Wagner shows his ERC potential with top-three time on Roma’s big one

The performance on the second of two runs through the ultra-demanding test resulted from set-up tweaks made by his Eurosol Racing Team Hungary outfit, which allowed the 31-year-old to fully demonstrate his potential during the closing stages of the asphalt event.   

Speaking after finishing 10th overall alongside stand-in co-driver Jara Hain, four-time Austrian champion Wagner said: “I did around 35 kilometres in testing on the spot, which is not enough. But in the end we found a [good] set-up, the last loop was quite good with one fifth and one third-fastest time so we can deliver, but we have to bring it all together.”

He continued: “Of course we had some hopes after P5 last year and qualifying fourth but I know the competition is increasing a lot in the ERC and, as we discovered, it’s quite difficult. I knew the Qualifying Stage would suit us but the full first stage should have been more ours. Anyway, the gaps are so tight in the ERC that you can’t lose even one-10th of a second per kilometre. In the end it was a very small step up in the set-up which helped us during the final afternoon.”  

The 2024 ERC continues with Barum Czech Rally Zlín next week (16 - 18 August). Wagner finished third on the event last season.