REPORT / CROATIA RALLY

WORDS BY & PHOTOGRAPY JAMIE MOONE

Since its inclusion on the WRC calendar in 2021, Rally Croatia has been a popular addition to the World Rally Championship calendar, renowned for its demanding tarmac stages with ever-changing surface conditions and grip levels. Combined with unpredictable weather conditions, it has produced some of the most entertaining and dramatic battles in recent WRC history. The 2022 edition springs to mind, when the win was decided in the Power Stage with Kalle Rovanperä pipping Ott Tänak to victory by just 4.3 seconds. For this year’s rally, however, Rally Croatia stepped back onto the European Rally Championship schedule. But that didn’t mean it would be any less entertaining.

The last time Croatia was on the ERC calendar was back in 2013, when the event was based in the coastal town of Poreč. Since then, it has relocated to the capital, Zagreb. This year’s route featured ten special stages, covering 172 kilometres of competitive action with a mixture of new and familiar stages.

The previous round in Wales saw Jon Armstrong claim his maiden international rally victory. Having previously enjoyed success in junior categories, including winning the JWRC category in Croatia in 2021, this was a statement win that brought him firmly back into contention for the ERC title.

After the off-stage drama at the previous round, Italy’s Andrea Mabellini arrived in Croatia just two points behind Polish driver Miko Marczyk. While Ireland’s Jon Armstrong was a further 18 points adrift. With a maximum of 35 points up for grabs, there was still plenty to play for in the season finale.

Not only was the overall championship up for grabs, but the ERC teams’, ERC tyre Suppliers’, Master ERC, ERC3, and ERC4 were all set to be decided in Croatia. A 55-crew entry, bolstered by WRC2 regulars such as Lauri Joona, Robert Virves, and Romet Jürgenson, who were all looking to gain experience ahead of the event’s return to the WRC next April, added to the anticipation ahead of the event.

As is normal for ERC events, the action kicked off with two runs of free practice and then qualifying for the Rally2 crews. Qualifying is used to determine the road order for the first day of competition. Free practice didn’t go to plan for Romet Jürgenson, though. He went off the road on his second run, which meant that he was unable to participate in qualifying, ultimately leaving him 25th on the road for the opening day. Not ideal in his quest to help M-Sport win the team’s championship.

Miko Marczyk came out on top in qualifying, while championship rivals Jon Armstrong and Andrea Mabellini placed fifth and eighth, respectively. Would that prove to be a sign of things to come?

LEG 1

With no Friday night super special, the competitive action got underway on Saturday morning with a loop of three demanding stages. The first would be a familiar test for any crews that had contested the event last year, Krašić – Sošice. At 22.70 kilometres long, it was the longest of the rally and a real test to get things underway. Armstrong was the first to send a message to his championship rivals, winning the opener by 3.9 seconds over WRC2 regular Robert Virves.

Armstrong’s strong start continued through the remainder of the morning, as he won all three stages in the opening loop and built a 22.5-second lead by the midday service.

The afternoon loop was a repeat of the morning’s stages, although conditions were quite different with the cuts polluting the road and making the grip less predictable. This caught out championship hopeful, Andrea Mabellini, who went off the road on stage four and retired from the event, bringing an end to his championship challenge. After struggling with his road position earlier in the day, it was Romet Jürgenson who set the fastest time on the opening stage of the afternoon. Normal service resumed, however, with Armstrong fastest through stages five and six. Young Swede Mille Johansson came close to breaking M-Sport’s dominance on stage five but fell just 0.8 seconds short of a stage win.

M-Sport dominated the opening day, claiming all six stage wins. Who said the Fiesta Rally2 wasn’t competitive anymore?

Outside of the battle for the overall victory, there were fights unfolding in the other classes. In ERC3, Taylor Gill held a commanding 39.4-second lead at the end of day one, while in ERC4, Calle Carlberg led comfortably by over a minute and 20 seconds from Nordstrand. Welshman Ioan Lloyd was back in third; he would have hoped for more, but a puncture in stage three cost him around a minute. That, combined with Carlberg’s strong pace, meant that, barring any final-day dramas for the Swede, Lloyd’s hopes of clinching the ERC4 title were fading.

END OF LEG 1

LEG 2

Sunday’s schedule consisted of two stages run twice, with the familiar Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec, once again acting as the Power Stage. However, it was an all-new stage that would get the day underway. At 13.61 kilometres, Veliko Trgovišće – Klanjec was the shortest of the rally, which didn’t mean it would be the easiest. Heavy rain ensured that the final day of the season would be an intriguing one.

One driver to fall victim to the conditions was Mille Johansson. After a strong opening day where he had put himself in contention for a podium, he slid off the road on the opening test of the day and ultimately had to retire.

Despite the difficult conditions, it was championship leader Miko Marczyk who would be quickest through the opening test of the day. This strong start to the day, combined with the misfortune of others, lifted him into fourth overall.  With that came the comfort of knowing that, if he could hold his position, the ERC title would be his.

One driver who hasn’t featured much yet is Mads Østberg. Making a return to the championship after missing a couple of rounds, the Norwegian delivered a solid performance to finish second overall on his 300th career start.

Ahead of the Power Stage, Miko Marczyk was sitting third overall, so regardless of how many extra points Armstrong claimed in the Power Stage, the Irishman would need a touch of Irish luck for any chance of claiming the title.

It would be a drama-free run through the Power Stage for Marczyk, and he went on to win the ERC Drivers’ title for 2025. Having not won a round all season, it was proof that a combination of speed and consistency wins titles.

As for the other championships still up for grabs, the ERC3 title went to Polish driver Tymek Abramowski. Already crowned Junior ERC champion, Calle Carlberg capped off his impressive season with a dominant performance to clinch the ERC4 title. The ERC Teams’ championship went to Team MRF Tyres. Their approach of having different drivers score points throughout the season ultimately paid off.

After Armstrong’s strong end to the season, convincingly winning the final two rounds, he would fall short of the title by just six points. So what’s next? Will he be back to challenge for the European title again next year, or could he make the move to WRC2 for 2026? If he still has aspirations of competing at the sports’ top level, a switch to WRC2 would seem like the logical next step.

FINAL RESULTS