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FIA Press Releases

Greece to host 2026 FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup as FIA launches its first regional drifting competitions

Sport news
The sixth edition of the FIA IDC will be organised by the Hellenic Motor Sport Federation (OMAE), the FIA’s Member Club in Greece, which was selected following the FIA’s Call for Expressions of Interest launched last December to identify the organiser and host venue for the cup’s next edition.

First introduced in 2017, the IDC marked the discipline’s debut under FIA governance, bringing drifting into a structured and regulated framework.

The competition quickly went on to establish itself as a global platform, attracting leading drivers from national and regional championships and series around the world.

The first three editions were held in Japan, regarded as the spiritual home of drifting. The event debuted at a temporary venue in Tokyo’s Odaiba district before moving to the renowned Tsukuba Circuit in 2019. The following two editions took place in Riga, Latvia, at the Biķernieki Circuit, making Greece the third country to host the competition.

The most recent edition underlined the discipline’s growing international appeal, with 45 drivers representing 33 countries across five FIA regions.

Sporting and Technical Regulations for the 2026 edition will be finalised and published in due course, outlining the eligibility criteria for competitors and the registration process.

FIA CENTRAL ASIA DRIFTING CUP TO DEBUT IN 2026
Alongside the IDC, the FIA has approved the launch of its first regional drifting competition, the FIA Central Asia Drifting Cup. The event will be organised by the Kyrgyz Republic Auto Motorsport and Road Safety Federation (AMSRSF) but will take place in Kazakhstan, at Sokol International Circuit, with the authorisation and support of the FIA Member Club of Kazakhstan, Automotorsport Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AFRK).

The new competition is expected to play a key role in accelerating the development of drifting in Central Asia while expanding the global footprint of the discipline. It will serve as an important stepping stone for both the FIA and regional stakeholders, providing a platform to build organisational expertise, elevate sporting standards and attract a broader and increasingly competitive field of drivers in the years to come.

The initiative reflects a clear strategic commitment from local organisers to develop drifting, alongside a strong willingness to align with FIA standards and best practices. At the same time, growing interest from drivers, organisers and fans across the region highlights the sport’s increasing momentum and underlines the expanding appeal of drifting.

H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said: “Drifting is one of the key disciplines supporting the FIA’s commitment to doubling global participation in motor sport. Building on the success of last year’s edition, I am pleased to see the continued momentum behind the FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup, which this year will bring many of the world’s top drifters to Greece.

At the same time, the launch of the FIA Central Asia Drifting Cup represents an important step in accelerating the growth of the discipline across the region and beyond. It will help further expand the global reach and popularity of drifting, one of the most accessible and dynamic forms of motor sport.”

Fotini Psarrakou, President of the Hellenic Motor Sport Federation, said: “It is a tremendous joy and honour for Greece and our motor sport that the FIA has decided to entrust us with organising the 2026 Intercontinental Drifting Cup. This assignment is a continuation of our excellent collaboration with the FIA over the years.”

Dostan Ibragimov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Auto Motorsport and Road Safety Federation, said: “The launch of the FIA Central Asia Drifting Cup marks an important milestone for the development of motor sport in our region. We are proud to host this competition and to welcome drivers from Central Asia and beyond to Sokol International Circuit. This event reflects our long-term commitment to growing motor sport, supporting young talent, and building a strong international platform for drifting in Central Asia.”
FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup
Drift Intercontinental Drifting Cup All fia sport SEASON 2026 Sport Circuit1SportFIA Intercontinental Drifting CupCircuitAll fia sportSEASON 2026DriftIntercontinental Drifting Cup00Friday, May 15, 2026 - 3:36pmFriday, May 15, 2026 - 3:36pm
TCR World Tour: Michelisz and Ma winners at Misano as Geely claims maiden international victory

