The Latest Breaking News from Sardinia

Tanak headed into the afternoon stages with a 3.5s lead over part-time driver Ogier, but ended the day trailing the eight-time world champion by 17.1s.

The WRC2 title contender had been set to tackle the 16-stage gravel rally, although the Swede was not registered to score championship points.  However, Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson have been forced out of the rally before the opening stage.  Solberg is understood to be suffering from an allergic reaction…

The Iris Affair is an edge-of-your-seat thriller set in Sardinia and stars Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander.

The Toyota driver felt that “everything he touched went wrong” last weekend as he witnessed his six-point deficit to championship leader Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville balloon to 24 points.

The Italian gravel rally, which hosts the sixth round of the championship, has confirmed an eight-car Rally 1 field primed to tackle the event’s new 48-hour sprint format from 31 May – 2 June.

The lack of windy conditions in Italy means flat stages destined for breaks and bunch sprints

UCI adds round in Sardinia, 'protected event' status for races outside Belgium, Netherlands

Go at the right time of year, and these destinations promise alfresco adventure and cultural immersion – without stifling temperatures

Alessandra Todde of the Five Star Movement, backed by the Democratic party, is the Italian island’s first female president