European Rally Championship

European Rally Championship
Category	R5 ; Super 2000 ; Group N
Country	Europe
Inaugural season	1953;71 years ago
Drivers	Varies
Teams	Varies
Drivers' champion	Hayden Paddon
Teams' champion	BRC Racing Team
Official website	fiaerc.com
	Current season

Last updated November 25, 2024 • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship has been organized since 1953 and has competed in different European countries, alternating between rallies on asphalt and gravel. It was the first supranational rally championship that was organized in the world and therefore the oldest one. In 2012 it had 60 editions and in 2013 it was renewed with the merger with the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

History

The European Rally Championship was first contested in 1953^[1] and in the following year was one of the most prestigious rallying series. However, with the introduction of the World Rally Championship for manufacturers in 1973, and in particular with the drivers' World Championship being contested from 1979 on, the importance of the ERC began to decline.^[2]

Over many years, a typical ERC season featured around 40 rallies, and from 1974 on, the rallies were assigned different coefficients (1, 2, 3 or 4) that were multiplied with the championship points. Changing the coefficients to 2, 5, 10 and 20 did also not improve the situation. Thus, the ERC was more a series for event organizers than an interesting championship for drivers.^[2]

A first improvement was implemented for the 2004 season, where the number of events counting for the European Rally Championship were reduced to those with coefficient 20, while the other rallies became part of regional "European Rally Cups". An ERC season now featured around 10 to 12 events and thus had a clearer structure.^[2]

Between 2007 and 2011, the driver had to register for the European championships and thus only registered drivers could score ERC points, keeping the local drivers from taking up all ERC points despite not participating in the championship. The registered drivers were also obligated to contest a minimal number of events.^[2]

Between 2013 and 2021, French-based broadcaster Eurosport was the promoter of ERC. From 2022, it was taken over by Munich based WRC Promoter GmbH.^[3]

Recent seasons

2010 season

The 2010 ERC season featured 11 rallies. Luca Rossetti was the winner of 4 events and won the championship.

2011 season

The 2011 ERC season started on 14 April 2011 and featured 11 rallies. It ended on 29 October with the Rallye International du Valais. Italian driver Luca Rossetti claimed his third European championship title after winning 5 of the events. In total, 28 registered drivers from 7 different countries competed in the championship.

2012 season

The 2012 season started in January with a new event, the "Jänner Rallye" in Austria. As an important change, drivers no longer had to register for the championship. Finnish driver Juho Hänninen won the championship.

2013 season

The 2013 season is the first after the merger between IRC and the old ERC, and also the first after Eurosport became the championship's promoter. The season started with the Jänner Rallye in Austria on 3 January 2013, and ended with the Rallye du Valais on 9 November. Czech driver Jan Kopecký won the championship.

2014 season

The 2014 season started with the Jänner Rallye in Austria on 3 January 2014, and ended with the Tour de Corse on 8 November. Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi won the championship and the new Asphalt Masters trophy, while Polish drivers Robert Kubica and Kajetan Kajetanowicz won the Ice Masters and Gravel Masters, respectively. French driver Stéphane Lefebvre won the ERC Junior championship.

2015 season

The season started with the Jänner Rallye in Austria on 4 January 2015, and ended with the Rallye International du Valais on 7 November. For this year the drivers had to register for the championship, and the categories have been renamed into ERC 1 (for S2000, R5 and RRC (last year) cars), ERC 2 (category for R4 production cars (previously titled N4)) and ERC 3 (for R1, R2 and R3 cars). Polish driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz won the championship.

