European Rally Championship

Annual rallying championship series in Europe

European Rally Championship

Category| R5
Super 2000
Group N
Country| Europe
Inaugural season| 1953; 72 years ago (1953)
Drivers| Varies
Teams| Varies
Drivers' champion|  Hayden Paddon
Teams' champion|  BRC Racing Team
Official website| fiaerc.com
Current season

The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship has been organized since 1953 and has competed in different European countries, alternating between rallies on asphalt and gravel. It was the first supranational rally championship that was organized in the world and therefore the oldest one. In 2012 it had 60 editions and in 2013 it was renewed with the merger with the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

## History

[edit]

Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen at the 1965 1000 Lakes Rally

The European Rally Championship was first contested in 1953[1] and in the following year was one of the most prestigious rallying series. However, with the introduction of the World Rally Championship for manufacturers in 1973, and in particular with the drivers' World Championship being contested from 1979 on, the importance of the ERC began to decline.[2]

Over many years, a typical ERC season featured around 40 rallies, and from 1974 on, the rallies were assigned different coefficients (1, 2, 3 or 4) that were multiplied with the championship points. Changing the coefficients to 2, 5, 10 and 20 did also not improve the situation. Thus, the ERC was more a series for event organizers than an interesting championship for drivers.[2]

A first improvement was implemented for the 2004 season, where the number of events counting for the European Rally Championship were reduced to those with coefficient 20, while the other rallies became part of regional "European Rally Cups". An ERC season now featured around 10 to 12 events and thus had a clearer structure.[2]

Between 2007 and 2011, the driver had to register for the European championships and thus only registered drivers could score ERC points, keeping the local drivers from taking up all ERC points despite not participating in the championship. The registered drivers were also obligated to contest a minimal number of events.[2]

Between 2013 and 2021, French-based broadcaster Eurosport was the promoter of ERC. From 2022, it was taken over by Munich based WRC Promoter GmbH.[3]

## Recent seasons

[edit]

### 2010 season

[edit]

Main article: 2010 European Rally Championship

The 2010 ERC season featured 11 rallies. Luca Rossetti was the winner of 4 events and won the championship.

### 2011 season

[edit]

Main article: 2011 European Rally Championship

The 2011 ERC season started on 14 April 2011 and featured 11 rallies. It ended on 29 October with the Rallye International du Valais. Italian driver Luca Rossetti claimed his third European championship title after winning 5 of the events. In total, 28 registered drivers from 7 different countries competed in the championship.

### 2012 season

[edit]

Main article: 2012 European Rally Championship

The 2012 season started in January with a new event, the "Jänner Rallye" in Austria. As an important change, drivers no longer had to register for the championship. Finnish driver Juho Hänninen won the championship.

### 2013 season

[edit]

Main article: 2013 European Rally Championship

The 2013 season is the first after the merger between IRC and the old ERC, and also the first after Eurosport became the championship's promoter. The season started with the Jänner Rallye in Austria on 3 January 2013, and ended with the Rallye du Valais on 9 November. Czech driver Jan Kopecký won the championship.

### 2014 season

[edit]

Main article: 2014 European Rally Championship

The 2014 season started with the Jänner Rallye in Austria on 3 January 2014, and ended with the Tour de Corse on 8 November. Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi won the championship and the new Asphalt Masters trophy, while Polish drivers Robert Kubica and Kajetan Kajetanowicz won the Ice Masters and Gravel Masters, respectively. French driver Stéphane Lefebvre won the ERC Junior championship.

### 2015 season

[edit]

Main article: 2015 European Rally Championship

The season started with the Jänner Rallye in Austria on 4 January 2015, and ended with the Rallye International du Valais on 7 November. For this year the drivers had to register for the championship, and the categories have been renamed into ERC 1 (for S2000, R5 and RRC (last year) cars), ERC 2 (category for R4 production cars (previously titled N4)) and ERC 3 (for R1, R2 and R3 cars). Polish driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz won the championship.

