Latest developments in the FIA European Rally Championship
BACK-TO-BACK EVENT CONFIGURATION FOR BUDGET-SAVING PROVISIONAL 2021 FIA ERC CALENDAR
Budget saving is at the heart of the provisional 2021 FIA European Rally Championship calendar, with the inclusion of two back-to-back events part of continued efforts to reduce the cost of competing. Approved during the recent online meeting of FIA Rally Commission members, the schedule from ERC promoter Eurosport Events will now go to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for final ratification when it gathers next month. The provisional calendar consists of eight events with four on asphalt and four on gravel. Three ‘spare’ rallies have been nominated should any of the eight rounds be cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
ALPINE ADVANCE: MELEGARI BACK IN A110 RGT FOR RALLY ISLAS CANARIAS
Zelindo Melegari will be Alpine powered once again when he contests next week’s Rally Islas Canarias in a CHAZEL Technologie Course A110 RGT. The FIA ERC2 title-chasing Italian gave the French machine its international competition debut on Rally Fafe Montelongo last month. Although an accident on the opening day of the Portuguese event ruled out a strong result, Melegari was nevertheless able to demonstrate the car’s potential. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
HERCZIG LOOKS TO THE FUTURE AFTER HOME ERC PODIUM AGONY
MOL Racing Team’s Norbert Herczig was third on his home round of the FIA European Rally Championship with two stages remaining when his hopes of a dream podium were shattered. Following a strong showing in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5, Herczig was on course for dream result when he picked up a puncture on SS15 and dropped from third to sixth in an instant. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
BASSAS IN HOME ATTACK TO BEAT “VERY FAST” ERC3 JUNIOR RIVAL TORN
Pep Bassas has praised his FIA ERC3 Junior Championship rival Ken Torn after the Estonian got the better of him on Rally Hungary – but vowed to hit back on the upcoming Rally Islas Canarias. Rallye Team Spain driver Bassas arrived in Hungary on the back of inflicting Torn’s first defeat of 2020 on Rally Fafe Montelongo the previous month. But it was Torn who triumphed this time on the demanding sealed-surface stages, although Bassas is already planning his revenge. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
HYUNDAI JUNIOR DRIVER MUNSTER GETTING BETTER WITH AGE IN ERC
Grégoire Munster used Hungary’s FIA European Rally Championship counter to once again prove his talent at international level with a measured performance aboard his Hyundai i20 R5. Co-driven by Louis Louka, Munster, 21, made it two FIA ERC1 Junior wins in as many events while also netting his best outright finish so far with second overall behind winner Andreas Mikkelsen. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
SOLBERG GOES FROM THE HUNTED TO THE HUNTER IN ERC1 JUNIOR
Oliver Solberg will no longer be the hunted in the FIA ERC1 Junior Championship after dropping behind Grégoire Munster in the battle to win the coveted title for young stars in Rally2 cars. Solberg had topped the class standings since he won the category on Rally di Roma Capitale in July. But he fell behind Munster on Rally Hungary, his first ERC appearance in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, after his rival scored a second successive victory and Efrén Llarena kept him out of the runner-up spot in an exciting climax to the sealed-surface counter in Nyíregyháza. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
M-SPORT POLAND LAUNCHES ALL-NEW FIESTA RALLY3 FOR ERC
The all-new Ford Fiesta Rally3 from M-Sport, the first car built to the FIA’s Rally3 category regulations and set for action in the FIA European Rally Championship from next season, has been launched. Rally3 is a new category of rally car created to provide an accessible and affordable first step on the four-wheel-drive ladder at national, regional and world level. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
GRIEBEL SATISFIED WITH ERC NEW CAR PROGRESS
Finishing in the top 10 on Rally Hungary was further evidence of the progress Marijan Griebel is making behind the wheel of his new-for-2020 Citroën C3 R5, according to the double FIA ERC Junior champion. Griebel was making only his third start in the Saintéloc Junior Team-run car but impressed by completing leg on in sixth overall. Although a high-speed spin cost him time and confidence on leg two, he reached the finish in a season-best ninth alongside co-driver Tobias Braun. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