Champions

European Rally Championship for Drivers

Season	Driver	Co-driver	Car Model(s) Used
1953	Helmut Polensky	Walter Schlüter	Porsche 356 Coupé Fiat 1100
1954	Walter Schlüter		DKW 3=6 F91 Sonderklasse
1955	Werner Engel		Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
1956	Walter Schock		Mercedes-Benz 220 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
1957	Ruprecht Hopfen		Borgward Isabella Saab 93
1958	Gunnar Andersson		Volvo PV444 Volvo PV544
1959	Paul Coltelloni		Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI Citroën ID 19
1960	Walter Schock		Mercedes-Benz 220 SE
1961	Hans-Joachim Walter		Porsche 356 Carrera Coupé
1962	Eugen Böhringer		Mercedes-Benz 220 SE
1963	Gunnar Andersson		Volvo 122 S Volvo PV544
1964	Tom Trana		Volvo PV544 S
1965	Rauno Aaltonen		BMC Mini Cooper S
1966	Lillebror Nasenius		Opel Rekord
	Sobiesław Zasada		BMC Mini Cooper S Steyr-Puch 650 TR
	Günter Klass		Porsche 911
1967	Sobiesław Zasada		Porsche 911 S Porsche 912
	Bengt Söderström		Lotus Cortina
	Vic Elford		Porsche 911 S
1968	Pauli Toivonen		Porsche 911 T
1969	Harry Källström		Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.3 HF Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.6 HF
1970	Jean-Claude Andruet		Alpine A110 1600
1971	Sobiesław Zasada		BMW 2002 TI
1972	Raffaele Pinto	Gino Macaluso	Fiat 124 Sport Spider
1973	Sandro Munari	Mario Mannucci	Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.6 HF
1974	Walter Röhrl	Jochen Berger	Opel Ascona A
1975	Maurizio Verini		Fiat Abarth 124 Rally
1976	Bernard Darniche		Lancia Stratos HF
1977	Bernard Darniche		Lancia Stratos HF
1978	Tony Carello		Lancia Stratos HF
1979	Jochi Kleint		Opel Ascona B Opel Kadett GT/E
1980	Antonio Zanini		Porsche 911 SC Ford Escort RS1800
1981	Adartico Vudafieri		Fiat 131 Abarth
1982	Antonio Fassina		Opel Ascona 400
1983	Miki Biasion	Tiziano Siviero	Lancia Rally 037
1984	Carlo Capone	Sergio Cresto	Lancia Rally 037
1985	Dario Cerrato	Giuseppe Cerri	Lancia Rally 037
1986	Fabrizio Tabaton	Luciano Tedeschini	Lancia Delta S4
1987	Dario Cerrato	Giuseppe Cerri	Lancia Delta HF 4WD
1988	Fabrizio Tabaton	Luciano Tedeschini	Lancia Delta HF 4WD Lancia Delta Integrale
1989	Yves Loubet	Jean-Marc Andrié	Lancia Delta Integrale
1990	Robert Droogmans	Joosten Ronny	Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
1991	Piero Liatti	Luciano Tedeschini	Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
1992	Erwin Weber	Manfred Hiemer	Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
1993	Pierre-César Baroni	Denis Giraudet	Lancia Delta HF Integrale Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1994	Patrick Snijers		Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1995	Enrico Bertone		Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
1996	Armin Schwarz		Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
1997	Krzysztof Hołowczyc		Subaru Impreza 555
1998	Andrea Navarra		Subaru Impreza 555
1999	Enrico Bertone		Renault Mégane Maxi
2000	Henrik Lundgaard		Toyota Corolla WRC
2001	Armin Kremer		Toyota Corolla WRC
2002	Renato Travaglia		Peugeot 206 WRC
2003	Bruno Thiry		Peugeot 206 WRC
2004	Simon Jean-Joseph		Renault Clio S1600
2005	Renato Travaglia	Flavio Zanella	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Renault Clio S1600
2006	Giandomenico Basso	Mitia Dotta	Fiat Punto Abarth S2000
2007	Simon Jean-Joseph	Jack Boyere	Citroën C2 S1600 Citroën C2 R2
2008	Luca Rossetti	Matteo Chiarcossi	Peugeot 207 S2000
2009	Giandomenico Basso	Mitia Dotta	Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2010	Luca Rossetti	Matteo Chiarcossi	Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2011	Luca Rossetti	Matteo Chiarcossi	Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2012	Juho Hänninen	Mikko Markkula	Škoda Fabia S2000
2013	Jan Kopecký	Pavel Dresler	Škoda Fabia S2000
2014	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Škoda Fabia S2000
2015	Kajetan Kajetanowicz	Jarosław Baran	Ford Fiesta R5
2016	Kajetan Kajetanowicz	Jarosław Baran	Ford Fiesta R5
2017	Kajetan Kajetanowicz	Jarosław Baran	Ford Fiesta R5
2018	Alexey Lukyanuk	Alexey Arnautov	Ford Fiesta R5
2019	Chris Ingram	Ross Whittock	Škoda Fabia R5 Škoda Fabia R5 evo
2020	Alexey Lukyanuk	Dmitriy Eremeev	Citroën C3 R5
2021	Andreas Mikkelsen		Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo
2022	Efrén Llarena	Sara Fernández	Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo
2023	Hayden Paddon	John Kennard	Hyundai i20 N Rally2
2024	Hayden Paddon	John Kennard	Hyundai i20 N Rally2
Sources:^[1]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Multiple wins by car manufacturer

Name	Titles	Winning Years
Lancia	15	1969, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993
Ford	8	1967, 1980, 1993, 1994, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Fiat	8	1953, 1972, 1975, 1981, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
Porsche	7	1953, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1980
Škoda	6	2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022
Mercedes-Benz	4	1955, 1956, 1960, 1962
Opel	4	1966, 1974, 1979, 1982

Support categories

Support championships

European Rally Championship has three support categories, ERC3, ERC4 and ERC Junior. These championships are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC calendar and have tighter restrictions on eligible car criteria.

