Lancia Corse HF sends two Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale to Rallylegend 2026

Lancia Corse HF is set to take part in the 2026 edition of Rallylegend, one of the most iconic events on the international rallying calendar, with two Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. The event takes place in San Marino from 8 to 11 October 2026. Nikolay Gryazin, Lancia Corse HF's official WRC2 driver, will take the wheel of the first car, while the second Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale is entrusted to Rachele Somaschini, who is embarking on a new chapter in her sporting career. The Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale makes its Rallylegend debut at an event that, more than any other, brings together Lancia's rich rallying heritage and its future.

Gryazin drives after a standout season during Lancia's first year back in the FIA World Rally Championship. Together with co-driver Konstantin Aleksandrov, he played a key role in securing the WRC2 Teams' World Championship, taking one WRC2 victory in Japan and two category podiums, third place in Croatia and second in Portugal. His pace showed in stage results too, with seven stage wins in Croatia and a further ten in Japan, underlining the competitiveness of the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale throughout the season.

For the 32-year-old Italian driver, this is her first experience at the wheel of the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. Her debut carries particular significance for women in motorsport: she becomes the first female driver to compete with Lancia's new Rally2 car, alongside Daiana Darderi, forming an all-female crew. A four-time Italian Women's Rally Champion and overall winner of the 2024 Tour European Rally, she contested five FIA WRC2 rounds in 2025 in a Citroën C3 Rally2 before taking her experience to the Dakar Classic in 2026, where she drove a 1988 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 435 4x4 as part of the first all-female Italian crew in the history of the event to compete with a truck, finishing fifth among the heavy vehicles.

Somaschini's return to Rally2 competition is also linked to her #CorrerePerUnRespiro charity project, which has been supporting the Fondazione Ricerca sulla Fibrosi Cistica ETS for many years, raising funds for the foundation behind research into the genetic condition she herself lives with. The connection between Lancia and the project already grew stronger during the season through the Lancia Trophy, which helped raise awareness of the foundation's activities and the #CorrerePerUnRespiro message. Lancia says the presence of the two Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale at Rallylegend carries a significance that goes beyond sporting performance, showcasing a car that represents the present and future of its new sporting era alongside Somaschini's personal and sporting story, which it says embodies passion, determination and inclusivity.