Lancia Corse HF returns to action as newly crowned WRC2 Teams’ World Champions
Fresh from securing the WRC2 Teams’ World Championship at Rally del Paraguay, Lancia Corse HF returns to FIA World Rally Championship action for Rally Chile Biobío, round twelve of the season, taking place from 10 to 13 September. The Chilean event will be Lancia Corse HF’s first rally as World Champions, while Nikolay Gryazin – Konstantin Aleksandrov will be targeting another strong performance in the WRC2 title battle.
The championship remains wide open. Gryazin heads to Chile fourth in the WRC2 standings on 66 points. Championship leader Robert Virves sits on 100 points, but with three rounds still to run – Chile, Rally Italia Sardegna and Rally Saudi Arabia – Lancia Corse HF driver remains mathematically in contention for the WRC2 title.
Rally Chile Biobío will therefore be an important event not only in the ongoing development of the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, but also in the fight for valuable points in the individual championship standings following the early success of securing the Teams’ title.
Based around Concepción, Rally Chile Biobío features 16 special stages covering 311.18 competitive kilometres, all on gravel. The stages run through the forests and hills of the Biobío region, combining fast, flowing and technical roads with some particularly narrow sections. Absolute precision and complete confidence in the pace notes are essential, with blind corners and changing rhythms leaving little margin for error.
One of the defining characteristics of Rally Chile Biobío is its changeable weather. Rain, fog and humidity can rapidly alter both grip and visibility, transforming the character of the stages. The compact, smooth gravel can become considerably more challenging when wet, while fog and dense tree cover can make the road difficult to read even for experienced crews.
The 2026 edition also features a significantly revised route, with approximately 51% of the total competitive distance modified compared with previous editions. New sections include Carampangue, while the opening leg features new stages such as Turquía, Nuevo Rere and Hualqui.
Rally Chile Biobío therefore provides another distinctive challenge for Lancia Corse HF, following the experience gained across a wide range of gravel events this season, the team will look to put the knowledge accumulated with the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale to work on Chile’s fast and technical roads.
With the WRC2 Teams’ Championship already secured, the focus now shifts towards the individual standings. Gryazin and Rossel will therefore approach the third-last round of the season determined to continue pushing and close the gap to the championship lead, with every stage and every point becoming increasingly important.
Didier Clément – Team Principal, Lancia Corse HF
“After winning the World Team Championship title about ten days ago in Paraguay and demonstrating the potential of our Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, our clear goal will be to shine with our two crews in a rally where they have often performed well in the past.”
