Lancia Corse HF heads to Chile as WRC2 teams' champions, Gryazin chases drivers' title
Fresh from clinching the WRC2 Teams' World Championship in Paraguay, Lancia Corse HF arrives at Rally Chile Biobío with Nikolay Gryazin still mathematically in the drivers' title fight.
- 66
- 60
- 100
- 16
What Happened
Lancia Corse HF returns to FIA World Rally Championship action for Rally Chile Biobío, round twelve of the season, running from 10 to 13 September in Chile. The team arrives as newly crowned WRC2 Teams' World Champions, having secured the title at Rally del Paraguay about ten days earlier, making Chile its first rally as World Champions. Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov will be targeting another strong performance in the WRC2 title battle, and Gryazin remains mathematically in contention for the drivers' crown.
- 100 points
- 66 points
- 60 points
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 where blind corners and changing rhythms leave little margin for error. Rain, fog and humidity can rapidly alter grip and visibility, and the compact, smooth gravel becomes considerably more challenging when wet. The 2026 edition also has a significantly revised route, with approximately 51% of the total competitive distance modified compared with previous editions.
- Carampangue, one of the new sections
- Turquía, a new stage on the opening leg
- Nuevo Rere, a new stage on the opening leg
- Hualqui, a new stage on the opening leg
With the WRC2 Teams' Championship already secured, the focus shifts towards the individual standings. Gryazin and Rossel will 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. Chile is also important for the ongoing development of the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, and the team will look to put the knowledge accumulated across a wide range of gravel events this season to work on the country's fast and technical roads. Absolute precision and complete confidence in the pace notes are essential on these stages.
“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.”
311.18km
Spread across 16 special stages, all on gravel in the Biobío region
Previously from Lancia
In late August, Lancia Corse HF was heading to Paraguay for round eleven of the WRC with Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel aiming to close the gap in the WRC2 championships. That Paraguayan event is the team's most recent reported WRC outing before Chile.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Lancia's official releases.
Why this matters
Lancia Corse HF goes into Rally Chile Biobío as newly crowned WRC2 Teams' World Champions, so Chile is the team's first rally with the title already secured. For the drivers, however, the championship is still open: Gryazin is mathematically in contention with three rounds left, and every stage and point now counts. The event is also a development step for the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale on fast gravel.
Terms in This Story
- WRC2
- A support championship within the FIA World Rally Championship, contested by crews driving Rally2-specification cars.
- special stage
- A timed section of a rally run at speed on closed roads; the combined times of the special stages decide the rally result.
- pace notes
- A co-driver's written description of the corners, hazards and rhythm of a stage, read aloud to the driver while driving.
- Rally2
- A rally car category; the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale is built to this specification and competes in WRC2.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.