## Champions

[edit]

1965 champion Rauno Aaltonen, 1968 champion Pauli Toivonen and Timo Mäkinen

### European Rally Championship for Drivers

[edit]

Season  | Driver  | Co-driver  | Car Model(s) Used

|
|
|

1953  |  Helmut Polensky |  Walter Schlüter | Porsche 356 Coupé
Fiat 1100
1954  |  Walter Schlüter |  | DKW 3=6 F91 Sonderklasse
1955  |  Werner Engel |  | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
1956  |  Walter Schock |  | Mercedes-Benz 220
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
1957  |  Ruprecht Hopfen |  | Borgward Isabella
Saab 93
1958  |  Gunnar Andersson |  | Volvo PV444
Volvo PV544
1959  |  Paul Coltelloni |  | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI
Citroën ID 19
1960  |  Walter Schock |  | Mercedes-Benz 220 SE
1961  |  Hans-Joachim Walter |  | Porsche 356 Carrera Coupé
1962  |  Eugen Böhringer |  | Mercedes-Benz 220 SE
1963  |  Gunnar Andersson |  | Volvo 122 S
Volvo PV544
1964  |  Tom Trana |  | Volvo PV544 S
1965  |  Rauno Aaltonen |  | BMC Mini Cooper S
1966  |  Lillebror Nasenius |  | Opel Rekord
Sobiesław Zasada |  | BMC Mini Cooper S
Steyr-Puch 650 TR
Günter Klass |  | Porsche 911
1967  |  Sobiesław Zasada |  | Porsche 911 S
Porsche 912
Bengt Söderström |  | Lotus Cortina
Vic Elford |  | Porsche 911 S
1968  |  Pauli Toivonen |  | Porsche 911 T
1969  |  Harry Källström |  | Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.3 HF
Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.6 HF
1970  |  Jean-Claude Andruet |  | Alpine A110 1600
1971  |  Sobiesław Zasada |  | BMW 2002 TI
1972  |  Raffaele Pinto |  Gino Macaluso | Fiat 124 Sport Spider
1973  |  Sandro Munari |  Mario Mannucci | Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.6 HF
1974  |  Walter Röhrl |  Jochen Berger | Opel Ascona A
1975  |  Maurizio Verini |  | Fiat Abarth 124 Rally
1976  |  Bernard Darniche |  | Lancia Stratos HF
1977  |  Bernard Darniche |  | Lancia Stratos HF
1978  |  Tony Carello |  | Lancia Stratos HF
1979  |  Jochi Kleint |  | Opel Ascona B
Opel Kadett GT/E
1980  |  Antonio Zanini |  | Porsche 911 SC
Ford Escort RS1800
1981  |  Adartico Vudafieri |  | Fiat 131 Abarth
1982  |  Antonio Fassina |  | Opel Ascona 400
1983  |  Miki Biasion |  Tiziano Siviero | Lancia Rally 037
1984  |  Carlo Capone |  Sergio Cresto | Lancia Rally 037
1985  |  Dario Cerrato |  Giuseppe Cerri  | Lancia Rally 037
1986  |  Fabrizio Tabaton |  Luciano Tedeschini  | Lancia Delta S4
1987  |  Dario Cerrato |  Giuseppe Cerri  | Lancia Delta HF 4WD
1988  |  Fabrizio Tabaton |  Luciano Tedeschini  | Lancia Delta HF 4WD
Lancia Delta Integrale
