ERC
Stage-end Quote of the Year poll concludes ERC Fan Awards voting
There are plenty of memorable quotes broadcast live from the stoplines of FIA European Rally Championship stages each season.
Here are the five chosen for the ERC Stage-end of the Year as picked out by the championship’s expert panel.
And a reminder to vote by clicking HERE or by following this link: https://www.riddle.com/view/nXn3RVV4
Roberto Blach
© ERC
Roberto Blach
Llarena Racing’s ever-improving Spaniard wasn’t entirely happy during 82nd Rally Poland back in July. But whether he meant to say what he said is another story… “In the terms of piss, it’s a good day, in terms of a result, bad.”
Eyvind Brynildsen
© ERC
Eyvind Brynildsen
Philip Allen’s flat-out approach behind the wheel in the FIA European Rally Championship has earned the Northern Irishman plenty of fans, not least Eyvind Brynildsen during BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia in May. “It’s something to watch driving behind Philip. There’s anti-cuts all over the place, there’s lines all over the place, and now he went on the right side in a left-hand corner, back with a short cut over a field, so there’s parts all over, there’s tyres all over, and actually I’m smiling a bit because it’s quite funny to watch.”
Calle Carlberg
© ERC
Calle Carlberg
The season-opening 43rd Andalusia Rally - Sierra Morena - Córdoba World Heritage Site marked Calle Carlberg’s first outing on Tarmac in a Rally2 car and he certainly relished the occasion. “This stage is so much fun in a four-wheel-drive car compared to two-wheel drive. I’m sorry to the Juniors behind in the Rally4s. I know the struggles, I struggled last year and I lost the rally on this stage. But this one, the first roundabout, I was just smiling. I’ve been doing this since I was 15, trying to impress the girls in the parking lots and now I have a girlfriend so probably I’m quite good at it.”
Jan Kopecký
© ERC
Jan Kopecký
Former ERC champion Jan Kopecký conceded age might just be getting the better of him during Barum Czech Rally Zlín after he was outpaced by two drivers on the third stage. “I’m too old for that you know, they drive like crazy, and this is too much for me,” he said. But when asked whether he was satisfied to be within 1.1s of stage winner Filip Mareš, Kopecký said: “He’s 10 years younger so it’s okay.”
Sam Touzel
© ERC
Sam Touzel
The British championship regular made his ERC debut on JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion and proved a big hit with his stage-end reactions before his unfortunate early retirement alongside co-driver Max Freeman. His rev limiter impersonation was particularly memorable, especially when stage-end reporter Matt Cotton asked him to repeat it: “Which bit was that, which bit mate, there’s so many emotions going on! We recced that in the fog so the videos I had were just useless so I’m literally driving to Max’s note and I’m like ‘oooh, I don’t remember gravel, oooh, oooh, ooo it’s just awesome, phenomenal, to be two seconds off of Cais, banging, banging!”
Voting for the ERC Stage-end Quote of the Year concludes the ERC Fan Awards for 2026. Find out who won and who also won the ERC Livery of the Year, ERC Most Improved Driver of the Year, ERC Drive of the Year and ERC Rookie of the Year at FIAERC.com from 26 October onwards. Thank you for voting.
A reminder to vote for the ERC Stage-end Quote of the Year by clicking HERE or by following this link: https://www.riddle.com/view/nXn3RVV4
