepción, Friday’s stages are known for their higher speeds compared to the rest of the route. At 139.20 kilometres, leg two, located south of Concepción, is the longest of the rally with the 28.31-kilometre Maria las Cruce stage the rally’s longest. The two loops of three stages are considered more twisty than legs one and three, while Lota houses the fan-friendly Rally Village.
Also located south of Concepción, the event-deciding leg three features two repeated stages – Laraquete and Bio Bio – over a competitive distance of 54.80 kilometres. The rerun of Bio Bio, where the Rally Village is also located, forms the Wolf Stage with the action due to begin at 13:00 hrs local time. The gravel-based Rally Chile Biobío is renowned for its fast and cambered forest roads, which are largely smooth in nature.
RALLY CHILE BIOBÍO RALLY DATA
Stage distance: 306.76 km
Total distance: 1239.23 km
Number of stages: 16
RALLY1 CONTENDERS
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Having secured a 1-2-3 finish on EKO Acropolis Rally earlier this month, Thierry Neuville heads the German squad’s Rally Chile BioBío entry – and the provisional FIA World Rally Championship points table – with team-mate Ott Tänak now his closest challenger in second. Esapekka Lappi is back in the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid for Rally Chile BioBío having last competed for the team in Finland.
M-Sport Ford WRT
Mārtinš Sesks returns to the British outfit’s line-up for his Rally Chile Biobío debut in a non-hybrid Ford Puma Rally1, his first appearance since Tet Rally Latvia in July, where he missed out on a podium finish on the Power Stage. Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster will also fly the M-Sport flag on Rally Chile BioBío, an event it won in 2023 with former driver Ott Tänak.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier – currently third in the provisional Drivers’ standings – leads the Toyota line in Chile alongside reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari also form part of the team’s challenge with Pajari preparing for his second start at Rally1 level.
SUPPORTING CATEGORIES
A highly competitive FIA WRC2 entry includes current points leader Oliver Solberg (Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), Citroën C3 Rally2 pair Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel (DG Sport Competition), plus Toyota GR Yaris Rally2-mounted Jan Solans.
Chilean brothers Alberto and Pedro Heller are entered in a pair of Citroën C3 Rally2s, while Jorge Martínez (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), who was born in event host city Concepcíon, is an 11-time national champion.
Gus Greensmith, who finished runner-up to team-mate Solberg in Chile last season, is also entered, as is Kajetan Kajetanowicz, a winner of the FIA European Rally Championship on three occasions, and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar.
Points pacesetter Diego Domínguez tops FIA WRC3 Championship entry in a Ford Fiesta Rally3. Renault Clio Rally3 driver Ghjuvanni Rossi is among his opposition.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Media accreditation
Media accreditation for Rally Chile BioBío must be collected in person by accredited pass holders from the Accreditation Desk located as follows: MDS Hotel Concepción, Calle A 809 Brisa del Sol, Concepción, BioBío.
Media accreditation opening hours
Tuesday September 24: 14:00 – 20:00 hrs
Wednesday September 25: 08:30 – 20:00 hrs
Thursday September 26: 07:30 – 20:00 hrs
Friday September 27: upon request only to the national press team
Media Centre location and opening hours
The Media Centre is located as follows: MDS Hotel Concepción, Calle A 809 Brisa del Sol, Concepción, BioBío.
