Lancia Corse HF chases FIA ERC Teams' title at Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal finale
Lancia Corse HF enters the seventh and final round of the FIA European Rally Championship with the Teams' title still within reach and Mabellini-Lenzi second overall on 98 points.
- 98
- 6 points
- 17
- 181.10 km
What Happened
Lancia Corse HF is preparing for the FIA European Rally Championship season finale at the Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal, the seventh and final round of the campaign, with victory in the Teams' standings still within reach. The Italian squad faces a decisive weekend on the gravel roads of northern Portugal, where every point could prove crucial. Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi, Davide Pesavento and Alessio Angeli, and Francesco Dei Ceci and Daiana Darderi are the crews nominated to contribute points to Lancia Corse HF's Teams' campaign. Beyond the collective challenge, Mabellini is also looking to end his European season on a high.
98
Second in the overall standings heading into the final round, six points ahead of 2025 champion Miko Marczyk
- Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi — Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, nominated to score for Lancia Corse HF
- Davide Pesavento and Alessio Angeli — nominated to score for Lancia Corse HF, competing in ERC4 with the Ypsilon Rally4 HF
- Francesco Dei Ceci and Daiana Darderi — nominated to score for Lancia Corse HF, competing in ERC4 with the Ypsilon Rally4 HF
- Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov — returning in the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale
- Pablo Sarrazin and Yannick Roche, plus Léo Rossel and Florian Barral — Rally2 under the Équipe de France Espoir FFSA banner
- Sebastian Dallapiccola and co-driver Lorenzo Mattucci — Ypsilon Rally4 HF in ERC4
At the wheel of the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, Mabellini and Lenzi arrive in Portugal second in the overall standings with 98 points, six ahead of 2025 champion Miko Marczyk, after consistently featuring among the leading crews throughout the season. Lancia's Rally2 line-up also features Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov, who played a key role in Lancia Corse HF's WRC2 Team victory and whose return offers another chance to showcase the car on demanding terrain. Pablo Sarrazin and Yannick Roche, alongside Léo Rossel and Florian Barral, complete the Rally2 entry under the Équipe de France Espoir FFSA banner. In ERC4, the three Ypsilon Rally4 HF crews of Pesavento-Angeli, Dei Ceci-Darderi and Dallapiccola-Mattucci will take on Portugal's gravel stages and gain further experience.
The Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal runs across six municipalities in the country's northern region, with Fafe as the operational hub and Guimarães hosting the start and finish ceremonies. The predominantly gravel route includes the legendary Lameirinha stage, famous for the Pedra Sentada jump, as well as the new all-asphalt Monte Penha stage. The official itinerary features 17 special stages covering 181.10 timed kilometres. For Lancia Corse HF, Portugal is more than a finale: it is a chance to fight for a major team result right to the finish, rewarding the season's work and highlighting the competitiveness of the Ypsilon rally range.
The rally gets underway in the evening
First of two decisive days of competition
Final day, after which the championship concludes
Previously from Lancia
Earlier in October, Lancia Corse HF closed its first WRC season at Rally Italia Sardegna with the WRC2 Teams' World Championship already secured, as 20-year-old Pablo Sarrazin again showed front-running pace. Days later, Nikolay Gryazin drove the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale to second overall at Rallylegend and won the Memorial Bettega.
- Lancia Corse closes historic WRC season in Sardinia as 20-year-old Sarrazin shows front-running pace
- Lancia Corse HF's Gryazin takes second at Rallylegend and wins the Memorial Bettega
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Lancia's official releases.
Why this matters
This is the last chance in 2026 for Lancia Corse HF to convert its season into a major team result, and every point on Portugal's gravel can decide the Teams' standings. For the crews nominated to score — Mabellini-Lenzi, Pesavento-Angeli and Dei Ceci-Darderi — the weekend is also a direct test of the competitiveness of the Ypsilon rally range, from the Rally2 HF Integrale to the Rally4 HF.
Terms in This Story
- Special stage
- A closed, timed section of a rally that crews race against the clock, with their times added together across the event.
- Rally2
- An FIA rally competition category for which manufacturers build dedicated rally cars, one step below the sport's top class.
- Gravel stage
- A rally stage run on loose, unpaved surfaces such as dirt and stone rather than asphalt.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.