Of those 55, 42 are eligible for ERC points with 37 lining up in pacesetting Rally2 cars from Citroën, Hyundai, M-Sport (Ford) and Škoda and equipped with tyres provided by the official ERC manufacturers, including Michelin, MRF and Pirelli.
In total, 21 nationalities are represented on the list of entries to underline the ERC’s widespread appeal.
ERC Championship Manager Iain Campbell said: “It’s fantastic to be heading into the ERC’s 70th-anniversary season knowing there is so much interest in the championship based on the size of the entry list for the opening round in Fafe. But as well as being big on quantity, the entry list is also big on quality with an incredible number of top-level drivers plus drivers new to the championship aiming to gain international experience but in a highly competitive environment taking part. It’s also great news that so many nationalities are represented.”