Lancia Corse HF are WRC2 Teams’ World Champions
Rally del Paraguay has delivered a landmark achievement for Lancia Corse HF. Following the completion of the eleventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Italian squad has secured the WRC2 Teams’ Championship title, completing a remarkable first season for Lancia’s official return to the World Rally Championship.
The title was secured with the contribution of the two official crews, Yohan Rossel – Arnaud Dunand and Nikolay Gryazin – Konstantin Aleksandrov, who brought their respective Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale cars home in sixth and fifth place following an exceptionally demanding event.
Rally del Paraguay fully lived up to expectations, with more than 358 competitive kilometres on the fast and technical gravel roads of the Itapúa region. Changing grip levels, increasingly rutted stages, significant amounts of dust and constantly evolving weather conditions made the event a major challenge for both crews and cars throughout the weekend.
The opening day proved particularly difficult for Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand, who encountered tyre issues that affected their pace. Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov also experienced tyre-related problems during the rally, but both crews responded strongly, maintaining their focus and bringing their cars safely to the finish.
Gryazin’s fifth place and Rossel’s sixth therefore played an important role in securing the WRC2 Teams’ Championship title for Lancia Corse HF.
Despite the difficulties, Rally del Paraguay represents another important step in the development journey of the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. Having faced some of the most varied and demanding surfaces on the FIA WRC calendar throughout the season, Lancia Corse HF has continued to gain valuable experience and technical knowledge, turning every event into an opportunity to further develop both the car and the entire team.
Securing the WRC2 Teams’ Championship title is the culmination of that journey. A result built rally by rally through performance, technical development, the ability to overcome difficult situations and the commitment of the entire Lancia Corse HF organisation.
For Lancia, the achievement is particularly significant, coming in the first year of its official return to the FIA World Rally Championship. The Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale has demonstrated its competitiveness across a wide range of surfaces and conditions, while the team has continued to grow throughout the season to secure the project’s first major World Championship title.
With three rounds still remaining, Lancia Corse HF can now approach the final part of the season as WRC2 Teams’ World Champions, while continuing to target strong results in the individual standings and further developing the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale.
Didier Clément – Team Principal, Lancia Corse HF
“On an extremely demanding rally, punctures prevented us from achieving the result we were aiming for, despite the pace clearly being there for both Nikolay and Yohan, as they demonstrated throughout the weekend. Nevertheless, it is a great source of pride to secure this title for Lancia Corse HF. Now, all eyes are on Chile, where we’ll be back with both crews.”
