Interest in the FIA European Historic Rally Championship continues to rise with the closing of registrations ahead of next week’s season-opening Rally Costa Brava (March 13-15).

After 52 crews registered for the opening round of FIA EHRC in 2024, 62 crews have signed up ahead the initial cut-off for 2025. And with the opportunity to register prior each of the subsequent nine rounds, the list of registrations is expected to increase even further as the season progresses.

Of the 62 FIA EHRC crews to have completed the registration process prior to Rally Costa Brava, 40 are newcomers for 2025. This underlines its growth in popularity and further demonstrates the vast array of machinery eligible for competition through the FIA Historic Technical Passport system.

Category 1 for pre-1970 cars has attracted entries from Italian drivers Carlo Fiorito (BMW 2002Ti) and Antonio Parisi (Porsche 911S). Parisi finished runner-up to James Potter in last season’s FIA EHRC standings with Fiorito classified one place behind. Fiorito and Parisi are both 78, proof that age is no barrier to historic motor sport participation.

Category 2, which is for cars built between 1970 and 1975, features registrations from nine Porsche 911-powered crews, while there’s representation from other rallying icons such as the Alpine A310, the Ford Escort Twin Cam, driven in the 2025 FIA EHRC by 2024 Category 1 champion James Potter, and the Lancia Stratos. Motor sport all-rounder and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Romain Dumas is one of the drivers competing in a Porsche 911.

Category 3 for 1976-1981 machinery is dominated numerically by the Ford Escort RS1800. But the eclectic mix of participating cars includes a Fiat 131 Abarth, Renault 5 Turbo, Talbot Sunbeam and a spectacular BMW M1.

Category 4, which permits cars from 1982 up until 1992, includes an Audi Quattro A2, Ford Sierra Saphire Cosworth 4x4, Lancia 037 Rallye, Opel Manta 400, Porsche 911 3.0, Subaru Legacy RS and a Toyota Celica ST185 driven by Jari-Matti Latvala, a winner of 18 FIA World Rally Championship events. Ernie Graham, runner-up in the overall 2024 FIA EHRC standings, is one of 12 drivers competing in a BMW M3 E30, while Oldřich Kovařík Jr returns in his Škoda Favorit 136L.

Pre-2000 (P2) is a new addition to the FIA EHRC framework for 2025 and was created after the FIA World Motor Sport Council voted in favour of updating Appendix K of the International Sporting Code during its October 2024 gathering. While some of the world’s most iconic race and rally cars from a remarkable decade of technological advancement will be able to compete once again, cars homologated between 1993 and 2000 will do so in the FIA EHRC within a single class in 2025 but will not be eligible for championship points during the upcoming season. They include Patrick Canavese’s Renault Clio Maxi Kit Car, Kris Rosenberger’s Subaru Impreza 555 and Fernando Dameto’s Mitsubishi Charisma GT.

FIA Historic Motor Sport Committee President Roger Wills said: “The FIA EHRC has once again attracted a high-quality list of registrations but, significantly, 10 more than at this stage last year. This is credit to how well the championship is managed by the FIA and its accessible nature, with its clear category structure providing a home to cars from five decades of production. The 10-round calendar also holds widespread appeal with each rally offering a different challenge. By limiting the number of events crews can score points to six, budgets are also controlled.”