The Motorsport Files

Oliver Solberg slid off two corners from the WRC title and Elfyn Evans became world champion. Chris and I talk through that wild finish. Rally Italia Sardegna gave us one of the most dramatic finishes the sport has ever produced. Solberg won the rally by 57.6 seconds and was beating Evans on the final Power Stage when he went off two corners from the end. Evans, a five time runner up, was crowned world champion for the first time. I pushed away from my desk and held my head in my hands, and Chris and I spend this episode working out how it all happened. In this episode: - Whether Evans deserved the title after opening the road for a second year running - Solberg's first full season in a Rally1 car, with 68 stage wins to Evans' 30 - What Sebastien Ogier meant when he called it a lucky win - Saying goodbye to the Rally1 era - Ford's factory return, what it means for M-Sport and the driver market - Tyre exchange zones, Hankook, and whether Super Sunday should stay If this finish had you shouting at the screen too, please leave us a rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really helps other rally fans find the show. And if you know someone who watched Sardinia, send them this episode and tell me what they made of it. Chapters 00:00 Intro and my reaction to the finish 02:12 Why Solberg went off on the sand 02:52 Solberg's first full year in Rally1 04:56 Ogier's "lucky win" comment 05:50 Did Evans deserve the title? 09:19 The road position problem 11:10 How the Evans and Solberg camps reacted 13:37 Solberg's stage win record 15:30 Evans, the humble champion 19:44 Fourmaux and the puncture curse 21:40 Why rally drivers are the best around 23:23 Saying goodbye to Rally1 25:45 Five Toyota teams and Ogier's pace 28:36 The new generation takes over 29:38 Ford is coming back 32:26 M-Sport, the Fiesta plan and the driver market 35:31 2027 transition year and WRC27 power 38:47 Armstrong, the Irish drivers and Martins Sesks 45:37 How the paddock reacted to Evans' win 48:19 Tyre exchange zones and Hankook 50:10 Is Super Sunday worth keeping? 52:18 Winter outlook Full episode guide: www.themotorsportfiles.com Find us on social media: @tmfpod23

Ash Sutton wins a record fifth BTCC title, and we give our verdict on Silverstone, the Collard replacement debate and what comes next. Ash took the championship with four races to spare after driving from 12th to first in Race 2, and we talk through exactly what made him so hard to beat this year. We also go through Aiden Moffat's reinstated Race 1 win, Mikey Doble's strong weekend, Tom Ingram's wet Race 3 victory and the rebuilt Power Maxed Racing Audi squad that is closing in on the independents title. The biggest talking point away from the track was Osamu Kawashima replacing Ricky Collard at EXCELR8 for the final two rounds. We give our honest opinions on pay drivers, minimum standards and why the BTCC finds it so hard to bring in sponsors, prize money and a bigger TV slot, and we would love to hear where you land. We also look at Ash's win rate against Jason Plato, Colin Turkington and Matt Neal, ask whether he chases the all time win record or tries another series, and talk about Tom Chilton's MSport engine switch, Dexter Patterson's Jack Sears Trophy and Dan Rowbottom's unlucky Race 3. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:00 Welcome and Our Silverstone Weekend Verdict 1:53 Why the Silverstone National Circuit Falls Flat 5:01 Aiden Moffat's Race 1 Win Is Reinstated 6:06 Power Maxed Racing's Audi Comeback 7:51 The Toyotas and the Ford Focus This Season 8:48 Ricky Collard Out and Osamu Kawashima In 11:02 Pay Drivers and the Case for a Minimum Standard 14:20 Why Was the Kawashima Deal Kept Quiet? 18:36 BTCC Sponsorship and Revenue Problems 22:42 ITV Coverage and Kwik Fit Activation 26:05 Tom Ingram's Race 3 Win 28:00 Tom Chilton's MSport Engine Switch 29:35 Dexter Patterson Takes the Jack Sears Trophy 30:24 Ash Sutton's Record Breaking Title Win 34:46 Ash Sutton vs Plato, Turkington and Neal 37:32 CPRL, Plato and the Mercedes Story 39:30 Dan Rowbottom's Race 3 Windscreen Problem 41:54 Will Ash Sutton Go for a Sixth Title? 48:39 What Is Coming Next on The Motorsport Files The Brands Hatch finale is on 10 and 11 October, and we have an Ash Sutton special and a full 2026 season review planned for the winter. Follow the show so you do not miss either one, and a rating helps other touring car fans find us. Find us on social at TMF Pod 23, and find Chris on Instagram and TikTok at Motorsport Woking. Episode guides are on our website at www.themotorsportfiles.com

Drew and Zac go through the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 from Baku. George Russell took pole and won his third race of the year, his first since Austria in June, but a late yellow flag and a boost problem nearly cost him victory over Max Verstappen, who started eighth. Isack Hadjar made it a Red Bull double podium and Kimi Antonelli recovered from a Q1 crash to finish fifth. Then there is the restart crash. Franco Colapinto locked up at Turn 1, hit Pierre Gasly and ended the races of both Alpines and Lando Norris. The stewards gave him a 10 second penalty, converted to a five place grid drop at the next race because he had retired. Arvid Lindblad made contact with Liam Lawson at the same corner and got no penalty. We argue about whether that is consistent, whether Norris was right to call for a ban, and what Flavio Briatore might do next. We also cover Ferrari and the Vasseur and Horner talk, why Hadjar was our driver of the race, whether the tyres killed the strategy, McLaren's weekend, what Baku means for the title fight between Russell and Antonelli, and the results of the TMF predictor game. It did not go well. Topics in order 00:00 Colapinto's crash: how bad was it? 02:15 Penalty row: Colapinto vs Lindblad 04:12 Briatore, Alpine and Norris's reaction 07:08 Was Baku boring? Blame the cars 08:02 Ferrari, Vasseur and the Horner rumour 13:36 Hadjar and Red Bull 15:14 Driver of the race 17:23 Russell vs Verstappen and the boost issue 19:19 Safety car, tyres and Pirelli 22:57 McLaren's weekend 25:03 Russell, Antonelli and the title fight 32:30 TMF predictor game results 36:18 Malaysia predictions 40:45 How to follow the show Play the TMF Predictor game: send us your pole, fastest lap and podium picks for the next race. Beat us and we will read yours out on the show. Full episode guide: www.themotorsportfiles.com Find us on social media: @TMFPod23

Ford is returning to the WRC as a full factory team in 2028, with an all-new WRC27 car planned for 2029. Drew and Chris react to the news from Rally Sardinia and ask whether it could tip Hyundai into staying. Ford Racing announced a full works programme from 2028 alongside M-Sport, its first since 2012. In this short episode we look at what it means for M-Sport after a tough few years, Malcolm Wilson's long history with Ford, the new promoter, the WRC27 era, whether the new car could be petrol or electric, and what it could mean for Hyundai, Toyota and a bigger grid. In this episode: (00:00) Ford are back: a works team for M-Sport (01:04) M-Sport's rocky few years (01:57) Malcolm Wilson and Ford's rally heritage (03:11) Fiesta first: Rally2 vs WRC27 (05:18) Can Ford tip Hyundai's decision? (07:18) Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Subaru? (07:55) Drew's lifelong Ford love Your turn: will Ford's return convince Hyundai to commit? Tell us on our socials. Subscribe to The Motorsport Files wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed it.

Toyota confirm a 10th world title, but Solberg's Chile masterclass turns the fight three ways. Drew and Chris break down a Rally Chile that flipped the championship picture. Solberg drove a calm, controlled weekend at the front while Evans lost more than two minutes to a puncture on the penultimate stage and dropped from second to 5th, turning a comfortable points day into a genuine three way fight with two rounds left. Ogier still refuses to let his own Toyota teammates have it easy, Fourmaux continues to look like a rally winner without the result to prove it, and Neuville survives a huge multiple roll that ends his weekend early. They also get into whether a 10th Toyota championship means as much given how far ahead the team is of everyone else, Juha Kankkunen's appearance on the podium more than three decades after that first title, and a rough weekend for Taka Katsuta that raises real questions about his seat. Before the rally chat, Drew and Chris dig into the uncertainty hanging over Hyundai's WRC future, what the new WRC27 regulations might mean for the gap to Rally2 cars, and the driver market picture taking shape at Hyundai and M-Sport. Follow the show at tmfpod23 on social media and find full episode guides at www.themotorsportfiles.com. Timestamps 0:00 Intro and welcome back 1:28 Hyundai's uncertain WRC future 4:02 WRC27 regulations compared to the updated Rally2 7:57 What a Hyundai step back would mean for the drivers 11:46 Rally Chile: Toyota's title is confirmed 13:45 Does a tenth title mean less without real rivals 16:10 Individual liveries and Kankkunen's podium reunion 18:01 Taka Katsuta's brutal run of retirements 22:07 The queue of Toyota talent building behind him 24:08 The case for a Teemu Suninen seat 27:01 Oliver Solberg's mature, controlled win 29:17 Breaking down the Super Sunday numbers 32:21 Elfyn Evans' puncture and a title race blown open 35:28 Sami Pajari's quieter weekend 38:23 Ogier still racing his own teammates hard 40:03 Adrien Fourmaux, so close to a first win 44:47 Thierry Neuville's huge Chile crash 45:33 Esapekka Lappi's uncertain Hyundai future 46:55 Enni Malkonen deserves a top seat 49:00 John Armstrong's SS8 off for M-Sport 51:09 Armstrong vs McErlean, who is safer for next year 52:21 Could M-Sport run three or four cars next year 55:48 Saying goodbye to the Rally1 era