1989  |  Yves Loubet |  Jean-Marc Andrié  | Lancia Delta Integrale
1990  |  Robert Droogmans |  Joosten Ronny  | Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
1991  |  Piero Liatti |  Luciano Tedeschini  | Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
1992  |  Erwin Weber |  Manfred Hiemer  | Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
1993  |  Pierre-César Baroni |  Denis Giraudet | Lancia Delta HF Integrale
Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1994  |  Patrick Snijers |  | Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1995  |  Enrico Bertone |  | Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
1996  |  Armin Schwarz |  | Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
1997  |  Krzysztof Hołowczyc |  | Subaru Impreza 555
1998  |  Andrea Navarra |  | Subaru Impreza 555
1999  |  Enrico Bertone |  | Renault Mégane Maxi
2000  |  Henrik Lundgaard |  | Toyota Corolla WRC
2001  |  Armin Kremer |  | Toyota Corolla WRC
2002  |  Renato Travaglia |  | Peugeot 206 WRC
2003  |  Bruno Thiry |  | Peugeot 206 WRC
2004  |  Simon Jean-Joseph |  | Renault Clio S1600
2005 |  Renato Travaglia |  Flavio Zanella | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII
Renault Clio S1600
2006 |  Giandomenico Basso |  Mitia Dotta  | Fiat Punto Abarth S2000
2007 |  Simon Jean-Joseph |  Jack Boyere  | Citroën C2 S1600
Citroën C2 R2
2008 |  Luca Rossetti |  Matteo Chiarcossi  | Peugeot 207 S2000
2009 |  Giandomenico Basso |  Mitia Dotta  | Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2010 |  Luca Rossetti |  Matteo Chiarcossi  | Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2011 |  Luca Rossetti |  Matteo Chiarcossi  | Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2012 |  Juho Hänninen |  Mikko Markkula | Škoda Fabia S2000
2013 |  Jan Kopecký |  Pavel Dresler  | Škoda Fabia S2000
2014 |  Esapekka Lappi |  Janne Ferm | Škoda Fabia S2000
2015 |  Kajetan Kajetanowicz |  Jarosław Baran | Ford Fiesta R5
2016 |  Kajetan Kajetanowicz |  Jarosław Baran | Ford Fiesta R5
2017 |  Kajetan Kajetanowicz |  Jarosław Baran | Ford Fiesta R5
2018 |  Alexey Lukyanuk |  Alexey Arnautov  | Ford Fiesta R5
2019 |  Chris Ingram |  Ross Whittock | Škoda Fabia R5
Škoda Fabia R5 evo
2020 |  Alexey Lukyanuk |  Dmitriy Eremeev  | Citroën C3 R5
2021 |  Andreas Mikkelsen |  | Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo
2022 |  Efrén Llarena |  Sara Fernández  | Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo
2023 |  Hayden Paddon |  John Kennard | Hyundai i20 N Rally2
2024 |  Hayden Paddon |  John Kennard | Hyundai i20 N Rally2
Sources:[1][4][5][6]

