Thu 18 May 2023
For the first time in history, both types of Rally3 car homologated for competition use will do battle on the stages of the FIA European Rally Championship from tomorrow (Friday).
M-Sport Poland’s Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo and the Renault Customer Racing Clio Rally3 are prepped and ready for ORLEN 79th Rally Poland’s high-speed gravel stages.
Jon Armstrong from Northern Ireland and Argentina’s Paulo Soria will help to make international rallying history at the wheel of the Fiesta and Clio respectively.
While Armstrong has driven his Pirelli-equipped Fiesta Rally3 Evo in competition already, taking the car to FIA ERC3 honours on Rally Islas Canarias earlier this month, Soria has yet to complete any timed kilometres in the Motorsport Italia-run Clio Rally3.
Soria’s drive in the recently-homologated Clio Rally3 – the first four-wheel-drive version of the popular hatchback – is part of his prize for winning the Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT title in the ERC last season, a one-make series for the Clio Rally5.
Rally3 was launched by the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, for the 2021 season as a more accessible and more affordable route into four-wheel-drive competition.
A key element of the FIA Rally Cars Pyramid, Rally3 has been embraced by national and regional championships around the world with the Fiesta Rally3 used as the base car in the FIA Junior WRC Championship.
Renault launched its Fiesta-rivalling Clio Rally3 last month and ORLEN 79th Rally Poland marks its international-level debut.
Soria’s MRF Tyres-equipped Clio Rally3 and Armstrong’s Fiesta Rally3 are set to form the first battle on the two-by-two Mikołajki Arena super special stage on Friday evening.
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