18-time WRC winner Jari-Matti Latvala claimed a memorable victory at Rally Costa Brava, marking an electrifying start to the 2025 FIA European Historic Rally Championship. Co-driven by Finnish navigator Janni Hussi, the duo stormed to victory, setting the fastest time on all 13 special stages.
Latvala and Hussi dominated the event in their Toyota Celica GT4, maintaining a commanding 3-minute 52-second lead over their closest rivals. In addition to their overall victory in the EHRC, the pair also triumphed in FIA Category 4.
The closest challengers to Latvala were Le Mans winner Romain Dumas and co-driver Mathieu Tyran, who finished second overall in their Porsche 911 Carrera RS. Although the French duo could not match Latvala’s blistering pace, they secured victory in FIA Category 2. Notably, their Porsche 911 Carrera RS is a much older car compared to Latvala’s modern Toyota Celica, with nearly two decades of technological difference between them, making Dumas and Tyran’s second-place finish an even more remarkable achievement.
Pascal Perroud and Loïc Dumont took third place overall in their BMW M3, finishing 54 seconds behind Dumas and Tyran while also securing second in FIA Category 4.
British Historic Champion Seb Perez, co-driven by Bowen Dale in a Lancia Stratos HF, finished fourth overall. Perez had a mixed weekend, showing early promise by challenging Latvala and securing second place in Special Stage 1. However, a transmission issue hampered his progress, forcing him to fight back through the remaining stages. Despite this setback, Perez managed to secure fourth place.
In Category 1, Italians Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo secured victory in their Porsche 911S, finishing an impressive 9 minutes 18 seconds ahead of compatriots Carlo Fiorito and Nicolo Ventoso.
Category 2 saw Romain Dumas and Mathieu Tyran take the win, edging out the Lancia duo of Seb Perez and Bowen Dale by just 57 seconds.
In Category 3, Spain’s Jesus Manuel Ferreiro Pérez and Javier Anido Vázquez triumphed in their Ford Escort RS1800, crossing the line 3 minutes 23 seconds ahead of Gregory and Caron McCormack.
In Category 4, the Finnish duo Latvala and Hussi claimed victory, with Pascal Perroud and Loïc Dumont securing second place.
The FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy was claimed by James Potter and Croatian co-driver Lana Sutlovic, who overcame a minor off-road excursion in Special Stage 1. Despite some early damage, the pair managed to quickly repair their car and bounce back, ultimately claiming the trophy.
Finally, in the P2 Category, Kris Rosenberger and Nicola Januschke Bleicher secured victory in their Subaru Impreza 555, beating Portuguese duo Rui Madeira Pinto and Nuno Rodrigues da Silva.
Saturday’s warmer conditions brought new challenges, including intermittent rain, which made tire choice crucial for teams aiming for victory.
Rally Costa Brava marked a historic milestone as the first FIA European Historic Rally Championship event to feature Pre-2000 (P2) cars. Introduced for the 2025 season following the FIA World Motor Sport Council’s decision to update Appendix K, this new class allows vehicles homologated between 1993 and 2000 to compete within the EHRC framework. While not eligible for championship points this season, notable entries included Kris Rosenberger’s Subaru Impreza 555, Patrick Canavese’s Renault Clio Maxi Kit Car, and Fernando Dameto’s Mitsubishi Carisma GT.
CATEGORY WINNERS:
- Overall EHRC winners: Jari-Matti Latvala / Janni Hussi, Toyota Celica GT4
- Category 1: Antonio Parisi / Giuseppe D’Angelo, Porsche 911S
- Category 2: Romain Dumas / Mathieu Tyran, Porsche 911 Carrera RS
- Category 3: Jesus Ferrerio Pérez / Javier Anido Vázquez, Ford Escort RS1800
- Category 4: Jari-Matti Latvala / Janni Hussi, Toyota Celica GT4
- FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy: James Potter / Lana Sutlovic, Ford Escort Twincam
- Category P2: Kris Rosenberger / Nicola Januschke Bleicher, Subaru Impreza 555.
TOP 10 OVERALL RESULTS:
- Jari-Matti Latvala / Janni Hussi – Toyota Celica ST185 (Category 4)
- Romain Dumas / Mathieu Tyran – Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 (Category 2)
- Pascal Perroud / Loïc Dumont – BMW M3 (Category 4)
- Seb Perez / Bowen Dale – Lancia Stratos HF (Category 2)
- Domenico Guagliardo / Giovanni Battista Campeis – Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 (Category 2)
- Pieter-Jan Maeyaert / Yves Dewulf – BMW M3 (Category 4)
- Donagh Kelly / Rory Kennedy – BMW M3 (Category 4)
- Richard Genesca / Florent Sompayrac – Subaru Legacy 2.0 Turbo 4WD (Category 4)
- “Lucky” / Fabrizia Pons – Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v (Category 4)
- Jesus Manuel Ferreiro Pérez / Javier Anido Vázquez – Ford Escort RS1800 (Category 3)
The Historic Rally Costa Brava in Spain hosted round one of the ten-event FIA EHRC season from 13th to 15th March. https://www.fotomotor.es/competicion/2380/clasificacion/
Follow the full season’s action on the FIA EHRC social channels and fia.com for the latest updates, highlights, and exclusive content.
Full Rally Costa Brava results:
https://www.fia.com/events/european-historic-rally-championship/season-2…
All results are subject to final FIA confirmation.
European Historic Rally Championship
EHRC
SEASON 2025SportHistoric1SportEuropean Historic Rally ChampionshipHistoricSEASON 2025EHRC00Sunday, March 16, 2025 – 2:26pmSunday, March 16, 2025 – 2:26pm
Source : Fia
