ERC
Why Roma ERC-based National Match Rally is just the start
National Match Rally, which took place during round three of the FIA European Rally Championship in Rome earlier this month, won’t be a one-off according to the ASNs that made it happen.
A joint initiative from Automobile Club d’Italia and Fédération Française du Sport Automobile, the inaugural National Match Rally was won by Team Italy after it recorded a 41-24 victory over Team France on Rally di Roma Capitale.
Discussions are now under way to repeat the competition in the future after the respective ASN presidents, Geronimo La Russa and Pierre Ragues, both spoke of the importance of the collaboration between the two federations.
A statement from ACI read: “The handshake and embrace between the two presidents on the Rally di Roma Capitale start podium, in the shadow of the Colosseum, reaffirmed the spirit in which the National Match Rally was created: a competition founded on friendship, mutual respect and sportsmanship, values that are set to remain at the heart of future editions of the international team challenge.
“With its 41–24 victory, Italy becomes the first country to add its name to the National Match Rally roll of honour, launching a new tradition promoted by ACI and FFSA with the aim of staging the challenge again at future international events”.
Team France and Team Italy assemble for action
© ERC
FFSA president Ragues added: “This first edition has been a real success. First of all, I would like to congratulate our Italian friends on their victory, while also paying tribute to our six French crews, who proudly represented our very first national rally team and delivered some excellent performances.
“I would also like to thank our partners for their commitment, especially Michelin, with whom we have built a long-term relationship based on a shared vision for supporting young rally talent. I would also like to thank Hyundai Motorsport for joining us on this initiative, as well as all the teams involved in making this programme possible.
We have demonstrated that it is possible to create a genuine competition between national rally teams
“We have demonstrated that it is possible to create a genuine competition between national rally teams. My sincere thanks go to the Automobile Club d'Italia, its president Geronimo La Russa, and all our Italian partners who shared this vision and helped turn it into reality. We now look forward to building on the lessons learned from this first edition and continuing to develop this initiative.”
Daprà's victory earned Team Italy 10 crucial points
© ERC
How Italy won the inaugural National Match Rally
Team Italy had Rally di Roma Capitale winner Roberto Daprà to thank for helping it to victory in the inaugural National Match Rally after the Pirelli-equipped driver scored 10 points alongside co-driver Luca Guglielmetti. But two other Italian Rally2 crews made crucial contributions with Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai scoring eight points and Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi banking five.
Pablo Sarrazin and Yannick Roche scored six points for Team France, Elliot Delecour and Fabrice Gordon earned four points with Tristan Charpentier and Florian Barral collecting three. Andrea Crugnola and Luca Beltrame failed to score for Team Italy after they went off the road on leg one while battling for the lead. French pair Arthur Pelamourgues and Bastien Pouget crashed out on SS10 when a top-five finish was in reach for the ERC rookies.
Points scored in the Rally4 category were also crucial for Team Italy. Gabriel Di Pietro and Andrea Dresti, together with Davide Pesavento and Alessio Angeli, finished first and second overall in the two-wheel-drive division, earning 10 and eight points respectively. Alexandre Villiod and Loris Pascaud and Arthur Roché and Quentin Proust scored six and five points respectively for Team France.
Pelamourgues (right) impressed for Team France
© ERC
French talents impress on first ERC outings
Arthur Pelamourgues and Alexandre Villiod were among the French drivers to impress on their maiden FIA European Rally Championship outings. Pelamourgues was on course to finish in the top five when an unfortunate crash led to the Hyundai i20 N Rally2’s exit on SS10. Villiod, meanwhile, was the third highest Rally4 finisher and second in FIA ERC4.
“We discovered a completely new type of terrain and proved that we could be competitive against an exceptionally strong field,” Pelamourgues said. “After SS9 we were the leading French crew, but unfortunately our rally ended with a mistake on the penultimate stage, which is obviously not how we wanted to finish the event. We’ll analyse what happened, learn from it and continue improving. Despite that disappointment, we’ll mainly remember the incredible experience we had. My sincere thanks go to the FFSA and Hyundai for making this opportunity possible. I hope we’ll have the chance to return here in 2027.”
The FFSA supported six up-and-coming talents on Rome ERC round
© ERC
Villiod added: “It was a fantastic rally for us. We learned an incredible amount throughout the weekend. We built our rally step by step, gained confidence and maintained a strong pace right to the final stage. Many thanks to the FFSA and Michelin for this outstanding opportunity.”
What’s next?
While discussions regarding future editions of National Match Rally are under way, Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti and Gabriel Di Pietro and Andrea Dresti can look forward to receiving free entries to Rally di Roma Capitale 2027 when the event is set to step up to the FIA World Rally Championship, subject to the completion of the FIA’s candidacy process and World Motor Sport Council approval.
