First WRC title awarded: Lancia wins the WRC2 Team Championship

The first of the two South American World Championship rounds has brought Lancia Corse HF another major milestone in the Turin-based car manufacturer’s long and storied history. Driving the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand, as well as Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov, secured the title in the prestigious WRC2 team standings ahead of schedule at this exceptionally demanding event. However, the event in Paraguay itself did not go as successfully for Lancia as had been expected.

The opening day in particular proved difficult for the Lancia drivers on the unsealed tracks. Yohan Rossel struggled with tyre problems, which severely hampered his pace. Nikolay Gryazin also faced major difficulties with his tyres during the rally. Apart from the tyre issues, the team was unable to build on the many strong performances it had consistently demonstrated so impressively earlier in the season – with three victories to its name – throughout the entire event in Paraguay.

Bei Lancia-Comeback in Rallye-WM gleich vorzeitiger WRC2-Titelgewinn

Foto: Stellantis

In the challenging conditions, the drivers maintained their concentration throughout the 22 special stages and, unlike their rivals on many occasions, were not involved in any major incidents. Gryazin and Rossel thus brought their cars safely home.

On their way to the team championship, Rossel had won the rallies in Croatia and the Canary Islands. Gryazin triumphed at the Rally Japan.

The new turbocharged four-wheel-drive car had proven highly competitive on both tarmac and gravel so far this season. The car had been continuously refined throughout the season.

Wirbelt mächtig Staub auf: Nikolay Gryazin im Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF

Foto: Red Bull

With the legendary Stratos, Lancia had already secured three consecutive victories in the manufacturers’ championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976. The last World Championship title ever won with a rear-wheel-drive car came with the Lancia 037 in 1983. From 1987 to 1993, a further six consecutive World Championships were secured with the Lancia Delta, bringing the total to eleven.