Lancia Corse HF in Wales: Mabellini sixth ends ERC title hopes as young crews take fourth and fifth

Lancia Corse HF completed the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion, the penultimate round of the FIA European Rally Championship, on a weekend it described as challenging and demanding. Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi finished sixth in the Rally2 category in their Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, while the team secured two top-five results in ERC4 and Junior ERC. Lancia said the particularly demanding characteristics of the Welsh roads provided further valuable experience in the development path built up throughout the season.

The sixth place, which came after extremely selective stages and conditions, mathematically ended Mabellini’s hopes of fighting for the FIA ERC title, with Teemu Suninen securing the crown at the end of the Welsh event. For Mabellini, an ACI Team Italia driver, and Lenzi, the season featured consistent results at the sharp end of the European championship and kept them in contention through the final stages. Lancia said the campaign also confirmed the competitiveness of the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale through direct competition against some of the leading crews in European rallying.

Although the top-category result did not reflect pre-event ambitions, encouraging signs came from the categories dedicated to young crews. Dallapiccola and Pellegrino finished fourth in ERC4 and Junior ERC after tackling fast, technical Welsh stages with determination and bringing their Ypsilon Rally4 HF to the finish in an event demanding precision and adaptability. Dei Ceci, a young ACI Team Italia driver, and Darderi took fifth, building on strong recent performances as Dei Ceci gained experience and valuable mileage in his first European season with Lancia Corse HF.

Davide Pesavento and Alessio Angeli, the official Lancia Corse HF crew who won at Rally di Roma Capitale and led the ERC4 and Junior ERC standings earlier in the season, retired during the early stages, ending their challenge for the European titles. Lancia highlighted Rali Ceredigion’s narrow, fast, technical roads with constant changes of rhythm and highly variable conditions as another important test for its United Kingdom project, working in parallel on car competitiveness and crew experience. With one round left, Lancia Corse HF now turns to the Rally Five Cities North of Portugal, the FIA ERC final, calling it the final opportunity to reap the rewards of an increasingly structured project in which the brand has returned as a consistent protagonist from Rally2 through ERC4 and Junior ERC.