ERC
Tempestini back on top in ERC after acing the asphalt
Simone Tempestini made a flying start to Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal by winning the opening stage of the FIA European Rally Championship season showdown.
The Team MRF Tyres driver, who last led a round of the ERC on BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia in May 2025, completed this evening’s all-asphalt Monte Penha/Guimarães stage 1.2sec in front of the chasing pack in a time of 1min 57.6sec aboard his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
And the 11-time Romanian champion reckons he could have been even faster alongside co-driver Francesca Maior had it not been for a small mistake early in the 2.92-kilomete stage.
“I’m not completely happy about my run,” said Tempestini, who is in the fight to finish fourth in the final 2026 ERC standings. “At the beginning I think the second corner and I didn’t use the brake, and I went a bit wide. I enjoyed it a lot. I like this kind of driving with gravel tyres on Tarmac.”
Gryazin went second fastest on the opening super special
© ERC
Nikolay Gryazin was second quickest on the hillclimb course at the wheel of a Hankook-equipped Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale as Michelin-shod Pablo Sarrazin continued his strong Qualifying Stage form into the opening stage with the third quickest time, a 1min 59.0sec.
Mārtiņš Sesks, the Qualifying Stage winner for Team MRF Tyres, was fourth fastest, while ERC3 champion Ville Vatanen made it four tyre suppliers in the top five driving Ford Fiesta Rally2 on Pirelli tyres, a fine performance on his ERC1 graduation, the Finn’s prize for winning the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy.
Kris Meeke hit back from his Qualifying Stage woe with the sixth best effort ahead of Portuguese championship leader Rúben Rodrigues. Roope Korhonen was eighth quickest followed by ERC rookie Sebastián Franco and Pedro Almeida. Jan Solans, Patrick Enok, Tymek Abramowski, Miko Marczyk and Sarah Rumeau completed the points-paying top 15.
Sarrazin starred on his third ERC start by completing the top three
© ERC
Rio Ogata, who is making his ERC debut on Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal, topped the FIA ERC3 division followed by Kanta Yanaguida and Kalum Graffin.
Davide Pesavento was fastest in FIA ERC4/FIA Junior ERC ahead of Sebastian Dallapiccola and Karl Peder Nordstrand with title contenders Timo Schulz and Tom Heindrichs fourth and seventh quickest respectively.
Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal continues tomorrow (Saturday) with an eight-stage leg covering 100.18 kilometres and getting under way with the 10.68-kilometre Cabeceiras de Basto stage from 08:05 local time. Notably, there is no full midday service, only a remote service halt in Boticas, which places the onus on car preservation rather than all-out speed.
Follow all the action by going to the Live Centre and by watching on Rally.TV.
