Forty-eight FIA European Historic Rally Championship-registered drivers are set to start Rally Costa Brava, the opening event of the nine-round season, which runs from today (Friday) until Saturday. Here’s a summary of just some of the names tackling the spectacular Tarmac event in Spain.

Category 1: Briton James Potter switches to the Ford Escort Mk1 Twincam Ernie Graham used to win the class crown in 2023, Spain’s Jesus Villarroel has changed the specification of his Escort Mk1 to be eligible for Category 1, while Italian Antonio Parisi is an experienced FIA EHRC contender and regular points scorer. He drives a Porsche 911 2.0.

Category 2: Norwegian Escort RS1800 pairing Valter Jensen/Erik Pedersen (pictured below) are returning to defend their FIA EHRC title. Jean-Marc Bussolini, Bertrand Fassio and Tanguy Tailler are among a number of Porsche-powered French drivers taking part. Antonio “Tony” Fassina, the 1982 FIA European champion, competes in Lancia Stratos. Hervé Guignard is entered in a rare Alpine A310.

Category 3: Italian “Zippo” returns to the FIA EHRC in an Audi Quattro rebuilt after it was badly damaged on Rallye du Chablais last season. Swiss Guy Trolliet was a regular winner in 2023. Eric Guignard and Philippe Mermet, from France, compete in Renault 5 Turbos, while Spaniard Jesus Ferreiro will be at the wheel of a Ford Escort RS1800.

Category 4: With more than 20 cars registered so far, Category 4 is expected to be particularly competitive. Swiss Pascal Perroud is an established frontrunner, while Martin McCormack from Northern Ireland scored two FIA EHRC victories to round out the 2023 season. Like Perroud and McCormack, Category 1 champion Ernie Graham drives a BMW M3 in 2024. Co-driven by Fabrizia Pons, “Lucky” (pictured below) was due to compete on Rally Costa Brava but his late withdrawal for personal reasons means he will delay the start of his Category 4 title defence.

1600/FWD: László Mekler is making his FIA EHRC comeback but at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA having previously competed in a Lancia 037. The Hungarian will chase honours in the new FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy. An eclectic mix of machinery eligible for both the FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy and the FIA European Historic FWD Rally Trophy, which is also new for 2024, includes Petter Fausko’s Opel Kadett, Enrico Cannetti’s Opel Corsa and Tim Jones’s Chrysler Sunbeam Ti. FIA EHRC newcomers Harold Bunting and Natale Mirabile rally an Austin Cooper S and an Abarth Ritmo 130TC respectively.  

Teams: More FIA European Historic Rally Championship Teams’ Trophy has attracted more than 25 registrations, including 2023 winner Team Bassano and Flexifly Rally Team, last season’s runner-up.

The full list of registered FIA EHRC competitors is available HERE.