Sport news
Ma’s victory in Race 2 was a significant achievement as it marked the first win for the Geely brand in international competition.
It was Michelisz’s Hyundai team-mate Mikel Azcona who had secured pole position in a tight qualifying session on Saturday morning, just under a tenth ahead of Michelisz, with reigning champion Yann Ehrlacher putting the new Geely Preface TCR third on the grid for its first race.
Azcona led at the start, but through a team agreement he soon handed over the lead to Michelisz who had the quicker pace and went on to win, while Azcona defended to keep back the three Geely Prefaces of Ehrlacher, Santiago Urrutia, and Thed Björk all the way to the finish.
The reversed grid second race provided more thrills, with Jenson Brickley starting on pole position in his ALM Motorsport Honda. The British driver put on a valiant defence at the head of the pack for six laps, before he was eventually passed by the faster Geely of Ma Qing Hua, with the Chinese driver then going to win the race comfortably, and pick up a win for the Chinese manufacturer on its debut weekend.
Brickley was soon shuffled down the order, with Azcona coming through from ninth to finish second ahead of Björk, while Race 1 winner Michelisz suffered accident damage at the start of the race and retired.
With pole and two second places, Azcona heads to the next round at Valencia on June 12-14 with a 17-point lead in the standings over Ehrlacher.
Kumho FIA TCR World Tour
Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Touring Car Circuit All fia sport SEASON 2026 Sport Circuit1SportKumho FIA TCR World TourCircuitAll fia sportSEASON 2026Kumho FIA TCR World TourTouring CarCircuit01Monday, May 11, 2026 - 11:27amMonday, May 11, 2026 - 11:27am
WRC - Neuville wins in Portugal after late Ogier heartbreak

Sport news
The 2024 world champion arrived at round six sitting only seventh in the drivers’ standings after a difficult opening sequence that included a final-stage crash whilst leading Croatia Rally and no podiums from the first five rounds. Hyundai, meanwhile, had watched Toyota win every rally so far this year.
The 2024 world champion arrived at round six sitting only seventh in the drivers’ standings after a difficult opening sequence that included a final-stage crash whilst leading Croatia Rally and no podiums from the first five rounds. Hyundai, meanwhile, had watched Toyota win every rally so far this year.

Portugal looked set to continue that pattern until the penultimate stage, when Sébastien Ogier stopped to change a right-rear damaged tyre on Vieira do Minho 2. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver had started Sunday with a 21.9s lead and was closing on a record-extending eighth Portugal win, but his victory hopes disappeared in the rutted, rock-strewn conditions.
Neuville, who had kept himself in the fight throughout a punishing weekend of rain, mud and constantly changing grip, moved into the lead with only the Fafe Wolf Power Stage remaining. He and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe completed the final test without drama to win by 16.3s from Oliver Solberg.
It was Neuville’s 23rd WRC victory and his second in Portugal, eight years after his previous success on the Matosinhos-based gravel classic. More importantly, it gave Hyundai the breakthrough it badly needed after Toyota’s dominant start to the season.
“It’s a very special one,” said Neuville. “After what happened in Croatia and the struggles we have had for a while, this one comes very well.
“Not only for me and Martijn, but for the whole team. We never give up, and that paid this weekend. We were always up there, always on a good rhythm. Nothing was really perfect, but we always somehow got through.”

Ogier, who plummeted to sixth, said: “There are things you can’t control. Everything we could control this weekend, we did pretty well. It was hard luck today. Of course, we deserved a little bit better.”
Sami Pajari was also caught out on the same stage. The Finn had been on course for a fifth consecutive podium, but stopped to carry out wheel change and dropped from third to seventh.
Solberg inherited second after a turbulent rally of his own. The Swede led after Thursday, briefly reclaimed the lead on Saturday morning and then lost ground with tyre trouble and a spin. But he stayed close enough to benefit from Sunday’s drama and secured his first podium since winning Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.
“It was a big ping-pong result all weekend,” Solberg said. “After two tough Tarmac rallies, I’m just very happy to be back on the podium with some good points. Relieved, really.”
Championship leader Elfyn Evans completed the podium, 29.1s behind Neuville. The Welshman admitted he had not fully delivered the pace he wanted, but third place still strengthened his championship lead to 12 points over Takamoto Katsuta after six rounds.

