ERC
Three-way title decider in store after Ceredigion delivers action aplenty
The FIA European Rally Championship title chase for 2025 will go down to the wire on Croatia Rally next month with three drivers locked in contention for the crown.
Miko Marczyk, Andrea Mabellini and Jon Armstrong and their respective co-drivers Szymon Gospodarczyk, Virginia Lenzi and Shane Byrne will head to season showdown firmly in the fight for glory.
Once dropped scores are taken into account, Michelin-equipped Marczyk tops the title table by a slender two-point margin ahead of Pirelli-supplied Mabellini, with Armstrong, who also uses Pirelli tyres, 18 points down on Mabellini. A maximum of 35 points are up for grabs on the Zagreb-based contest.
Looking ahead to the ERC title showdown, Marczyk, who completed the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion podium, said: “We need to appreciate that we’ve had good consistent driving through all seven rounds but probably now I need to think how to present something extra for Croatia and this is my goal. Every one point is really important in this European Rally Championship fight. If I would not believe [I can win] I would not start even here. I’m trying all the time, using all my advantages and trying to cancel the disadvantages.”
Mabellini started JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion with a two-minute time penalty but battled back from 26th to sixth and also banked five bonus points for winning the Power Stage. He said: “We made the maximum we could, sixth place overall, five points in the Power Stage, we gave it all. It was maybe the stage of our championship to save it or to lose it but we took the maximum. We showed to everybody we’re really strong in terms of mindset, especially after what happened. Nobody was expecting this so now just two points to Miko, let’s go to the last rally of the season in Croatia and we will fight for the win. It’s game on, we must do it.”
Armstrong’s breakthrough ERC victory on JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion fired him into the title fight just when his chances appeared to be over. He said: “It’s still going to be difficult to win the championship, but Croatia is a slippery event. That time of year, there's going to be a lot of dirt and leaves and stuff on the road so it's not out of the question that issues can happen. We’ve just got to go there and try our best.”
The FIA ERC3 Championship, FIA ERC4 Championship, FIA European Rally Championship for Teams, FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers and FIA Master ERC Championship will also go down to the wire in Croatia.
