Normally held in March, the Rally Costa Brava was moved to November due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and, instead of being the opening event on the calendar, it will be the season finale. 

A total of 41 cars are entered for the 69th Rally Costa Brava, with 15 EHRC eligible cars among them. 

BMW, Ford, Lancia, Renault, Subaru are entered in Category 4

Eight EHRC Category 4 competitors will travel to Spain.  

Three-time winner in 2021 Daniel Alonso will compete in the second of his home events in the Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4, with compatriot Jorge Manuel Henriques in the co-driver’s seat.  The Spaniard, currently on 92 points, has an unassailable lead in the Category 4 championship standings and will be looking to top off a successful year with a win on the Rally Costa Brava.

Finland’s Ville Silvasti and Risto Pietilainen will be back on track for the first time since winning the Lahti Historic Rally back in August.  The Finns will be swapping the Audi quattro S2 for the Lancia Rallye 037 in Spain.

Reigning Category 2 champions Anders and Ingrid Johnsen will be swapping their Category 2 Porsche 911 for a Category 4 Ford Sierra Cosworth in Spain.

There are three BMW M3s amongst the EHRC entry.  Former champions Valter Jensen and Erik Pedersen will be starting their second rally of the 2021 season.  Jean-Francois Mourgues will be hoping for better luck than in his first EHRC rally in Sanremo, the former French champion being joined by Stephane Prevot in Spain.   

The third BMW M3 is the entry by Italian crew Gabriele Noberasco and Michele Ferrara.  The Rally Costa Brava is also the second outing for this car, which was leading the Elba Rally Storico in September before a blown head gasket side-lined the car.

There are two further Spanish entries in the EHRC Category 4 contingent.  The Subaru Legacy 2.0 Turbo 4WD of Antonio Sainz and David De La Puente will undoubtably be a front runner as it was on the Rally de Asturias Historico.  The distinctive Renault 11 Turbo of Carlos Sampayo and Alejandro Alvarez will be starting the Rally Costa Brava and the Spanish team will be hoping for a good result at the end of their debut FIA EHRC season.

Porsche and Volvo in Category 3

The Category 3 entry for the Rally Costa Brava will feature two EHRC entries.  With the Category 3 title already claimed by ‘Zippo’ and Denis Piceno, the Italians have decided not to compete in Spain.  The battle will be for the Vice Champions position in the championship standings

The Volvo 244 of Germany’s Siegfried and Renate Mayr is currently on 69 points and lying in second place.  Multiple EHRC champions Karl Wagner and Gerda Zauner are lying in third place in their Porsche 911 SC, the Austrians on 53 points after their victory in Elba.

Alfa Romeo, Ford and Opel in Category 2

The 2021 championship titles in Category 2 have yet to be decided with three of the top four contenders making the trip to Spain.

Britain’s Ernie and Karen Graham are currently leading the EHRC Category 2 championship table with 117 points in the Ford Escort RS1800, but with only the best five scores counting towards the title their actual total is 92 points.  

With Paolo Pasutti and Giovanni Campeis electing not to compete in Spain, the closest championship rival is the Opel Kadett C GT/E 16v of Vojtech Stajf and Vladimir Zelinka, the Czech crew currently on 78 points from the four events they have competed on this season. 

With the Grahams having to drop their lowest score at the end of the Rally Costa Brava, the maximum they can score at the end of the season is 96 points, where as Stajf and Zelinka can score 98 points, so there is all to play for in Spain.

Laszlo and Edit Mekler are currently on 69 points in their Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAM in fourth place in the standings.  

Porsche and BMW in Category 1

The EHRC Category 1 entry for the Rally Costa Brava will feature two cars with the Porsche 911 S of Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo going head-to-head with fellow Italians Carlo Fiorito and Marina Bertonasco in the BMW 2002 Ti. 

With 75 points from the four events they have entered this season, Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo have already claimed the 2021 Driver and Co-Driver titles once again.

CLICK HERE to see the entry list for the 69th Rally Costa Brava

CLICK HERE to visit the Rally Costa Brava event website.