This month’s Rally Sardinia featured the joint-closest finish for a win in World Rally Championship history, as Ott Tanak and Sebastien Ogier contested a thrilling battle.
It culminated in Tanak claiming victory by just 0.2s after the Hyundai driver overhauled a 17.1s deficit to Toyota’s Ogier on the final day.
Tanak's first win since his return to Hyundai means he is now second in the championship, level with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. The Welshman finished the rally fourth after struggling for pace throughout, and was hampered too by a puncture on the Friday.
Misfortune also hit championship leader Thierry Neuville, who crashed from third on stage eight, but he recovered by claiming a maximum score on the Sunday under the WRC’s new points system. The Belgian's championship was reduced from 24 points to 18 as a result.
But next up is Rally Poland, which may be a great place for Neuville to bounce back as he claimed victory at the event in 2017.
That was also Poland’s last appearance on the WRC calendar, before it lost its place due to repeated breaches of spectator safety.
The event's return will only be a one-off according to Simon Larkin, WRC event director, with Rally Poland celebrating its 80th edition in 2024 after being part of the European Rally Championship in recent years.
The manufacturers’ standings will also be one to look out for in Poland. Hyundai currently leads defending champion Toyota by just 13 points, having not claimed the title since 2020.
M-Sport trails Hyundai by 138 points in third with Adrien Fourmaux, who scored a disappointing three points in Sardinia, its highest-placed driver in fifth.
The Ford squad, which celebrated scoring points in 300 consecutive WRC rounds in Sardinia, will field a third car this week for rising star Martins Sesks. The 2023 European Rally Championship runner-up will make his Rally1 debut in a non-hybrid powered Puma before stepping up to the full hybrid-spec version in Latvia next month.
When is Rally Poland?
Date: 27 - 30 June
Start time: 4pm BST/5pm local time on Thursday 27 June
The 2024 Rally Poland weekend starts with shakedown on Thursday 27 June at 9am in the United Kingdom and 10am local time. This will entail drivers tackling a 3.17-mile route in the village of Lubiewo, situated in north-central Poland, so that they can test various car set-ups ahead of the rally.
Later that day, the event officially begins with its ceremonial start at 4pm BST (5pm local time) and that will be staged in the Mikołajki Main Square. The rally’s opening stage also takes place on Thursday, at 6:05pm BST (7:05pm local time) when a 1.55-mile dash of the Mikołajki Arena will commence the action.
|
Date
|
Leg
|
Leg total
|
Start time
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Shakedown
|
3.17 miles
|
9am BST/10am local time
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Ceremonial start
|
N/A
|
4pm BST/5pm local time
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Stage 1
|
1.55 miles
|
6:05pm BST/7:05pm local time
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 2 - Stage 4
|
34.49 miles
|
7:45am BST/8:45am local time
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 5 - Stage 7
|
34.49 miles
|
1:05pm BST/2:05pm local time
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 8
|
1.55 miles
|
6pm BST/7pm local time
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 9 - Stage 12
|
39.33 miles
|
7:30am BST/8:30am local time
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 13 - Stage 15
|
37.78 miles
|
3pm BST/4pm local time
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 16 - Stage 17
|
19.59 miles
|
8am BST/9am local time
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 18
|
12.92 miles
|
11:20am BST/12:20pm local time
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 19 (Power Stage)
|
6.67 miles
|
1:15pm BST/2:15pm local time
|
How can I watch the WRC?
The UK's WRC broadcasting rights belong to TNT Sports, which has covered the series since 2014 when it was known as BT Sport. As a result, TNT will televise every round of the 2024 season but this means a subscription is needed to watch the WRC in the UK.
TNT Sports is available for £20 per month. All four sport channels, Eurosport 1 and 2, as well as live streaming platform Discovery+ are included for that price.
Fans can also watch the WRC via Rally.tv, which broadcasts the ERC and World Rallycross Championship as well. Rally.tv offers two kinds of subscriptions: an annual pass for £119.99 or a monthly deal for £12.99.
How can I watch Rally Poland?
TNT Sports will begin its Rally Poland coverage with Thursday's shakedown at 9am, before returning at 5:30pm for the opening stage.
An early start then commences its coverage on Friday, with the second stage available via TNT Sports 3 from 7:30am. TNT Sports 3 will broadcast the rest of Friday’s action, before it switches over to TNT Sports 4 for Saturday’s running, while TNT Sports 1 and 3 will share Sunday’s coverage.
