The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team has boosted its effort to defend the WRC titles it scooped last season by recruiting Bryan Bouffier to drive a third works Fiesta WRC at this year's Rallye Monte-Carlo and Tour de Corse.

The Frenchman is a previous winner of both events and regarded as something of a specialist when it comes to mastering the conditions that both events typically present.

He mastered Monte Carlo's icy stages when the event was part of the IRC in 2011 and he won on Corsica's asphalt roads two years later.

He will join reigning champion Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans in M-Sport's works line up when Rallye Monte-Carlo signals the beginning of the 2018 season on 25-28 January.

Manufacturers can nominate three drivers on WRC events in 2018, with the top-two finishers scoring points.

Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson, believes Bouffier could prove to be an invaluable addition to his UK-based squad.

“It’s great to have Bryan on board for Rallye Monte-Carlo and the Tour de Corse. When it comes to these events, his experience is unrivalled," he said. "These are two of the most specialised rallies on the calendar and the conditions and tyre selections can so often determine who succeeds.

"With Bryan’s knowledge, we will have another string to our bow as we look to defend our championship titles.”

Bouffier's outing at this month's Rallye Monte-Carlo will mark the ninth time he has contested the WRC's traditional season-opener and he's relishing the chance to drive a factory-spec on an event where he's enjoyed considerable success in previous years.

“I honestly didn’t think I would get an opportunity to drive this car – not even on test – so I am very excited," he said. "It’s always a great pleasure to work with Malcolm and the M-Sport team, and their amazing success in 2017 makes me very proud to work with them again. 

“Monte and Corsica are two very different events, but they are also two of my favourites. They’re the two ‘French’ rounds of the season and it is always a pleasure to drive on home soil – even more so with this new car!

“My plan is to be relaxed and to have fun. I would also love to score some manufacturer points for the team – that would just be the icing on the cake!”

source: wrc.com

Rally legend Sebastien Loeb will return to WRC in 2018 with Citroen.

Loeb, who won nine consecutive world titles between 2004 and 2012, will drive a C3 World Rally Car at three rounds – on Mexico’s gravel (8 - 11 March), on Corsica’s asphalt (5 - 8 April) and at Spain’s mixed surface fixture (25 - 28 October).

Regular co-driver Daniel Elena will partner the Frenchman, who will replace Craig Breen in the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi line-up for the three events. Breen will tackle the other 10 rounds alongside Kris Meeke, who will start all 13 rallies.

Rumours of a Loeb return began when he tested the C3 on asphalt in August, before taking the wheel on gravel six weeks later. He admitted the lure of WRC proved too great to resist.

“The feeling you get in rally is one of the most thrilling feelings I’ve ever experienced, and I was excited about driving one of these new WRCs in a race. It’s nice to be able to do it in the team with which I’ve enjoyed so much success,” he said.

Loeb took 78 wins before retiring from a full-time WRC career in 2012. He has started sporadic events since, the most recent being Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2015, before focusing on rallycross and cross-country rallies with Peugeot.

He has won the Spanish encounter eight times, with six wins in Mexico and four in Corsica.

“Everyone was pleased after the test sessions done this year, myself first and foremost, and these three appearances were the logical next step.

“I don’t have any expectations, I just want to enjoy myself. I thought it made sense to take part in the French round, especially since I’ve always loved racing on Tarmac, although I’m not familiar with the current route of the Tour de Corse.

“Spain seemed like a good option too. And although I’m expecting it to be pretty tough given the time that has passed since I last competed there, I also wanted to contest a gravel rally.

“We opted for Mexico, since I have good memories of racing there and the route hasn't changed too much since I was last involved in the championship,” said Loeb.

Citroën Racing director Yves Matton said Loeb’s tests convinced him the 43-year-old had not lost his touch.

“I’m delighted to see there will be another chapter in the great history between Sébastien Loeb and Citroën. He couldn’t return to the WRC with anyone other than us!

“Seb confirmed he has lost none of his speed and skill during the test sessions, although he is bound to be short of knowledge of the stages and time in the car compared with the increasingly tough competition,” said Matton.

source: wrc.com

The FIA has confirmed the list of manufacturers registered for the 2018 WRC, and with it the return of the Ford name to the championship for the first time since 2012.

After five seasons of below the radar involvement with long-term WRC partner M-Sport, Ford will adopt a higher profile in 2018 when the British-based team will be known as the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. 

The change reflects Ford’s increased technical support for the championship-winning M-Sport squad, so it can continue to develop the Fiesta World Rally Car.

This additional commitment is believed to have been a key part of Sébastien Ogier’s demands before he would sign for the squad for 2018.

Beyond the return of the Blue Oval, there are no surprises to next year's entries, and no name changes to the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT or Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT.

source: wrc.com

Organizers of Rally Mexico [8 - 11 march 2018] have unveiled the route of next year's event, and confirmed changes to the opening ceremony and closing stage.

Next year's 15th anniversary event will revert back to a ceremonial start in the city of Guanajuato in central Mexico and will also feature a new Live TV Power Stage.

The rally will kick off on Thursday evening with a modified 2.5km stage that passes through the historic heart of the city amid a network of underground silver mine tunnels. 

Competitors will complete this test before the opening ceremony in front of the iconic Alhóndiga de Granaditas building [pictured above]. 

The rally proper starts on Friday, when crews set off for the high-altitude dirt roads east of host city León. 

Friday is the longest of the weekend with 155.15km of competition. A loop of three stages is driven twice, starting with the 26.05km Duarte - Derramadero. This is followed by a 31.44km version of El Chocolate (down from 54.9km in 2017) and the 17.23km Ortega. The day also features two 2.3km tests at León’s motor racing circuit [SSS Autodromo de Leon] and one pass through the 1.11km Street Stage next to the city's service park.

Saturday starts with another loop of three stages; Guanajuatito (30.97km), Otates (26.37km) and the live TV El Brinco (9.98km). All are repeated after a mid-point service and before two more blasts around the race circuit and a final pass though the Leon Street stage. 

Sunday's final leg kicks off with the 24.32km Alfaro before a first pass through an 11.07km version of Las Minas. Las Minas is repeated as the live TV Power Stage, replacing last year's Derramadero - the scene of Kris Meeke's astonishing car park detour [see below]. 

The 22 stages cover 345.60km in a compact total route of 1,021.12km.

source: wrc.com