Introducing the nominees:
Miko Marczyk
1st Overall
Marczyk may be concentrating on his FIA World Rally Championship WRC2 campaign this year, but he’ll always have a place in the ERC family.
When his Fabia scooped up a chunk of gravel and arrived at the end of SS12 with a water temperature reading of 140 degrees, we all thought it was over. But Marczyk had other ideas.
This win on home soil was emotional in many ways, and - in Marczyk’s words - proved how much he has developed as a driver since starting his career in indoor go-karting many years ago.
Tom Kristensson
2nd Overall
This guy is a breath of fresh air. Not only is he one of the happiest drivers we’ve ever seen, he’s also (very) quick.
Kristensson’s top-flight ERC debut couldn’t really have gone much better. He delivered a faultless performance, taking two stage wins along the way in his KOWAX Racing Hyundai i20 R5.
He’s Definitely one to watch for Rally Liepāja next month (2 - 3 July)...
Ken Torn
3rd Overall
The Fiesta man had a rocky start to the season. There was never any doubt the pace was there, but mechanical gremlins on the opening two rounds set the Estonian back.
After missing Rally Islas Canarias, a podium on Torn’s ERC return was exactly what was needed. Top job.
Efrén Llarena
4th Overall
Cool, calm and collected: it takes a lot to unsettle Llarena. Once again, he did what he needed to do to strengthen his title bid, despite some engine issues on Sunday morning.
The Spaniard is now 24-points clear at the top of the championship thanks to another solid haul of points. With four rounds remaining, things are looking good.
Simone Tempestini
5th Overall
After struggling for pace in the Canary Islands, Tempestini promised more pace at the championship’s fourth round. He certainly didn’t disappoint.
After setting a string of top-three times, fifth overall was a great result for the Romanian driver and he moved onto the championship podium.
Laurent Pellier
1st in ERC4 & Junior ERC
It’s been a dream start to the season for the Corsa driver, with back-to-back wins in ERC4 and Junior ERC. Last weekend was even more impressive as the Frenchman returned to gravel for the first time in three years.
Can anybody stop him?
Robert Virves
1st in ERC3
Virves was in a class of his own as he won the ERC3 category by more than five minutes, as well as finishing 13th overall in his M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3.
A top-ten overall result could easily have been on the cards had it not been for the Estonian’s Sunday road position, which forced him to sweep the roads.
Nil Solans
DNF
Okay - so it wasn’t the result Solans had hoped for - but there are plenty of positives for the Spaniard to take away.
He was leading the rally by 5.4sec before the suspension failure, despite still learning the ropes in his Hyundai i20 N Rally2. If that doesn’t bode well for Rally Liepāja, what does?
Finland
Italy
Hungary