## Multiple wins by car manufacturer

[edit]

| Name  | Titles  | Winning Years

|
|
|

| Lancia | 15  | 1969, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993
| Ford | 8  | 1967, 1980, 1993, 1994, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
| Fiat | 1953, 1972, 1975, 1981, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
| Porsche | 7  | 1953, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1980
| Škoda | 6  | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022
| Mercedes-Benz | 4  | 1955, 1956, 1960, 1962
| Opel | 1966, 1974, 1979, 1982

## Support categories

[edit]

### Support championships

[edit]

European Rally Championship has three support categories, ERC3, ERC4 and ERC Junior. These championships are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC calendar and have tighter restrictions on eligible car criteria.

Season  | 2WD / ERC-3  |  | ERC-4  |  | ERC Junior U28 / ERC1 Junior / ERC Junior

|
|
|
|
|

Driver  | Car  | Driver  | Car  | Driver  | Car
2013 |  Zoltán Bessenyey  | Honda Civic Type-R R3 | Not contested | Not contested
2014 |  Zoltán Bessenyey  | Honda Civic Type-R R3
2015 |  Emil Bergkvist | Opel Adam R2
2016 |  Chris Ingram | Opel Adam R2
2017 |  Chris Ingram | Opel Adam R2 |  Marijan Griebel  | Škoda Fabia R5
2018 |  Mārtiņš Sesks | Opel Adam R2 |  Nikolay Gryazin | Škoda Fabia R5
2019 |  Efrén Llarena | Peugeot 208 R2 |  Filip Mareš  | Škoda Fabia R5
2020 |  Ken Torn  | Ford Fiesta Rally4 |  Oliver Solberg | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
Škoda Fabia R5 evo
2021 |  Jean-Baptiste Franceschi  | Renault Clio Rally4 |  Ken Torn  | Ford Fiesta Rally3
2022 |  Igor Widlak  | Ford Fiesta Rally3 |  Oscar Palomo  | Peugeot 208 Rally4 |  Laurent Pellier  | Opel Corsa Rally4
2023 |  Jon Armstrong  | Ford Fiesta Rally3 |  Roberto Daprà  | Peugeot 208 Rally4 |  Norbert Maior  | Peugeot 208 Rally4
2024 |  Filip Kohn  | Ford Fiesta Rally3 |  Mille Johansson  | Opel Corsa Rally4 |  Mille Johansson  | Opel Corsa Rally4

### Former support categories

[edit]

Season  | Production Cup / ERC-2  |  | ERC Junior / ERC Junior U27 / ERC-3 Junior  |  | Abarth Rally Cup  |  | Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Driver  | Car  | Driver  | Car  | Driver  | Car  | Driver  | Car
2013 |  Andreas Aigner | Subaru Impreza WRX STI R4 | Not contested | Not contested | Not contested
2014 |  Vitaliy Pushkar | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 |  Stéphane Lefebvre | Peugeot 208 R2
2015 |  Dávid Botka  | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX |  Emil Bergkvist | Opel Adam R2
2016 |  Wojciech Chuchała  | Subaru Impreza WRX STI N15 |  Marijan Griebel  | Opel Adam R2
2017 |  Tibor Érdi Jr.  | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X |  Chris Ingram | Opel Adam R2
2018 |  Tibor Érdi Jr.  | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X |  Mārtiņš Sesks | Opel Adam R2
2019 |  Juan Carlos Alonso  | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X |  Efrén Llarena | Peugeot 208 R2 |  Andrea Nucita  | Abarth 124 Rally RGT
2020 |  Tibor Érdi Jr.  | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X |  Ken Torn  | Ford Fiesta Rally4 |  Andrea Mabellini  | Abarth 124 Rally RGT
2021 |  Javier Pardo  | Suzuki Swift R4LLY S |  Jean-Baptiste Franceschi  | Renault Clio Rally4 |  Dariusz Poloński  | Abarth 124 Rally RGT |  Andrea Mabellini  | Renault Clio RSR Rally5
2022 | Not contested | Not contested | Not contested |  Paulo Soria  | Renault Clio RSR Rally5
2023 | Not contested

### Ladies champions

[edit]

Season  | Driver  | Car

|
|

1958  |  Pat Moss | Austin-Healey 100/4
Morris Minor 1000
1960  |  Pat Moss |
1962  |  Pat Moss |
1964  |  Pat Moss |
1965  |  Pat Moss |
1989  |  Louise Aitken-Walker |
2013  |  Molly Taylor | Citroën DS3 R3T
2014  |  Ekaterina Stratieva | Subaru Impreza
2015  |  Ekaterina Stratieva | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2016  |  Catie Munnings | Peugeot 208 R2
2017  |  Tamara Molinaro | Opel Adam R2
2018  |  Emma Falcón | Peugeot 208 R2
2019  |  Ekaterina Stratieva | Peugeot 208 R2

## See also

[edit]

* European Rally Trophy
* List of European Rally Championship drivers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "ERC @ 70: A brief history". fiaerc.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
2. ^ a b c d "The history of the European Rally Championship". European Rally Championship. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
3. ^ "WRC Promoter announced as new ERC promoter". dirtfish.com. 8 July 2021.
4. ^ Shacki. "Top stats - eWRC-results". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
5. ^ "motorsport-archive.com :: European Rally Championship :: Overview". www.motorsport-archive.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
6. ^ "Mercedes-Benz 220 SE rally car (W 111), 1960 - 1961". The Digital Archives of Mercedes-Benz Classic. Mercedes-Benz. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

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European Rally Championship seasons (1953–present)

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