Poland and Škoda take the title: ERC in Croatia delivers a direct showdown

The final round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) in Croatia delivered a dramatic title battle, featuring drivers from the World Rally Championship. The European title went to Polish driver Miko Marczyk and his co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk, competing in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. 

The Croatian rally promised an intense head-to-head fight for the European championship even before the start. Considering that only the seven best results out of eight events counted towards the overall standings, the leading crews were separated by a mathematical difference of only two points ahead of the final rally. The pairings of Miko Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk and Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi, both driving Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars, also faced Irish challengers Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne. 

Marczyk started the event strongly by winning the qualification stage, earning the advantage of the first starting position on asphalt for Saturday’s special stages. However, the competition immediately heated up as Armstrong, the winner of the previous British rally, set the pace in the special stages. The Irish driver needed maximum points to keep his championship hopes alive and pushed to the limit from the outset, yet he still had to wait for mistakes from his rivals.

Those mistakes came in the third special stage, when Marczyk and Gospodarczyk missed a turn, dropping them to seventh in the provisional classification. Mabellini was fifth at that point, while Armstrong led the rally. This left Mabellini closest to the title, with Armstrong still in contention thanks to the additional points available in the final super special stage. 

But in the very next stage, Mabellini made a costly error, effectively ending his championship bid. “The rear slipped over the crest, and we went onto the grass, which spun us around. Unfortunately, we hit a rock,” Mabellini explained. The impact caused an oil leak, forcing his retirement from the rally and shattering his title hopes.

Marczyk moved up to sixth following his rival’s retirement and held that position through Saturday’s program. While Armstrong still had a chance at the championship from the rally lead, Marczyk turned up the pace on Sunday. He gained two positions in the first special stage of the day and then another to secure third place, which he maintained until the finish, driving cautiously in the final super special stage. At that point, even a full rally win and maximum points in the power stage would not have been enough for Armstrong to seize the title. 

Thus, Miko Marczyk, in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, was crowned European Rally Champion, with his navigator Szymon Gospodarczyk taking the co-drivers’ title. “It was a tough day, but my dream came true. I want to thank everyone who has supported me over the years,” Marczyk beamed at the finish line.

In Croatia, the Polish driver also demonstrated he can compete at the pace of some World Rally Championship drivers. Estonian crew Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo and Finnish duo Lauri Joona/Kristian Temonen, both driving Škoda cars, finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Mladá Boleslav based brand also placed two more crews in the top ten: Norbert Herczig in ninth and Simone Tempestini in tenth.

 
The Croatian rally was also the final round of the season where crews could compete for Škoda Motorsport’s Bonus Program rewards. Among others, the crews of Marczyk/Gospodarczyk and the third-place overall Mabellini/Lenzi earned discounts on new Škoda racing specials for their teams.