ERC 3
Charpentier heads Widłak after tough day of Hungarian ERC3 action
Tristan Charpentier holds a comfortable advantage as he bids to make it back-to-back FIA ERC3 Championship wins in 2025.
Frenchman Charpentier, who took an ERC3/ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy double on 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad last month, had trailed Tymek Abramowski after four stages of ERC Staff House Rally Hungary. But he moved ahead on SS5 when the Polish teenager hit trouble.
With seven stages run, Charpentier leads Igor Widłak by 2min 11.2sec after the 2022 champion picked up tyre damage five kilometres from the finish of stage three and was delayed by two further deflations in the afternoon, such was the punishing nature of the stages around host city Veszprém.
“We did a few car changes [at midday service] and on the first stage of the afternoon we pushed with the pace we really have,” Charpentier said. “We pushed a bit and even though [Abramowski] was in front of us, on the splits we were already a lot quicker. Unfortunately he did a mistake but that’s part of the game, we kept it on the road and after we saw this it was only about managing the whole thing and we did it pretty well. Tomorrow is also about this because we have such a big gap.”
Although Abramowski was able to complete stage five with a deflated tyre, damage to his Fiesta’s radiator led to his early exit. However, the 18-year-old is set to restart on Sunday’s final leg during what marks only his second ERC appearance.
Widłak holds second place despite delays
© ERC
There were no such problems for Widłak, who remains on course for his first podium of 2025 in second place. “I don’t look about this,” he insisted. “What is important for me is that I can push once the day starts and even though we had three punctures it was the perfect day because we finished the day and I was happy my pace come back.”
Behind Widłak, ERC4 graduate Martón Bertalan is a strong third on his first event in a Rally3 car. “It’s very good after our morning was not so good because I didn’t find my confidence,” Bertalan explained. “But in the afternoon it came to us and we could go step by step. I know P3 is not our result because the others made mistakes but this is Rally Hungary and we are really happy.”
Swedish ERC3 newcomer Adam Grahn had been on course to make it a provisional Ford Fiesta Rally3 podium lockout only for his challenge to falter 15 kilometres from the finish of SS6. “I brake in a fast section, hit a stone on the right and blow the tyre and some steering,” he said after reaching the overnight halt in fifth place, 24.2sec behind Hubert Kowalczyk.
For the second event running Kowalczyk was in the podium fight aboard his Renault Clio Rally3 until a damaged tyre wrecked his chances 150 metres from the start of stage five.
A home ERC3 podium is in store for newcomer Bertalan
© ERC
Co-driven by his sister Dora, Martin Ravenščak slipped to seventh behind Ville Vatanen, another ERC3 newcomer, on SS7, which he drove with the windscreen missing from his Fiesta Rally3 following a roll on the previous stage.
“We had a puncture and I kept pushing like I had four wheels and not three,” Ravenščak explained. “We went to the jump, I was pushing like hell, we went out after the jump, hit the front and after that it was really hard to handle the car in the corners and in a right corner we just went off and rolled. We were on the roof and thank you to the people who turned us over. We are here and I hope our mechanics fix everything and we are able to continue tomorrow.”
Błażej Gazda is eighth after Saturday’s action with Casey Jay Coleman ninth and rookie Esmar-Arnold Unt 10th with Coleman and Unt delayed by enforced tyre changes.
“Extreme is definitely the word,” Coleman said of his day. “We were pushing on a bit but not taking any mad chances [on SS6], but 11 or 12 kilometres we got a front-left puncture and pulled in to change it. But the tyre was after wrapping around the damper so it took four or five minutes to change it and I got behind a few other cars so it was just a disaster.”
Second on the season opener in Spain, Adrian Rzeżnik stopped on SS2 with an electrical failure. The Polish teenager is expected to restart on Sunday.
With his Renault Clio Rally3 repaired following his crash on Friday’s super special stage, Sebastian Butyński restarted this morning but rolled into retirement on stage six.
ERC Staff House Rally Hungary reaches its climax tomorrow (Sunday) with a further six stages over a competitive distance of 82.26 kilometres. The action begins with the first running of the 15.34km Iszka stage from 09:27 local time.
