With reigning European Rally champion Hayden Paddon competing but elsewhere – some 11,800 miles from this weekend’s opening round – the ERC is ready for a new king.
The question is: who will step up and take the crown?
The absence of Paddon’s prince, Mathieu Franceschi, further blows the form book open as the class of 2025 begin their quest on Spain’s Rally Sierra Morena this Saturday-Sunday.
These are the expected contenders seeking ERC glory this year:
Mads Østberg
The highest-profile name on this season’s entry, the former M-Sport and Citroën World Rally Championship driver is banking on it being third time lucky in 2025.
Østberg’s previous two ERC campaigns have been mixed – third in 2023, boosted by a victory in Hungary, but seventh last year after a crash in Rome curtailed his season.
Sticking with the same Citroën C3 Rally2 and Michelin tire package as last year, Østberg is stepping up his pre-event preparations to give him the best chance possible – as proved by a run at last week’s Rallye La Llana.
“Last year, we didn’t do a lot of rallies,” Østberg told DirtFish. “We just showed up and did the official test and then did the race.
“It’s important for me that we put a bit more effort into the preparation of the rallies and I think that’s where we have been able to make better plans this year than last year. And that’s given me the confidence that we can actually fight on all the rallies.”
Mikołaj Marczyk
The de facto favorite given he was third in the championship last year, behind the Australia-bound Paddon and WRC2-committed Franceschi?
Perhaps. But since when has rallying been so simple?
The 29-year-old does look well set though. While only a test rally, Marczyk was comfortably ahead of Østberg on last weekend’s Rallye La Llana and has proven quick on all surfaces.
But he hasn’t won an ERC event since 2022, so he could do with boosting that tally if he’s to genuinely threaten for the championship.
Andrea Mabellini
Armed with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 like Marczyk, but on Pirelli rather than Michelin rubber, Andrea Mabellini is the undoubted dark horse.
That dream, and emotional, victory to see out 2024 upped the Italian’s stock tremendously, who’s fought his way through the various rally categories to earn this top chance in the ERC.
Openly admitting he will try and follow the championship-winning example of Paddon this year, Mabellini’s biggest challenge could be tires, given he’s spent years on MRF so has some acclimatization to do.
Efrén Llarena
The man with a title already to his name, Efrén Llarena has the advantage of knowing how to get the job done when push comes to shove.
But the Spaniard’s star has dwindled somewhat in recent seasons, so Llarena potentially has a point to prove.
Now driving for his own team, and back in a C3 Rally2 for the first time since 2020, he looks to have all the ingredients to go all the way in 2025.
Jon Armstrong
After a slow start to 2024, Jon Armstrong’s form accelerated towards the end of the campaign with strong pace in Wales and a podium in Poland.
Back with M-Sport in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, but joined by a new co-driver in Shane Byrne with Eoin Treacy joining Josh McErlean in the WRC, Armstrong got some pre-season mileage back home in Ireland at the West Cork Rally.
An impressive on-the-road victory highlighted what he can do, but a post-event disqualification due to receiving outside assistance when his Fiesta’s engine broke is perhaps some cause for concern from a reliability standpoint.
Indeed against a sea of Škodas and Citroëns, Armstrong’s fate may be intertwined with the strength of the Ford against its Rally2 rivals.
The outsiders
Simone Tempestini is a dependable performer, and took victory at last year’s season opener in Hungary to initially lead the championship. This year he’s in an MRF Škoda.
Czech champion Dominik Stříteský also graced the top step in 2024 at his home event, Barum Rally Zlín. He’ll do a full ERC campaign this term in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Mille Johansson steps up to the Rally2 category after winning last season’s Junior ERC, and is another to rely on Škoda power. There’s plenty of intrigue over how the young Swede will perform in a more competitive class.
His Junior ERC rival from last season, Max McRae, could also be a factor, although the Citroën pilot’s season won’t begin until Rally Hungary in May.
And what about Jos Verstappen? The father of Formula 1 champion Max has come on leaps and bounds in a rally car – undefeated on each of his last six starts in a rally car, predominantly in Belgium.
The ERC is a step up however, so it’ll be fascinating to see how the former F1 racer fares in his Fabia RS Rally2.
Names like Nikolay Gryazin, Robert Virves, Stéphane Lefebvre and Yoann Bonato are all guaranteed to be in the mix too, but aren’t scheduled for full campaigns.
Each individual round will also welcome local heroes who will all be fighting for success, and taking points off the establishment to boot.
Six of last year’s eight ERC rounds were won by drivers not contesting full seasons, so the drivers pinpointed for potential title success will not necessarily be the ones fighting at the front of every rally.