Media Center opening hours
Tuesday September 24: 14:00 – 20:00 hrs
Wednesday September 25: 08:30 – 20:00 hrs
Thursday September 26: 08:00 – 20:00 hrs
Friday September 27: 07:30 – 22:00 hrs
Saturday September 28: 08:00 – 22:00 hrs
Sunday September 29: 07:00 – 22:00 hrs
Media activities and opportunities
Wednesday 25 September
17:00 Tabard Media Safety Briefing, mandatory for all tabard media (Media Centre)
Thursday 26 September
09:01 – 11:00 Shakedown for P1 drivers and invited P2 drivers (Conuco, 6.79km)
11:01 – 12:30 Shakedown for all priority drivers (Conuco, 6.79km)
12:31 – 14:00 Shakedown for P2, P3 and non-priority drivers (Conuco, 6.79km)
12:30 – 14:00 FIA WRC Media Pen for P1 and P2 drivers and P1 TPs (Fan Zone in SP, Concepción)
17:40 – 18:20 Autograph session with all P1 crews (Concepción)
18:20 – 19:00 FIA WRC Meet the Crews for invited crews and team reps (Concepción)
19:00 Ceremonial Start (Concepción)
Friday 27 September
07:30 Start of Section 1 (Service Park, Concepcíon)
19:30 approx. FIA WRC Meet the Crews with P1 TPs and top 3 drivers (Fan Zone in SP, Concepcíon)
Saturday 28 September
08:05 Start of Section 3 (Parc Fermé, Service Park, Concepcíon)
20:00 approx. FIA WRC Meet the Crews with P1 TPs and top 3 drivers (Fan Zone in SP, Concepcíon)
Sunday 29 September
07:00 Start of Section 5 (Parc Fermé, Service Park, Concepcíon)
15:30 Post-event FIA Press Conference (Fan Zone, Service Park, Concepcíon)
16:00 Podium Ceremony and Prize-giving (Fan Zone, Service Park, Concepcíon)
(All times local, approximate and subject to change)
Media zones
Media Zones attended by all drivers and selected team representatives will operate as follows:
TC 3A, TC 6A, TC 9A, TC 12A and TC 16A
FIA WRC Meet the Crews live interviews, Concepción, Thursday 26 September
18:20 – 19:00 – FIA Support Championships
Toksport WRT, Oliver Solberg (SWE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
Fabrizio Zaldivar (PRY), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
Jorge Martínez (CHL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
Pedro Heller (CHL), Citroën C3 Rally2
Diego Domínguez (PRY), Ford Fiesta Rally3
18:40 – 19:00 – FIA WRC Championship
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, Ott Tänak (EST), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Kalle Rovanperä (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Sami Pajari (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
M-Sport Ford WRT, Grégoire Munster (LUX), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
M-Sport Ford WRT, Mārtinš Sesks (LVA), Ford Puma Rally1
FIA WRC Team Principals are required to join their respective crews for interviews on the Start Ramp.
FIA Post-event Press Conference, Fan Zone (SP), Concepcíon, Sunday 29 September, 15:30
Top 3 drivers in overall classification, winning co-driver and representative of winning manufacturer
Winning FIA WRC2, WRC2 Challenger, WRC3 and Masters Cup drivers.
FIA WRC Meet the Crews live interviews and FIA Post-event Press Conference broadcast on FIA and WRC social media channels.
RALLY CHILE BIOBÍO MANUFACTURER ENTRIES
| Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Vincent Landais (FRA) – #17 |
| Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) – #33 | |
| Kalle Rovanperä (FIN)/Jonne Halttunen (FIN) – #69 | |
| Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) – #11 |
| Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) – #8 | |
| Esapekka Lappi (FIN)/Janne Ferm (FIN) – #4 | |
| M-Sport Ford WRT | Adrien Fourmaux (FRA)/Alexandre Coria (FRA) – #16 |
| Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) – #13 |
ADDITIONAL RALLY CHILE BIOBÍO P1 ENTRIES
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Sami Pajari (FIN)/Enni Mälkönen (FIN) – #5
M-Sport Ford WRT Mārtinš Sesks (LVA)/Renārs Francis (LVA) – #22
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 CLASSIFICATION
The provisional classifications following round 10 of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship are available here.
RALLY CHILE BIOBÍO 2023 RESULTS
| 1 | O. Tänak (EST)/M. Järveoja (EST) | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | 3h06m.38.1s |
| 2 | T. Neuville (EBL)/M. Wydaeghe (BEL) | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +42.1s |
| 3 | E. Evans (GBR)/S. Martin (GBR) | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +1m06.9s |
RALLY CHILE BIOBÍO WINNERS
2023 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
2019 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC