Sébastien Ogier staged an impressive comeback on Friday at Rally Monte Carlo, vaulting from third to first overall as Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans fell victim to the treacherous Alpine roads.

Ogier, chasing an unprecedented 10th Rally Monte Carlo triumph in this season-opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship, began the day on the back foot after an off-road moment on Thursdays third stage cost him around 20 seconds by Friday evening, however, the Frenchman had turned the tables, leading the rally by 12.6sec thanks to a masterful drive on the ice-kissed stages.

Ogiers Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 team-mate Elfyn Evans initially dethroned overnight leader Thierry Neuville on the opening stage, edging ahead after shading the Belgian by 2.8 seconds at Saint-Maurice Aubessagne 1. Neuvilles hopes of reclaiming the lead were dashed moments later when he limped out of La Bréole Selonnet 1 with a damaged rear-left suspension, a costly consequence of running wide on a downhill hairpin.

Evans, a four-time runner-up in the drivers championship, saw his lead reduced to 1.5 seconds by midday. A spirited response after service helped him extend the margin to 7.9 seconds, but disaster struck on an icy section in Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes La Bâtie-Neuve. A half-spin on a treacherous patch handed the stage win and the rally lead back to Ogier. The Frenchman, energised by competing on roads just a stones throw from his home village of Forest-Saint-Julien, extended his advantage further with a commanding performance on the days finale.

Its a good end to the day, Ogier smiled. I had to fight for that. Earlier today I didnt have a mega feeling, I was really on the back foot and I couldnt find the perfect rhythm, but the last two stages were good for me.

With Neuville and Ott Tänak both facing setbacks Tänak clipped a telegraph pole on SS6, damaging his i20 N Rally1s bodywork it was Adrien Fourmaux who carried the Hyundai torch. On his first WRC outing with the team, Fourmaux showed promise with a stage win and two second-fastest times, securing the final podium spot 1.6 seconds behind Evans.

Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä also found his rhythm after a measured start on Thursday. The Toyota ace won the mornings opening stage and climbed from sixth to fourth by days end. He ended 24.3 seconds behind Fourmaux but held an 8.8-second cushion over Tänak.

Grégoire Munster delivered one of his strongest performances to date, securing consecutive second-fastest stage times in the morning loop. The M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver ran as high as fourth before a tire deflation on the penultimate stage dropped him to sixth overall, but worse was to come as an electrical fault on the road section after the final test forced his retirement.

Munsters demise meant that Takamoto Katsuta rounded out Friday in sixth ahead of Toyotas young star Sami Pajari. Neuville, down in eighth, lost more time on the second pass through La Bréole Selonnet, suffering a tyre deflation that caused him to slide wide at the same corner he had faltered on earlier in the day.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.  The 80th season of dirt track racing in Bakersfield and Kern County will be an impactful one, as Scott Schweitzer at Bakersfield Speedway and Tim Huddleston at Kevin Harvicks Kern Raceway have announced a partnership.

Bakersfield Speedways 2025 operations will relocate to the one-third mile Kevin Harvicks Kern Raceway Dirt Track with a full season of racing.

Bakersfield Speedway held 79 years of dirt track racing at its current home on Chester Ave. Kevin Harvicks Kern Raceway at Enos Lane and I-5 opened in 2013, while its dirt track began operations in 2015.

Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvicks Kern Raceway combines two of Californias signature venues into one racing season. The Kern Raceway dirt track is undergoing a transformation with a reshaping of the exit of turn two into the entrance to turn three. More than 2,000 additional seats will be added along with a new VIP Booth, scoring tower, and press box are also planned.

Track championships will be awarded in the IMCA Modifieds, Sport Modifieds, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and American Stocks. The new era of dirt track racing in Bakersfield begins on March 8 with IMCA opening night.

Schweitzer and his staff will continue their roles as the steward of racing operations while the bulk of marketing will fall upon Huddleston and his team.

We cannot begin to express our excitement at this opportunity to partner with Scott Schweitzer, Huddleston said. Kevin and I are looking forward to this chance to elevate motorsports in Kern County with a full season of dirt track racing.

Schweitzer echoed the excitement.

Crissy, Dakota, Brody and myself are overwhelmed that everyone at Kevin Harvicks Kern Racing was excited to have us as a part of this state-of-the-art racing facility, he said. We look forward to taking the dirt racing experience at Kern Raceway to the next level for all the racers, crew members and race fans starting March 8. Partnering with Tim and Kevin on the dirt track is an amazing opportunity for us and we cant wait to get started.

A highly anticipated debut is scheduled for Friday night March 21 with the Kubota High Limit Racing 410 sprint cars. After a thrilling appearance at Bakersfield Speedway in 2024, the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws race into Kern Raceway on Friday Sept. 12. NARC 410 Sprint Cars make their 10th Kern appearance on Oct. 25. The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets close the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvicks Kern Raceway season on Nov. 25.

Annual IMCA traditions continue at the new facility with the McGowan Memorial on June 28, Mike Moshier Classic on Aug. 16, and the Bud Nationals on Oct. 10-11.

Ultimate Sprint Car Series wingless sprints hit the track for two appearances on April 12 and June 7. USAC Western Midgets, California Racesaver Sprints, SoCal Dwarf Cars, California Lightning Sprints, Western Midget Racing, Western Racing Association, West Coast Sport Compacts, NMRA TQ Midgets, and many other series will compete throughout the season.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  The final 60-minute practice session for Saturdays 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona was perhaps more eventful than anticipated for some.

