European Historic Rally Championship: Season ends in Greece!

European Historic Rally Championship, a championship established by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile in the late 1980s, features 9 rallies this year, with the Historic Acropolis Rally making a comeback to the championship calendar after a six-year break and is one of the toughest rallies on the calendar.

The season started in March with the tarmac Rally Costa Brava held in Spain, a rally that is included in the EHRC’s calendar since 2010. The Italians “Zippo”-Nicola Arena (Audi Quattro) beat the French crew, Jean-François Bérenguer-Aline Bérenguer Marès (Ford Escort RS1800 MKII), leaving “Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale 16V) in third place. Czech Republic hosted the second event in April, with the Hungarians, known to the Greek public from their participation in older ERC’s Acropolis Rallies, Tibor Erdi jnr-Istvan Kerek won the event in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4, leaving “Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale 16V) second. Austrians Karl Wagner-Gerda Zauner (Porsche 911 SC) completed the podium in the Historic Vltava Rallye, a rally that was also held on tarmac.

**Rally de Asturias Historico** was the third round of the European Historic Rally Championship, with **“Zippo”** proving to be invulnerable on Spanish soil, winning once again this year, this time with **Denis Piceno** on the right bucket of the Audi Quattro. 2 minutes behind the winner, finished the second-placed **“Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons** with Lancia Delta Integrale, while the Italians **Paolo Pasutti-Giovanni Battista Campeis** (Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0) earned the points for the third place in the European Championship. On the first weekend of June, Switzerland hosted **Rallye du Chablais**, the fourth round of the year, where **“Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons** with the Lancia Delta Integrale dominated the European race, finishing ahead of the Swiss crews of **Pascal Bachmann-Xavier Machet** with BMW M3 E30 and **Guy Trolliet-Sebastien Moulin** (Porsche 911 SC).

Home victory for Tibor Erdi jun.-Istvan Kerek (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4) in the fifth rally that was hosted in Hungary in June. “Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale 16V) finished second in the asphalt Mecsek Rallye Historic, ahead of Karl Wagner-Gerda Zauner (Porsche 911 SC). Austria had its due in July, with Rallye Weiz being the sixth race of the calendar. Tibor Erdi jnr.-Istvan Kerek (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4) achieved a second victory in a row in the championship, leaving behind the Italians “Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale 16V). Jurgen Geist-Josef Kral (Opel Manta 400) climbed to the third step of the podium.

A former WRC star won the seventh round that was hosted in Finland, Lahti Historic Rally. Jari Matti Latvala, the driver who has achieved 18 victories in the World Rally Championship, has won comfortably in his country, having as codriver in the Toyota Celica GT-4, 34-year-old, Enni Malkonen. Tibor Erdi jun.-Istvan Kerek (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4) finished second in the only gravel rally of the championship, apart from the Historic Rally Acropolis, with the British duo of Ernie and Karen Graham (Ford Escort MKII) taking third position. After a two-month break, the championship resumed in early October with Sanremo Rally Storico in Italy. It was the turn of Northern Irishman Marty McCormack to win the European section of the event, with Barney Mitchell on the right bucket of a BMW M3 E30. Second place was enough for “Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale 16V) to win the title in Category 4 of the European Historic Rally Championship. The podium was completed by the rookies in EHRC, Belgians Pieter-Jan Maeyaert-Yves Dewulf in a BMW M3 E30. The season ends in Greece, with Historic Acropolis Rally.

Apart from Category 4, which includes cars between 1982 and 1990, the title of which was won by “Lucky”-Fabrizia Pons, the title in Category 3 that is addressed to cars between 1976 and 1981 was won by Austrians Karl Wagner-Gerda Zauner. In Category 2, which is reserved for cars between 1970 and 1975, Norwegians Valter Christian Jensen-Erik Pedersen were crowned champions with a Ford Escort RS1800 MKII and in Category 1, which refers to cars before 1970, British Ernie and Karen Graham were the winners, driving a Ford Escort MKII.

Historic Acropolis Rally was organized for the first time in July 2002 and joined the European Historic Rally Championship in 2004. It remained in the calendar until 2016, while two years it did not take place (2010 and 2013).

Municipality of Elefsina, the city of Elefsina, the European Capital of Culture for 2023, Superfast Ferries, SP Tableware and Cosmote TV are so far the sponsors of the last round of 2023 European Historic Rally Championship.

On the official website of the event (historicacropolis.gr) and on the Virtual Notice Board (https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/2023historicSPO) you can find all the details of the Historic Acropolis Rally and on the social media of the event you can be informed about the latest news of the rally.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/historicacropolisrallygr

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