Dreikampf um den ERC-Titel: Spannung pur vor dem Finale in Kroatien
The race to win the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship is all set for a thrilling three-way title showdown on Croatia Rally this week (3 – 5 October).
Jon Armstrong, Andrea Mabellini and Miko Marczyk can all be crowned this season’s ERC champion – and join an illustrious list of former winners – while seven other prestigious titles are up for grabs on the hugely challenging Tarmac event.
After seven action-packed rounds, Michelin-equipped Polish driver Miko Marczyk holds the championship initiative ahead of Pirelli-supplied Italian Mabellini, albeit by a slender margin of two points when the dropped score rule is applied. Irishman Armstrong, who also runs on Pirelli tyres, is 18 points behind Mabellini.
To take the title, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team-run Armstrong must bank a near perfect score of 34 points from the 35 on offer in Croatia, providing Marczyk finishes no higher than seventh and Mabellini no higher than sixth.
Armstrong heads to Croatia fresh from his breakthrough ERC victory on JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion and boosted by his superior event knowledge – he’s started twice in Croatia compared to Marczyk, who has tackled the event once, and Mabellini, who has yet to contest the Zagreb-based rally.
“It’s going to be difficult to win the championship, but Croatia is a slippery event,” the 30-year-old said. “That time of year, there’s going to be a lot of dirt and leaves and stuff on the road so it’s not out of the question that issues can happen.”
Marczyk, 29, said: “We’ve had good consistent driving through all rounds but now I need to present something extra for Croatia and this is my goal. Every point is really important, I’m trying all the time, using all my advantages and trying to cancel the disadvantages.”
Twenty-six-year-old Mabellini kept himself firmly in the title fight by scoring five points on the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion Power Stage. He said: “The Power Stage was the stage of our championship to save it or to lose it, but we took the maximum. We showed we’re really strong in terms of mindset. Let’s go and fight for the win. It’s game on, we must do it.”
It’s not just the overall ERC driver and co-driver titles that must be won in Croatia. The FIA ERC3, FIA ERC4, FIA ERC Team and FIA ERC Tyre Supplier championships will also be decided. But with Dariusz Biedrzyński not competing in Croatia, Martin Vlček will be celebrated as the first winner of the FIA Master ERC Championship* ahead of the event getting under way.
Croatia Rally route in short
Ten stages over a competitive distance of 172.36 kilometres will decide the 2025 ERC season. Following Free Practice, Qualifying and Shakedown from 09:30 on Friday, Saturday’s action west and southwest of Zagreb features three double-use stages, Krašić – Sošice, Hartje – Stojdraga and Breganica – Smerovišće, either side of service at the Westgate Shopping City just north Croatia’s capital.
Leg two on Sunday is located north of Zagreb and consists of two repeated stages, Veliko Trgovišće – Klanjec and Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec, which forms the Power Stage when it’s run for a second time.
How to watch?
Fans across the globe can experience the excitement and drama of the ERC with every stage of every rally broadcast Rally.TV platform. In addition, the ERC is broadcast in a number of countries around the world and fans are advised to check local listings for details.
Croatia Rally: the key numbers
Stages: 10
Stage distance: 172.36 kilometres
Total distance: 589.89 kilometres
*Subject to FIA confirmation
Quelle: World / Red Bull Content Pool
Bildquellen: World / Red Bull Content Pool
