Sun 02 Feb 2025

ERC 2024 rally recap: When Paddon took title, Mabellini his first win

The 2025 FIA European Rally Championship fires into life in Spain in less than three months when Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad hosts the all-action series for the first time. Before then, here’s reminder of what happened when Rally Silesia staged a dramatic conclusion to the 2024 title race.

The winners: While Andrea Mabellini (above) scored a breakthrough victory alongside co-driver Virginia Lenzi, Hayden Paddon (below) made it back-to-back ERC titles in third place with John Kennard co-driving his Hyundai i20 N Rally2.  


During an exciting climax to another memorable season, Paddon’s entrant, BRC Racing Team, clinched the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams, as Michelin secured the inaugural FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers.   


With two stage wins on leg one and five on leg two, including the Power Stage, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy-supported Jon Armstrong claimed his breakthrough ERC podium in second after he demoted the ultra-cautious Paddon on SS14.

At the wheel of a Pirelli-shod M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2, Armstrong beat Paddon by 1.5sec with home hero Miko Marcyk 5.8sec further back in fourth.   


For Michelin-equipped Marczyk, the position was enough to secure third in the final ERC drivers’ standings behind Mathieu Franceschi, who finished runner-up in the overall table, having completed Rally Silesia in fifth place.  


How did it feel? “I wasn’t going to risk the title by being drawn into a fight, I just wanted to bring the car home,” said New Zealander Paddon. “I knew what I was here to do and the title is hugely important. We’ve worked all year to achieve it. We’ve had our backs up against the wall for the best part of the season with a performance deficit, but the team has been working hard to bring that back and we’ve brought it back during the last couple of rallies.”  


“It feels great,” Mabellini (below) said after he claimed victory by 18.3sec to become the eighth different winner of the season. “The last 11 kilometres were the longest kilometres of my life. I want to thank everybody. It was an incredible journey. We started from Rally5, then Rally4, Rally2 last year, we’re really, really happy. I would like to thank Virgi, she always listened to me, she always made me feel great in the car so thanks to her. Thanks to all the sponsors, all the team and especially to MRF Tyres who believed in me and Virgi from the very beginning.”

Turning point: Mabellini trailed Paddon by 6.8sec at the overnight halt but closed to within 5.3sec of his rival at the completion of leg two’s opening stage, SS9. Paddon hit back on SS10 to lead by 6.1sec before the decisive SS11, the first run through the rain-hit Silesian Voivodeship Power Stage. In wet conditions, Mabellini went 8.0sec quicker than Paddon to lead an ERC event for the first time by 1.6sec.  


Driving a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo for Team MRF Tyres, Mabellini benefited from selecting a cross tyre formation of soft compound dry tyres and wet weather covers to take a lead he wouldn’t relinquish despite being close to nudging a barrier nearing the end of the 11.87km run.  


Paddon, who tackled SS11 with a mix of medium-compound and wet weather Pirelli tyres, lost further ground to Mabellini with a half-spin and an overshoot on SS13, which he completed 12.1sec behind Mabellini, albeit with a second consecutive ERC crown in the bag.  


“Second corner, [we] went off line in a bank and pretty much got bellied,” Paddon said. “I was just sitting there on full throttle trying to get out, had to reverse, got going again and dropped out 15 [seconds]. Then a couple of kilometres later at a junction I just went straight through the barriers, had to go down the road, loop around, come back. We probably dropped a good 20-plus seconds. Tricky conditions.”

Comeback men: After a time-consuming technical issue on SS2 and a half-spin on SS3, Armstrong fought his way through from seventh position starting day two to finish a fine runner-up. Yoann Bonato completed his comeback from serious injuries sustained in a crash on a French championship event the previous June, by finishing sixth. Philip Allen hit back from an off during the Qualifying Stage to complete the top 10.  


Shining through: Category newcomer Mille Johansson took victory in FIA ERC3 driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 on Hankook tyres having secured the ERC4 and Junior ERC titles on the previous event, JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion. Calle Carlberg (below) scored a maiden ERC4 and Junior ERC win driving a Hankook-equipped Opel Corsa Rally4.

Early setback: Simone Tempestini started leg two in third place for Team MRF Tyres but went off the road at high speed 4.6km from the start of the 11.46 Marklowice Górne.  


Table topper: Paddon arrived in southern Poland with a commanding points advantage over Mathieu Franceschi, meaning a top eight finish would be enough for championship number two. But the Pirelli-equipped driver’s eventual third place left the outcome of the 2024 ERC title race in no doubt. A one-time WRC event winner, Paddon’s success meant he joined an exclusive club of drivers to have successfully defended the ERC crown. Bernard Darniche, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Luca Rossetti had also achieved the feat.

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