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The proposed calendar for next year’s World Rally Championship has not been ratified by today’s World Motor Sport Council meeting in Bahrain. The WMSC has instructed FIA president Jean Todt, WRC Commission president Morrie Chandler and North One Sport, the WRC’s promoter, to “further consider the World Rally calendar.” A final version of the calendar is to be decided, according to the FIA’s communication from the meeting, no later than April 16. North One Sport proposed a 15-round calendar at last month’s meeting of the WRC Commission

Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block has talked about how Colin McRae inspired him to start rallying.

FIA vice-president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has thrown his weight behind Abu Dhabi’s proposed entry to next year’s World Rally Championship - but sources have suggested the Emirate’s step up to the WRC might not be entirely straightforward. Abu Dhabi’s arrival on the proposed WRC calendar for next season - at the expense of Rally Jordan, the Middle East’s first ever WRC round - is the most controversial talking point of tomorrow’s meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Bahrain.

Endurance rallying could return to the World Rally Championship next year, if a proposed removal of the maximum number of competitive miles is implemented. Rounds of the WRC are currently permitted to run anything up to 310 competitive miles, an increase from the 220-mile rule which had been in place prior to this season’s increase. But that limit could be binned next year following a meeting of the WRC’s Global Working Group

Sebastien Loeb has moved into the World Rally Championship lead after winning Rally Mexico for the fourth time in his career. Petter Solberg narrowly beat Sebastien Ogier to second in a final stage shootout - just a second separating the pair at the finish - while Rally Sweden winner Mikko Hirvonen had to settle for fourth.

Sebastien Loeb is on the brink of victory in Rally Mexico, taking a 40.2-second lead into the last two stages despite easing his pace this morning.

Petter Solberg and Sebastien Ogier are both confident of collecting second place on today’s final day of Rally Mexico - in what promises to be a fascinating, down-to-the wire scrap. Solberg will start second on the road, with his fellow Citroen C4 WRC driver Ogier directly behind him. The pair are separated by just 2.7 seconds with 36 miles and four stages remaining in the Leon-based event.

Citroen team principal Olivier Quesnel has denied rumours that he asked Petter Solberg to run first on the road through yesterday’s longest day of Rally Mexico. After leading early in the day, Solberg had been expected to drop time on the second loop of Friday stages to ensure himself the best position on the road through Saturday’s nine stages

Sebastien Loeb will take a lead of almost one minute into the final three stages of Rally Mexico after a stunning performance on the second leg.

After a fine first day in the Monster World Rally Team yesterday, American driver Ken Block retired from Rally Mexico when he went off the road on the first stage this morning. He talked AUTOSPORT through his debut in a Ford Focus RS WRC. Q

Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen will make one final attempt at closing the gap to the dominant Citroens on the second afternoon of Rally Mexico. The factory Fords have suffered another miserable loop of stages on the Leon-based event, failing to gain on the C4 WRCs ahead, despite running in a better position on the road. Hirvonen said the team would take one final throw of the dice by fitting the Focus RS WRC 09s with stiffer suspension for this afternoon’s five stages.

Sebastien Loeb has charged from third to first on the second morning of Rally Mexico as overnight leader Petter Solberg struggled with running first on the road. World champion Loeb had ended leg one 27 seconds behind Solberg, but took just two stages to vault into the lead as he made the most of Solberg and second placed Sebastien Ogier sweeping the dusty roads clear for him.

Kimi Raikkonen has shrugged off his Rally Mexico accident as an inevitable part of his transition from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship. The former Ferrari F1 driver had to retire from the Mexican WRC round yesterday when he rolled his Citroen Junior C4 several times near the end of SS7

Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen says he thinks Petter Solberg’s decision to lead Rally Mexico into today was the wrong one. Having run first on the road through yesterday’s opening day of the Leon-based event, Hirvonen is perfectly placed to comment on what his Citroen-driving rival will face today - and he reckons Solberg’s stay in the lead will be a short one. “I was surprised Petter was not doing anything [with tactics],” said Hirvonen

Citroen team principal Olivier Quesnel has heaped more praise on his Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier after the Frenchman ended day one in second place on Rally Mexico. In just his second ever start in Mexico - and his first in a World Rally Car - the former Junior World Rally champion was fastest on four of the day’s five stages and starts day two just 15 seconds behind leader Petter Solberg. “I am very pleased with Seb,” said Quesnel.

Ford team director Malcolm Wilson has admitted he is disappointed with the opening day of Rally Mexico - where Citroens hold the top four positions. Wilson pointed to Ford team leader Mikko Hirvonen’s position first on the road as the principle reason for the Rally Sweden winner’s lack of pace through Friday’s nine stages; the Finn lies sixth overall and 90 seconds off the lead

Petter Solberg maintains his advantage into day two of the Rally Mexico after the leaders eschewed the opportunity to slow and gain better road positions for Saturday. With the Mexican stages extremely dusty, the drivers early in the running order have struggled for grip all day, while those further down the start list - such as Solberg and current second place man Sebastien Ogier - have benefited from cleaner stages. As the problem is expected to be even worse tomorrow, most drivers anticipated that at least some of the frontrunners would slow down on today’s final full-length stage to try and drop places and ensure a better starting spot for leg two.

Citroen Junior Team driver Kimi Raikkonen has crashed out of Rally Mexico close to the finish of the final gravel stage of day one. The Finn rolled his C4 WRC off the road a mile from the end of the second run through the El Cubliete test. Initial reports suggest it was a substantial crash, with the car rolling six times.

Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block has surprised himself with his pace on the opening loop of Rally Mexico stages - the American holding ninth overall after SS4. World Rally Car debutant Block, who had only driven his Ford Focus RS WRC 08 for 100 miles prior to the start of this week’s Leon-based event, is delighted with his morning’s work

Mikko Hirvonen has admitted he is lucky to still be in Rally Mexico after a big moment on the second stage of the event. The Finn has suffered a torrid morning, sweeping the gravelly roads clean at the head of the field, and ended it 55.2 seconds behind rally leader Petter Solberg.