ERC
ERC 2025 rally recap: Armstrong wins big, Marczyk wins bigger still
FIAERC.com’s lookback on the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship concludes with a reminder of what happened on Croatia Rally’s three-way title showdown last October.
The winners: Miko Marczyk came out on top of a thrilling fight of championship honours in the Croatian rain as Jon Armstrong made it back-to-back victories with another fine drive in challenging conditions. Co-driven by fellow Pole Szymon Gospodarczyk, Michelin-equipped Marczyk, 29, beat Pirelli-shod Armstrong to the ERC’s top prize after Andrea Mabellini – the only other title contender ahead of the Zagreb-based event – crashed out on stage four. Marczyk finished the 10-stage sealed-surface season finale in third place behind winner Armstrong and Mads Østberg, who marked 300th rally start. In the process, Škoda Fabia RS Rally2-driving Marczyk became Poland’s first ERC champion since Kajetan Kajetanowicz claimed the third of his three consecutive crowns in 2017. He also joined compatriots Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Sobiesław Zasada in winning the oldest international rally championship in the world.
Szymon Gospodarczyk and Miko Marczyk became ERC champions
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Meanwhile, Erik Cais and Lauri Jooner helped Team MRF Tyres win the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams for the third time with Pirelli taking its first FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers.
Turning point: Securing the title was far from easy for Marczyk, who initially struggled to find a rhythm through leg one’s tricky, low-grip stages held in dry conditions, despite starting first on the road. An overshoot on SS3 dropped him to seventh behind his two title rivals Armstrong and Mabellini. However, the title battle swung back towards Marczyk on SS4 when Mabellini lost control of his Pirelli-shod Škoda and made contact with a rock that caused an engine oil leak, ending his rally and championship hopes on the spot. This helped Marczyk move up to sixth at the end of Saturday albeit, 1min 22.1sec behind leader Armstrong.
Armstrong mastered tricky weather conditions to win
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Torrential rain added an extra curveball for crews on leg two as conditions became treacherous. The slippery roads, however, appeared to suit Marczyk, who secured stage wins on SS7 and SS9 to rocket up the leaderboard to third as several rivals hit trouble. A smart drive through the rally-deciding Power Stage sealed third place and the championship crown by six points ahead of Armstrong.
How did it feel? “I’m happy, I don’t know what to say because it is a lot of emotions,” said Marczyk, wo finished five of the eight rounds on the podium and never placed lower than seventh. “It is important to trust in the process. It is probably the biggest dream in my sporting life. When I was 15 I started doing indoor karting and then I decided to go to rally. There are three Polish guys that are European champions and to be in a group with them is something really special. I can say thanks to all the people that have supported us over the years,” said Marczyk, who displayed incredible consistency throughout the season to finish five of the eight rounds on the podium, finishing no worse than seventh this year.
Marczyk was the fourth Pole to win the biggest prize in European rallying
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Armstrong added: “It has been an amazing year and there are so many people to thank. Shane has been doing a great job especially in the last three rallies and M-Sport have been really pushing and the car has been really good and then there is the support from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy to push us and make us stronger. What an event. Today we had to be controlled in treacherous conditions and we are fastest on the Power Stage, we couldn’t do much more.”
Armstrong and Byrne celebrate Croatia Rally glory for M-Sport
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Miracle man: Taylor Gill claimed the overnight lead in FIA ERC3 by 39.4sec despite being forced change a damaged front-left tyre on the final stage of leg one. “I just hit a rock on the inside of a left-hander, I just didn’t see it,” said the Australian, who had been set for a lockout of stage wins. “The tyre went flat instantly so we had to stop and change. It’s a bit of a shame but that’s rallying.”
Shining through: Fresh from his maiden ERC victory on JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion in Wales the previous month, Armstrong dominated Croatia Rally from start to finish alongside co-driver Shane Byrne. Fifth on the road on leg one, Armstrong boosted his faint title hopes by lighting up the timing screens through the first day as the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver won five of the six stages to race into a 27.3sec lead over WRC2 event winner Robert Virves.
Virves, running on Hankook tyres, briefly threatened to mount a challenge for the lead when the Estonian slashed Armstrong’s advantage to 12.7sec after SS4, where Armstrong suffered a tyre deflation. But Armstrong responded to restore and then extend his lead driving his Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally2.
Romet Jurgenson deserved more after a great drive
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Sunday’s wet weather failed to halt Armstrong’s charge as the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver navigated the final four stages without fault, and claimed the Power Stage, to clinch an impressive victory by 45.7sec from Østberg.
Armstrong’s M-Sport team-mate Romet Jürgenson took fourth after recovering from an SS6 tyre deflation that dropped him to eighth on leg one. The Estonian driver had turned heads with his pace running as high as third on Saturday after winning SS4.
Gill flew to ERC3 glory on his second European championship appearance
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Tymek Abramowski secured the FIA ERC3 crown ahead of Hubert Kowalczyk with Taylor Gill claiming category honours on the rally after winning nine of the 10 stages.
Ioan Lloyd finished runner-up to Calle Carlberg in final FIA ERC4 and FIA Junior ERC standings as Carlberg scored wins number four of the season in both. Karl Peder Nordstrand finished behind Carlberg for his second consecutive podium. Luca Pröglhöf banked his maiden podium on his final prize drive for winning the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup in 2024.
András Hadik claimed the FIA Master ERC class victory after inaugural champion Martin Vlček crashed out.
Early setback: Andrea Mabellini wasn't the only driver in trouble early on. Jakub Matulka and Simon Wagner retired after accidents on SS3 and SS4 respectively. Mille Johansson was in a strong fourth only to go off the road on the first stage of leg two after being caught out by the wet conditions.
Mabellini flew in the early stages of before retiring
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Keelan Grogan looked set to complete the podium for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy following a determined effort, only to slide off the road and get stuck 11.8 kilometres into SS9. Tuukka Kauppinen, driving a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF, took fourth having held second prior to Saturday’s final stage when a deflated tyre and a spin dropped him down the order.
Craig Rahill, who started Croatia Rally seven points behind Lloyd in the battle to finish runner-up to Carlberg in the final Junior ERC standings, crashed out five kilometres from the finish of SS3 and was a non-starter on day two. Making his debut in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF, Francesco Dei Ceci crashed at the same corner as Rahill and also went no further on Croatia Rally. Leevi Lassila retired with left-rear suspension damage on SS2.
Simon Wagner's hopes ended against a rockface on SS2
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