Lancia’s new Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale faces its next, and possibly most important, challenge at Rally Portugal this week.
Thanks to works drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin, Lancia’s first four-wheel-drive rally car for over 30 years has proved its capabilities on Tarmac. Both drivers demonstrated rally-winning pace in Monte Carlo, and Rossel won both the previous two events in Croatia and Gran Canaria.
But what about gravel?
Aside from Rally Japan at the end of this month (which only Gryazin has entered), the Ypsilon won’t face another Tarmac stage in the WRC this season. It’s yet to face one at all on gravel.
How potent the new car is compared to the established benchmarks from Toyota and Škoda will therefore define the success of the season.
Rossel talked DirtFish through his expectations.
The Ypsilon's only gravel rally to date was a non-WRC event in Italy two months ago
“On fast sections, it’s better [than the Citroën C3 Rally2], for sure,” he said. “On slow and when the grip is high, the Citroën worked very well and I hope I have the same feeling in Portugal [with the Lancia].
“We need to adapt more the car to be able to fight on every condition, on every profile and the plan is to do that with Lancia. It’s a bit early to know where we are because we don’t test a lot, to be honest.
“The car feels very fast, and now it’s time to race. On Tarmac, it’s a proper rally car, for sure, and I am sure if we work a lot on gravel, it will be good.”
Rossel revealed he did four gravel tests with the car last year and one this year – as well as Italy’s Rally Città di Foligno in March – and “the feeling was very good”.
“But it’s always more easy to adapt the car during the testing, when you know very well the stage,” he added. :When you adapt the car on the track, especially on the track, and the rally is always tricky and always different, I am sure the car will be more faster in the future.
“I don’t know if in Portugal we can fight for the victory, but the plan is to have no questions about the setting and try to adapt the car on every condition on Portugal because the conditions change a lot.”
Rossel is right to point to Portugal acting as a useful test, with some of the stages rough and abrasive but others smooth and sandy. He and Gryazin are also facing practically all of this year’s GR Yaris and Fabia RS Rally2-driving title contenders in WRC2, making this weekend the perfect barometer of where the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale truly stands.
Lancia Corse HF team principal, Didier Clément, said: “After strong results in recent weeks on the Croatian and Canary Islands asphalt rallies, we are now entering a long series of gravel events. Rally Portugal is the first of them, and it is known for being one of the most demanding for both the cars and the crews. This weekend, the task will be made even more difficult by expected rainy weather conditions.
“The development team behind the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale has carried out extensive preparation work in conditions similar to those we expect to face. Against extremely strong competition, the entire Lancia Corse HF team is ready to take on this important challenge