Three notable cars briefly stopped on track the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06, the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 and No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

The Acura pulled off course exiting Turn 3, the Porsche had nose damage on the Daytona International Speedway banking and the Corvette stopped on the backstraight, and only the Corvette stoppage caused a red flag.

Kamui Kobayashi was the fastest overall and Grand Touring Prototype class driver in the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R at 1 minute, 36.380 seconds (132.973 mph).

Other class leaders were Toby Sowery in Le Mans Prototype 2, Shane van Gisbergen in Grand Touring Daytona Pro and Anthony McIntosh in Grand Touring Daytona.

Sowery shares the No. 04 CrowdStrike by APR ORECA LMP2 07, van Gisbergen is part of the combined No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3 and McIntosh is part of the debuting No. 19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  Michael Cooper took charge of the Grand Sport class in the final stages of the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona Intl Speedway to claim overall victory in the four-hour opening round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Cooper guided the No. 44 Accelerating Performance McLaren Artura GT4 from fifth to first in the closing 20 minutes, executing a series of clean passes to seize the lead before maintaining an advantage of 0.327 seconds over Jan Heylen (No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS) at the checkered flag.

Moisey Uretsky drove a lengthy two-hour, 40-minute opening stint prior to handing the McLaren to Cooper in eighth place. Cooper, who has extensive ties to McLaren, enjoyed coming to grips with the latest evolution of the Artura as he diced with Heylen and Billy Johnson, who eventually finished third in the No. 59 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 he shared with Robert Michaelian.

Leader Heylen allowed the front end of his Porsche to drift slightly wide at the apex of Turn 7, the corner that takes the cars from the infield section of Daytona International Speedway onto the iconic banking between Turns 1 and 2 of the oval with about seven minutes on the clock. The McLaren drew level on the back stretch and eased in front entering the Le Mans chicane.

Heylen, who co-drove with Luca Mars, was unable to pressure Cooper into a mistake in the final three laps, allowing Cooper and Uretsky to claim their first race win in Michelin Pilot Challenge competition. It was McLarens first win at Daytona since 2021. Additionally, the rebranded team (previously Baby Bull Racing) won on debut with the McLaren, after campaigning the Porsche in previous seasons.

That was a lot of fun, said Cooper, who also has a Rolex 24 At Daytona win on his résumé (2022, Le Mans Prototype 3 class with Riley). I drove the previous version of the McLaren, so this felt very familiar. Its an amazing GT4 car and all the guys did an incredible job.

Moisey ran the first couple stints, way longer than we needed him to, and he handed me over a clean car that I was able to fight with Jan and Billy and take it to the front. Right after I passed Jan, we both just sailed it into (Le Mans) and sailed it into Turn 1 a couple times, using everything up and trying to get away.

Uretsky added, Cooper brought it home. The Porsche is a fast car, but Cooper was smart about it, and he picked the right moment. I knew once he had the lead, he wasnt going to give it up.

Heylen, a former GS class champion in the Michelin Pilot Challenge, looked to be in solid shape until Cooper made his charge as the race crept into twilight on Daytonas 3.56-mile road course.

Its tough to be this close and then lose it in the last two or three laps, Heylen said. Maybe I could have been a bit more aggressive early on, but they were the better car today its as simple as that.

Sam Paley and Jenson Altzman (No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4) finished fourth, while Spencer Pumpelly, Andy Lally, and Thomas Collingwood rallied to claim fifth in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS.

With five straight drivers and six straight Touring Car manufacturer championships in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian and Hyundai has had little left to achieve in the category.

However, one white whale that has eluded the erstwhile dominant force of the class was a win at Daytona Intl Speedway. At long last Friday, a BHA Hyundai drove into victory lane.

Team co-owner Bryan Herta, whose team has won two Indianapolis 500s in addition to all his IMSA accolades, reflected on adding this win at one of North Americas most special racing venues.

This place is amazing and has so much history, so to win here is special, Herta said. You know, this place and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are cathedrals of speed in our sport. This one has eluded us, so Im very proud to get it.

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown were the lucky pair who achieved the feat for the team, driving the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR from ninth to the win and played the better pit strategy game to leapfrog the otherwise pace-setting sister car driven by Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins.

Morris qualified on pole in the No. 33 Hyundai and led a race-high 48 of 109 laps in class, but fell behind the No. 76 car as the race progressed past the final pit stop sequence. Wilkins pushed Dupont hard enough in the finish and made one final passing attempt high in the tri-oval on the final lap, only to come up short by just 0.067 of a second.

The win is the second for both Dupont and Brown in Michelin Pilot Challenge action and coincidentally, their second straight four-hour race win in the series. The pair won their first race together at last Junes OReilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio, courtesy of an intentional fuel-saving final stint.

It was a fight, Dupont said. (Wilkins) was in the draft, he was fast. I had to close the door sometimes and sometimes we had traffic. He was super close on the finish line, but we held him off.

Brown added, Its about as special as you can get.

Behind the pair of Hyundais, Audi completed the podium with Ryan Eversley and IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship recipient Celso Neto sharing the No. 7 Precision Racing LA Audi RS3 LMS TCR.