Season	2WD / ERC-3		ERC-4		ERC Junior U28 / ERC1 Junior / ERC Junior
Season	Driver	Car	Driver	Car	Driver	Car
2013	Zoltán Bessenyey	Honda Civic Type-R R3	Not contested		Not contested
2014	Zoltán Bessenyey	Honda Civic Type-R R3
2015	Emil Bergkvist	Opel Adam R2
2016	Chris Ingram	Opel Adam R2
2017	Chris Ingram	Opel Adam R2			Marijan Griebel	Škoda Fabia R5
2018	Mārtiņš Sesks	Opel Adam R2			Nikolay Gryazin	Škoda Fabia R5
2019	Efrén Llarena	Peugeot 208 R2			Filip Mareš	Škoda Fabia R5
2020	Ken Torn	Ford Fiesta Rally4			Oliver Solberg	Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 Škoda Fabia R5 evo
2021	Jean-Baptiste Franceschi	Renault Clio Rally4			Ken Torn	Ford Fiesta Rally3
2022	Igor Widlak	Ford Fiesta Rally3	Oscar Palomo	Peugeot 208 Rally4	Laurent Pellier	Opel Corsa Rally4
2023	Jon Armstrong	Ford Fiesta Rally3	Roberto Daprà	Peugeot 208 Rally4	Norbert Maior	Peugeot 208 Rally4
2024	Filip Kohn	Ford Fiesta Rally3	Mille Johansson	Opel Corsa Rally4	Mille Johansson	Opel Corsa Rally4

Former support categories

Season	Production Cup / ERC-2		ERC Junior / ERC Junior U27 / ERC-3 Junior		Abarth Rally Cup		Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT
Season	Driver	Car	Driver	Car	Driver	Car	Driver	Car
2013	Andreas Aigner	Subaru Impreza WRX STI R4	Not contested		Not contested		Not contested
2014	Vitaliy Pushkar	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4	Stéphane Lefebvre	Peugeot 208 R2
2015	Dávid Botka	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX	Emil Bergkvist	Opel Adam R2
2016	Wojciech Chuchała	Subaru Impreza WRX STI N15	Marijan Griebel	Opel Adam R2
2017	Tibor Érdi Jr.	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X	Chris Ingram	Opel Adam R2
2018	Tibor Érdi Jr.	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X	Mārtiņš Sesks	Opel Adam R2
2019	Juan Carlos Alonso	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X	Efrén Llarena	Peugeot 208 R2	Andrea Nucita	Abarth 124 Rally RGT
2020	Tibor Érdi Jr.	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X	Ken Torn	Ford Fiesta Rally4	Andrea Mabellini	Abarth 124 Rally RGT
2021	Javier Pardo	Suzuki Swift R4LLY S	Jean-Baptiste Franceschi	Renault Clio Rally4	Dariusz Poloński	Abarth 124 Rally RGT	Andrea Mabellini	Renault Clio RSR Rally5
2022	Not contested		Not contested		Not contested		Paulo Soria	Renault Clio RSR Rally5
2023	Not contested		Not contested		Not contested		Not contested

Ladies champions

Season	Driver	Car
1958	Pat Moss	Austin-Healey 100/4 Morris Minor 1000
1960	Pat Moss
1962	Pat Moss
1964	Pat Moss
1965	Pat Moss
1989	Louise Aitken-Walker
2013	Molly Taylor	Citroën DS3 R3T
2014	Ekaterina Stratieva	Subaru Impreza
2015	Ekaterina Stratieva	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2016	Catie Munnings	Peugeot 208 R2
2017	Tamara Molinaro	Opel Adam R2
2018	Emma Falcón	Peugeot 208 R2
2019	Ekaterina Stratieva	Peugeot 208 R2

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References

1 2 "ERC @ 70: A brief history". fiaerc.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
1 2 3 4 "The history of the European Rally Championship". European Rally Championship. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
↑ "WRC Promoter announced as new ERC promoter". dirtfish.com. 8 July 2021.
↑ Shacki. "Top stats - eWRC-results". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
↑ "motorsport-archive.com :: European Rally Championship :: Overview". www.motorsport-archive.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
↑ "Mercedes-Benz 220 SE rally car (W 111), 1960 - 1961". The Digital Archives of Mercedes-Benz Classic. Mercedes-Benz. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[fiaerc.com-1] 1 2 "ERC @ 70: A brief history". fiaerc.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.

[history-2] 1 2 3 4 "The history of the European Rally Championship". European Rally Championship. Retrieved 20 April 2011.

[3] "WRC Promoter announced as new ERC promoter". dirtfish.com. 8 July 2021.

[4] Shacki. "Top stats - eWRC-results". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.

[5] "motorsport-archive.com :: European Rally Championship :: Overview". www.motorsport-archive.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.

[W111-6] "Mercedes-Benz 220 SE rally car (W 111), 1960 - 1961". The Digital Archives of Mercedes-Benz Classic. Mercedes-Benz. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

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