For a brand that once dominated the world of rallying, Lancia has not eased its way back into the conversation but has turned decades of history into tangible results that have arrived far quicker than expected. The latest expression of that intent came at the Croatia Rally this past weekend, where fromer WRC3 champion, Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand secured a decisive WRC2 victory (main support category for WRC) in the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, marking the brand’s first factory-backed category win in the World Rally Championship in more than three decades, since withdrawing in 1992.
It builds on a sequence of performances that began weeks earlier at the Rally Il Ciocco, where Andrea Crugnola secured victory on the car’s Italian debut, and continued in France at the Le Touquet Pas-de-Calais Rally, where Yoann Bonato managed difficult weather conditions to deliver another win.
Over in Croatia, navigating 20 stages and nearly 186 miles of narrow, highly technical asphalt, the French crew combined precision driving with restraint. They established an early advantage through six fastest stage times across the opening days and then managed that margin with composure to finish 38.8 seconds clear of the field.
The rally itself offered little margin for error, as the Balkan state's constantly evolving road surfaces demanded continuous recalibration, with grip levels shifting unpredictably from one corner to the next.
Not far beind, Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov added further depth to Lancia’s performance, recovering from a mid-rally technical issue that briefly removed them from contention, only to respond with a sequence of four consecutive stage wins on the final day, a surge that secured third place and placed two Lancia entries on the podium, reinforcing not only the competitiveness of the package but also its resilience under sustained pressure.
Across the full weekend, the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale recorded 13 fastest times from 20 stages, showcasing a package that delivers predictable responses across varying conditions. The Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale represents a modern interpretation of the brand’s performance legacy, now being developed under Stellantis.
It is also being built from the ground up through programs like the Trofeo Lancia, a one-make championship centered around the upcoming Ypsilon Rally4 HF that introduces a new generation of drivers to the brand. Launched within the Italian Rally Championship, the series spans multiple events across the country and offers a €360,000 prize pool, with the standout performer earning a seat in Lancia Corse HF’s official effort in the European Rally Championship.
But to truly understand the weight of these results requires looking beyond these latest championship standings and toward the broader context of the Italian marque’s return, as as part of a structured re-entry into international rallying.
Sporting some of the most iconic liveries of all time, Lancia’s motorsports heritage goes back more than 60 years that also includes several homologation specials. Starting out in the 1960s with the Lancia Fulvia HF, where lightweight construction and precision handling established the brand’s early identity. The brand’s efforts subsequently evolved in the 1970s with the introduction of the legendary mid-engine Lancia Stratos HF, a purpose-built machine that redefined rally car design.
That relentless pace of lightweight engineering continued into the glorious Group B era, where the Lancia 037 secured a manufacturers’ title against Audi’s mighty all-wheel drive Quattro in the 1980s. The technical progression continued with the potent Lancia Delta S4 and culminated in the Lancia Delta HF Integrale, which delivered six consecutive World Rally Championship manufacturers’ titles between 1987 and 1992, part of a broader record that includes 11 manufacturers’ titles, 5 drivers’ titles, 74 victories, and 193 podium finishes. The HF badge which stands for 'High Fidelity' is symbolic and is now returning to a new-generation of rally cars from Lancia.
Through the opening rounds of the current season, the Lancia Corse HF is not only reviving a storied legacy but also transforming the perception of the Ypsilon nameplate. Until not too long ago, the Ypsilon was just another compact mass market Italian hatchback, but these latest streak of wins has now put it in the spotlight and on the path to join the all-time greats from the brand.
Lancia now lfeads the WRC2 Teams’ standings with 84 points, while Rossel has moved into third place in the drivers’ classification and Gryazin follows in fifth, as the championship prepares to move to the Rally Islas Canarias, where a different set of conditions will once again test the adaptability of both car and crew.
Images: Stellantis, Lancia
