Photographing the World Rally Championships

Over the years I’ve attended many motorsport events across the UK and Europe. These have varied from local car shows to F1 races, but from a photographic point of view the best has to be rallying. It offers the fan a unique way to experience motorsport, with great access trackside and in the service park/paddock. Rallies are often held in some of the most extraordinary parts of the world, meaning the photographer has the ability to include breathtaking landscapes and scenery in their work. 

Generally speaking it’s useful to have access to a car when travelling to rallies, as they tend to be held in relatively remote areas, with the exception of a few Super Special Stages and the Service Park. It’s also a good idea to base yourself somewhere in the middle of all the stages, so you don’t have a silly amount of driving to do. Sometimes the organisers will lay on buses from the main population centres though, to spectator zones, so definitely worth bearing that in mind. 

Of course, rallies can be dangerous events, and it’s important for spectators and photographers alike to ensure they’re standing in safe places at all times, and to always follow the marshal’s directions. Remote cameras are a great way of getting shots from close to the action, without having to stand there yourself. Although maybe don’t use your most expensive camera as it may end up getting hit by a car! 

Here’s a selection of my shots from Photographing the World Rally Championships events over the past couple of years:

Rallye Monte-Carlo 2026

This shot was taken at the recent Rallye Monte-Carlo 2026. Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy were the first around, in their M-Sport Puma, on the slippery snow and ice. I was trying to frame the car as it came around the corner, and hoping for the cloud in the distance to blow away, to reveal the mountains behind, but as it happened the light shining through the clouds cast a beautiful glow upon the scene.

Rally Islas Canarias 2025

This picture was taken at Rally Islas Canarias in 2025. It depicts Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja in the Hyundai i20 on one of the final stages of the weekend, with the TV helicopter chasing behind. A lot of planning went into this shot, along with the hope that the helicopter would fly through that airspace. Fortunately the pilot did a practice run prior to the first car coming through so I was able to set up accurately. 

This shot was also taken at the 2025 Rally Islas Canarias. It shows a (very small) Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka cutting through the landscape. I wanted to show how unique countryside was, and give a sense of the dramatic environment 

Central European Rally 2025

I was very lucky in the Central European Rally in 2025 to find a patch of leaves on the road, which each Rally 1 car sucked in under the car, and then threw out the back in an arc. Here you can see Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin in the Toyota Yaris passing by, showing the aero and turbulence from the car.

I saw the smoke blowing from the chimney a few minutes before I took this shot, but for most of the time it was blowing straight up. But fortunately for a few seconds the smoke drifted across the frame, combining with the splash of light on the corner, really focus the eye on Elfyn Evans.

For my next photograpic adventure, I’m off to Umea for Rally Sweden in just over a week, looking forward to shooting WRC cars through the snowy forests. I’ll be posting images on PistonClick, as well as my website and Instagram.

Biography

Daniel Coyle is a United Kingdom based motorsports photographer who has nearly 10 years of experience. Daniel has covered everything from local car shows and rallies, to prestigious events like Photographing the World Rally Championships, ELMS, British GT, BTCC, and the occasional F1/F2 weekend across Europe. You can find out more about Daniel by following these links.

Our Rally Reports from 2018 – 2026 can be found here.