ERC JUNIOR DINKEL ON INTERCOM FAILURE: I JUST FOLLOWED MY EYES, I HAD NO CHOICE
Dominik Dinkel has spoken about what happened when the intercom in his Škoda Fabia Rally2 failed on Rally Hungary. The problem struck the FIA ERC1 Junior Championship contender on Saturday afternoon and meant he wasn’t able to hear co-driver Ursula Mayrhofer’s pacenotes. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
HOW MARCZYK WON AND LOST AGAINST MIKKELSEN IN ERC
After beating Andreas Mikkelsen on the opening superspecial to lead an FIA European Rally Championship event for the first time, ORLEN Team’s Miko Marczyk had to give second best to the world-level event-winning Norwegian on Rally Hungary’s city stage. Marczyk, the 2019 Polish champion, was 0.7s faster than Mikkelsen through the Rabócsiring superspecial but lost out to the ex-factory Citroën, Hyundai and Volkswagen driver by 1.0s on SSS Nyíregyháza, which ran through the streets of Rally Hungary’s host city. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
LINDHOLM WAS “TOO FAST” IN COSTLY HUNGARY ERC MOMENT
Emil Lindholm has recalled the moment that cost him a shot at the FIA ERC1 Junior Championship victory and an outright podium on Rally Hungary for Team MRF Tyres. Lindholm was 8.6s behind third-placed ERC1 Junior leader Grégoire Munster starting Rally Hungary’s ninth stage when he slid off the road and got stuck. Unable to regain the road in time, Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen were forced to retire, despite their Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo being unscathed in the incident. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
ERC1 JUNIOR DEVINE DELIGHTS AGAIN IN HUNGARY
Callum Devine might not have repeated his debut Rally Hungary podium heroics of 12 months ago but his performance on this year’s FIA European Rally Championship counter was arguably better. Driving a Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Hyundai i20 R5, Devine and stand-in co-driver James Fulton placed seventh overall and fourth in ERC1 Junior in a hugely competitive field with a class stage win another highlight for the Hyundai Junior Driver. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
CAIS FLIES DURING ERC RALLY HUNGARY COMEBACK CHARGE
Erik Cais used his comeback from an early off-road moment to underline his pace in the FIA European Rally Championship. Cais and co-driver Jindřiška Žáková dropped out of contention for a top result in ERC1 Junior when they hit trouble on stage two of Rally Hungary, dropping to P40 overall. But they fought back to an impressive eighth overall and fifth in ERC1 Junior after setting a succession of rapid stage times, including three top-three efforts in their Yacco ACCR Team Fiesta. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
HUNGARY CHARGE ENSURES MAYR-MELNHOF EQUALS ERC BEST
Niki Mayr-Melnhof equalled his FIA European Rally Championship personal best finish with fifth place on Rally Hungary. The former Austrian champion narrowly missed out on scoring his first stage win in the ERC when he finished second to Oliver Solberg by 2.0s on SS12 in the Ford Fiesta R5 MklI he shares with co-driver Poldi Welsersheimb. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
MOLLE DIGS DEEP WITH THE ULTIMATE NEVER-GIVE-UP PERFORMANCE ON ERC RALLY HUNGARY
Amaury Molle and co-driver Florian Barral dug deep into their energy reserves when Rally Hungary hosted round four of the FIA European Rally Championship. They were plagued by problems throughout the event but battled through to finish fourth in the Pirelli-supported ERC3 Junior category and sixth in ERC3 to consolidate third place in ERC3 and joint third in ERC3 Junior. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
SPAIN GAINS IN BATTLE FOR ERC TEAMS’ TITLE
Rallye Team Spain will start its home round of the FIA European Rally Championship later this month on top in the battle to be the ERC’s leading team at the end of the season. Points scored by Efrén Llarena, who was third overall and Pep Bassas, the ERC3/ERC3 Junior runner-up, on Rally Hungary were enough to move Rallye Team Spain ahead of the Saintéloc Junior Team – which consisted of Marijan Griebel and Alexey Lukyanuk in Hungary – by 14 points after four rounds. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