Adrien Fourmaux finished fourth for Hyundai after a rally that promised much more. The Frenchman led earlier in the event before a Friday off and resulting double puncture dropped him down the order, but he ended with fastest time on the Power Stage.
Katsuta completed the top five, ahead of Ogier and Pajari, as Toyota’s final-day damage mounted. Dani Sordo brought the third Hyundai home in eighth after a difficult weekend, with M-Sport Ford’s Mārtiņš Sesks ninth and FIA WRC2 winner Teemu Suninen completing the top 10.
Matteo Fontana won FIA WRC3 with Ali Türkkan celebrating back-to-back FIA Junior WRC victories.
The FIA WRC heads east for FORUM8 Rally Japan from 28-31 May.

World Rally Championship
WRC WRC SEASON 2026 Sport Rallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2026WRC00Sunday, May 10, 2026 - 11:53pmSunday, May 10, 2026 - 11:53pm
WEC: BMW breaks through with Spa one-two

Sport news
The ‘Ardennes Rollercoaster’ invariably generates exciting action, and the second round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign was no exception. BMW M Team WRT – based just up the road near Liège – began the six-hour contest in front of a record-breaking Spa crowd of 101,606 enthusiastic fans from just tenth and 11th on the Hypercar class grid, but an audacious strategy and a stroke of luck proved to be key to the squad’s success.
In a race that featured no fewer than four safety car interventions, BMW elected to roll the dice during the first round of pit-stops at the end of the opening hour, short-fuelling the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 to vault René Rast into the lead. A new fastest lap for the experienced German subsequently extended that advantage, before he handed over to team-mate Sheldon van der Linde at one-quarter distance.
In clean air, the South African maintained the momentum as he unleashed a similarly impressive turn-of-speed, and a neutralisation four hours in enabled the crew to get back in sync with their rivals – while crucially retaining first place.
Robin Frijns increased the margin in the final stages as the pursuing pack squabbled frenetically in his wake. With Kevin Magnussen producing a defensive masterclass against rivals Ferrari and Toyota in the sister #15 BMW the Dane shares with home hero Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello, the Bavarian brand was able to celebrate a famous one-two finish – its first outright victory in global endurance racing since the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999.
“It's an unbelievable story for us,” enthused race-winner, Rast, who in tandem with Frijns, now tops the Drivers’ title table, while BMW has leapt to the summit of the Manufacturers’ standings. “It’s been a long time in the making – we’ve been waiting for this moment for the last two or three years. Everybody has worked so hard, and to celebrate our first win in Belgium, where WRT is at home, is something very special.
“The team pulled off a miracle in terms of strategy. They put me in front, and then the car was just flying and in clean air, we had great pace. We had great pit-stops, we made no mistakes and we had no contact. It’s just an amazing day!”
After failing to overhaul Magnussen for the runner-up spoils, Antonio Fuoco narrowly held off a fired-up Kamui Kobayashi to ascend the bottom step of the rostrum alongside Ferrari AF Corse team-mates Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina, with the #50 trio ruing a wheel nut issue during a pit-stop towards the end of the second hour that cost them 20 seconds.
In LMGT3, there was redemption for Garage 59 – which had looked to be on-course for victory on its championship debut in last month’s Imola curtain-raiser until suffering an alternator failure barely half-an-hour from the chequered flag. The #10 McLaren piloted by Tom Fleming, Marvin Kirchhöfer and Antares Au scythed through the 18-car field from 15th on the grid to triumph in Belgium, taking advantage of a late-race five-second penalty for VISTA AF Corse’s #21 Ferrari.
Next up on the FIA WEC calendar is the series’ flagship event, the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in France on 10-14 June.
World Endurance Championship
WEC Endurance TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps WEC SEASON 2026 Sport Circuit1SportWorld Endurance ChampionshipCircuitWECSEASON 2026WECEnduranceTOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps01Saturday, May 9, 2026 - 11:17pmSaturday, May 9, 2026 - 11:17pm
WRC - Ogier masters tricky conditions to lead into final day