The schedule of the rally also means TNT will be on and off during the weekend, as it depends on when each stage starts. Rally.tv will follow a similar format but, unlike TNT, it will also broadcast the ceremonial start with coverage beginning at 4pm on Thursday.
|
Date
|
Leg
|
Channel
|
Coverage from
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Shakedown
|
TNT Sports Extra 1
|
9am BST
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Stage 1
|
TNT Sports 2
|
5:30pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 2
|
TNT Sports 3
|
7:30am BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 3 - Stage 4
|
TNT Sports 3
|
9:15am BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 5
|
TNT Sports 3
|
12:45pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 6 - Stage 7
|
TNT Sports 3
|
2:30pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 8
|
TNT Sports 3
|
5:45pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 9
|
TNT Sports 4
|
7:15am BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 10 - Stage 11
|
TNT Sports 4
|
8:45am BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 12
|
TNT Sports 4
|
12:15pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 13
|
TNT Sports 4
|
2:45pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 14 - Stage 15
|
TNT Sports 4
|
4:15pm BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 16
|
TNT Sports 1
|
7:45am BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 17
|
TNT Sports 3
|
9am BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 18
|
TNT Sports 3
|
11:15pm BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 19 (Power Stage)
|
TNT Sports 3
|
1pm BST
|
|
Date
|
Leg
|
Channel
|
Coverage from
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Shakedown
|
Rally.tv
|
9am BST
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Ceremonial start
|
Rally.tv
|
4pm BST
|
|
Thursday 27 June
|
Stage 1
|
Rally.tv
|
6pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 2
|
Rally.tv
|
7:30am BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 3 - Stage 4
|
Rally.tv
|
9:15am BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 5
|
Rally.tv
|
12:45pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 6 - Stage 7
|
Rally.tv
|
2:30pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Stage 8
|
Rally.tv
|
5:45pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 9
|
Rally.tv
|
7:15am BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 10 - Stage 11
|
Rally.tv
|
8:45am BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 12
|
Rally.tv
|
12:15pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 13
|
Rally.tv
|
2:45pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Stage 14 - Stage 15
|
Rally.tv
|
4:15pm BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 16 - Stage 17
|
Rally.tv
|
7:45am BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 18
|
Rally.tv
|
11:15am BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Stage 19 (Power Stage)
|
Rally.tv
|
1pm BST
|
When can I watch the Rally Poland highlights?
TNT Sports will broadcast several 30-minute highlight programmes on Friday (9pm), Saturday (2:45am, 4am, 11:30pm) and Sunday (4am, 7:15am, 7:30pm, 11:30pm) to show what happened that day at Rally Poland.
Red Bull TV is another destination for Rally Poland highlights, as it will broadcast a package at 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Elsewhere, ITV4 will run a one-hour highlights programme on Tuesday 2 July at 8pm. Autosport also offers daily highlights, as does the WRC YouTube channel which will upload clips throughout the weekend.
|
Date
|
Channel
|
Time
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
Red Bull TV
|
9pm BST
|
|
Friday 28 June
|
TNT Sports 4
|
9pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
TNT Sports 2
|
2:45am BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
TNT Sports 3
|
4am BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
Red Bull TV
|
9pm BST
|
|
Saturday 29 June
|
TNT Sports 1
|
11:30pm BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
TNT Sports 3
|
4am BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
TNT Sports 1
|
7:15am BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
TNT Sports 1
|
7:30pm BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
Red Bull TV
|
9pm BST
|
|
Sunday 30 June
|
TNT Sports 1
|
11:30pm BST
|
|
Tuesday 2 July
|
ITV4
|
8pm BST
|
What is the route for Rally Poland?
Rally Poland will consist of 19 special stages which cover a total competitive distance of 189 miles. It will commence on Thursday evening, where drivers will tackle the shortest stage of the rally with 1.55 miles of Mikołajki Arena which will be run three times throughout the weekend.
An early start begins Friday’s action, with drivers doing 18.27 miles of Stanczyki - the weekend’s biggest stage - which is a rural village that lies just south of Poland’s border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia. From there, drivers head south to Wieliczki for the 8.02-mile long stage three, before finishing the morning with 8.2 miles in the town of Olecko.
That route will be completed again in the afternoon, before the rally finishes Friday with its second 1.55-mile dash of Mikołajki Arena. The third run of the arena comes early Saturday afternoon, after drivers have tackled 37.78 miles of Swietajna, Gołdap and Czarne that morning - three stages which will also be repeated later in the day.
Sunday then features four stages of two identical routes, as it begins with 12.92 miles of Gmina Mrągowo before 6.67 miles of Mikołajki. Drivers then return to Gmina Mrągowo, before Mikołajki serves as the weekend-closing Power Stage where bonus points on a sliding scale of 5-4-3-2-1 are available.
Rally1 entry list for Rally Poland
|
Team
|
Driver
|
Co-driver
|
|
Hyundai
|
Ott Tanak
|
Martin Jarveoja
|
|
Andreas Mikkelsen
|
Torstein Eriksen
|
|
|
Thierry Neuville
|
Martijn Wydaeghe
|
|
|
M-Sport
|
Gregoire Munster
|
Louis Louka
|
|
Adrien Fourmaux
|
Alexandre Coria
|
|
|
Martins Sesks
|
Renars Francis
|
|
|
Toyota
|
Sebastien Ogier
|
Vincent Landais
|
|
Takamoto Katsuta
|
Aaron Johnston
|
|
|
Elfyn Evans
|
Scott Martin
|
