Sun 12 Jan 2025

ERC 2024 rally recap: When Bonato beat Franceschi for back-to-back Canarias glory

Ahead of the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship firing into life on the 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad in Andalusia, Spain, from 4 - 6 April, FIAERC.com is recalling who won each ERC rally in 2024 and how.

Following the gravel-based V-Híd Rally Hungary in April, the ERC switched to asphalt for Rally Islas Canarias in early May. Here’s a reminder of what happened when 30 Rally2 crews were entered for points.  


The winners: With Benjamin Boulloud co-driving, Yoann Bonato made it back-to-back Rally Islas Canarias victories with a flawless display, despite being pushed all the way to the finish by Mathieu Franceschi.  


Driving a Citroën C3 Rally2 on Michelin tyres (below), Bonato started the deciding six-stage leg with a slender margin of 0.3sec over his fellow Frenchman. But he held on after a thrilling battle in the heat of the Gran Canaria sunshine by 2.8sec having begun day two with a brace of fastest stage times.

How did it feel? “We are very happy,” Bonato said following the third victory of his ERC career. “We tried to push as maximum as possible and the result was perfect for us, the team, the tyres and the car. It was a hard second loop with the temperatures going higher. With such a small gap this morning we had to start like it was a new rally. And it worked.”  


Turning point: After demoting overnight leader Hayden Paddon with the fastest time on SS2, Yoann Bonato’s advantage out front was short lived when Pirelli-equipped Alejandro Cachón (below) banked a pair of stage bests to move into the lead after SS4. But a damaged tyre on SS5 dropped the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2-driving Spaniard down the order and handed the initiative back to Bonato.

Miracle man: Despite dropping to 17th in the overall order, Cachón fought back to win the all-Spanish battle for the final podium place, defeating Diego Ruiloba and José Antonio Suárez in the process.  


Reigning ERC champion Hayden Paddon started leg two in third but with his Pirelli-equipped Hyundai i20 N Rally2 hampered by an understeer issue, the New Zealander had to settle for sixth.  


Shining through: Mille Johansson (below) capitalised on some meticulous preparation work to win in Junior ERC for the first time. Making his debut on the event for what also marked his third outing on asphalt driving an Opel Corsa Rally4, Hankook-equipped Johansson took the lead on SS4 after a cautious start. But he soon grew his advantage alongside co-driver Johan Gronvall to beat his fellow Swede Calle Carlberg by 35.5sec courtesy of nine stage wins for the IKSport Racing team having survived a scare on SS8 when he swiped a roadside barrier.  


Igor Widłak credited his ERC3 victory to his Grupa PGS RT mechanics after he recovered from being almost half a minute down to claim the Rally3 category laurels.

Early setback: Miklós Csomós was in fifth place when he crashed heavily on SS3 to leave his Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo badly damaged, one year on from a huge car-wrecking accident on the same event. “We both have some fractures but nothing serious although we have a lot of pain everywhere because the impact was from 110kph to zero, so thank you once again to Škoda for making such a strong car,” co-driver Attila Nagy said.  


Local hero Luis Monzón retired after he damaged his Citroën C3 Rally2’s left-rear suspension striking a concrete barrier in the stadium section of the SSS1 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Table topper: Two runner-up finishes in a row meant Franceschi (above) climbed to the top of the Drivers’ championship summit after Rally Islas Canarias. And with championship points his priority, Franceschi admitted he had to resist the temptation to attack Bonato for his maiden ERC win, although he still notched up a stage win on SS11.  


“It’s amazing, we never expected this result in Gran Canaria because it’s a special event, unlike Tarmac in any other championship, so we’re so happy,” Michelin-equipped Škoda Fabia RS Rally2-driving Franceschi said. “Sometimes it’s important to think about the championship so we followed the plan.”  


V-Híd Rally Hungary winner Simone Tempestini’s restricted finances meant Rally Islas Canarias was never part of his schedule for 2024.  


What’s next? Visit FIAERC.com on Saturday 18 January for the BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia recap.

Sweden
Starts: Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 8:00:00 AM
Spain
Starts: Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 7:00:00 AM
Turkey
Starts: Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 8:30:00 AM