Sport news
The Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT driver briefly lost the lead to team-mate Oliver Solberg on the morning’s first pass of Paredes, but responded in style as conditions deteriorated through a punishing afternoon loop.
Ogier reclaimed top spot immediately after service, stretched his advantage with a superb drive through a mud-soaked Amarante stage and then added more time on Paredes before safely negotiating a torrential Lousada superspecial.
“This afternoon, with these conditions, I’m glad we finished it because it has been very demanding,” said Ogier, a winner of the FIA World Rally Championship on nine occasions. “There was no grip at all on the mud, it was just about going through, but we had a good day.”

Saturday had begun with Ogier leading Neuville by just 3.7s, but the fight was turned on its head several times as rain swept across northern Portugal.
Sami Pajari struck first on Felgueiras, Neuville reduced Ogier’s margin to 1.7s and Ogier then hit back on Cabeceiras de Basto and Amarante.
The biggest twist of the morning came on the first pass of Paredes. Solberg, who had trailed Ogier by 18.6s at the start of the stage, mastered the mix of rain, mud and changing grip to win the test and jump from fourth to first overall.
Ogier admitted he had no answer to Solberg’s pace in that moment, but his response after service was immediate. He won the repeat of Felgueiras by 0.1s from Pajari to move back into the lead, while Solberg slipped behind after dropping 4.5s.

Worse followed for Solberg on Cabeceiras de Basto 2, where his front-right tyre came off the rim and dropped him from second to fifth overall. Neuville moved up to second after that drama, with Pajari climbing back into third.
Amarante 2 became the day’s decisive stage. In extremely slippery conditions, Ogier was 11.2s faster than anyone else and increased his lead over Neuville to 16.0s before adding a further 5.9s to his buffer on the closing two tests.
Neuville ended Saturday second for Hyundai, 3.9s ahead of Pajari, after a consistent run through treacherous conditions. The Belgian pushed hard through the afternoon but admitted there was little more he could do as Ogier pulled clear.
Pajari completes the overnight podium, 25.8s from the lead, after another strong day in his GR Yaris Rally1. The Finn briefly lost ground on the morning’s run through Paredes, but kept himself firmly in the fight and held third through the afternoon.
Despite a costly spin on Parades 2 Solberg recovered to fourth, 49.6s from the lead, after setting fastest time in the rain-lashed Lousada superspecial. Evans is fifth, 8.6s further back, after a frustrating afternoon in which he lost significant time on the second pass of Amarante.

Adrien Fourmaux is sixth for Hyundai, while Takamoto Katsuta completes the Rally1 top seven after a more encouraging day in his Toyota.
Dani Sordo holds eighth after describing Saturday as one of his toughest days behind the wheel, while Mārtiņš Sesks moved up to ninth for M-Sport Ford. Teemu Suninen completes the top 10 and leads FIA WRC2 by just 0.9s from Jan Solans, having overtaken the Škoda-driving Spaniard through Lousada. Roope Korhonen is third in WRC2 behind Lancia-powered Rally2 contender Nikolay Gryazin.
Calle Carlberg leads FIA Junior WRC by 39.6s ahead of Gil Membrado, the FIA WRC3 pacesetter.

Meanwhile, it was a difficult afternoon for M-Sport Ford, with Jon Armstrong rolling on SS15, Felgueiras, and Josh McErlean crashing into the barriers at Lousada. Both crews were unharmed.
Round six of the FIA World Rally Championship concludes tomorrow, Sunday, with twin visits to Vieira do Minho and Fafe, with the second run over Fafe forming the Wolf Power Stage from 13:15 local time. The opening Vieira do Minho test is up first from 08:05.

World Rally Championship
WRC WRC SEASON 2026 Sport Rallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2026WRC00Saturday, May 9, 2026 - 11:08pmSaturday, May 9, 2026 - 11:08pm