No wins, no podiums, not even any stage wins – it’s been a rough 12 months for a driver that, just under two years ago, became just Spain’s second-ever European Rally champion.
Was hindsight beginning to suggest that that championship title was just a fluke? Had he simply lost that magic spark? Was he just unable to hack it as the quality and quantity of the competition improved in the ERC from 2023 onwards?
Last month’s Rally di Roma Capitale was a step in the right direction to repel those questions. As the old idiom goes, one swallow does not make a summer, but a third-place podium was a massive statement for Efrén Llarena to make.
“We knew that we [still] had the potential, we had the speed, but it was for sure emotional to be back on the podium, that’s clear,” he opens up to DirtFish.
“I think we have been making really good rallies but it was impossible for us to be there, but finally in Rome we did it.”
So is Llaerna really back to his best, and if so how?
What went wrong?
As soon as he delivered that epic powerstage drive on the Azores in 2022, where he overturned a 6.1s deficit to steal victory from the hands of local driver Ricardo Moura, Llarena looked like an ERC champion in waiting.
In fairness, that was as good as it got for Llarena in terms of swashbuckling speed as his campaign was more built on consistency than pace, but he claimed the championship a round early at Barum Rally Zlín and scored podiums on half of the year’s events.
But the strength of the competition shot up in 2023 and it appeared that Llarena was left lacking. Seventh on Rally Serras de Fafe was an OK start to his title defense, which he followed up with a podium at Rally Islas Canarias.
Since then, though, the results just haven’t come. Temporarily switching from the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to the older Fabia Rally2 evo (which he won the title in), the Spaniard became a footnote rather than a feature. That trend continued into 2024.
Llarena admits his motivation sometimes wavered, but he never lost faith in himself – even if some others did.
“I didn’t do it, that’s clear, but sponsors and some people start to not trust in you, that’s clear,” he says.
“I know that we had the potential, I know that I was doing my best. I was working at home really, really hard before every rally and we didn’t make a lot of mistakes. It was just that it was quite difficult to compete, but to be honest I always trust in myself.
“Also Sara [Fernández, co-driver] trusts in me, but you have sponsors and they are just there to win and to be in the social media and news etc. If you are not winning or you are not in the fight, the sponsors are starting to not be happy.”
Rome was the proof Llarena was right to back himself.
What changed?
In short, the rubber wrapped around his Škoda’s rims.
Ever since 2022, Llarena had been part of Team MRF, a move that had initially worked well given it led to lifting the European championship. But stuck in such an obvious rut, the Spaniard decided a change was needed and bolted some Michelins onto his Fabia.
In hindsight, Llarena reckons he should have made that change for the start of 2024 rather than at the season’s midpoint, as he feels Michelin and Pirelli have outdeveloped MRF.
“Well I think since we are starting with MRF we knew what was our goal and what was MRF’s goal, and MRF’s goal was to develop tires, to work hard to make a proper tire for racing and we did it in the last two and a half years,” he explains.
“We were working, developing tires but… I don’t know. I also think Pirelli and Michelin improved [their tires] a lot in the last two or three years and we were just making really, really small steps. The gap was too big, so it was quite difficult to be at the same level as the other guys.
“I mean the tires were not working bad, the MRF, it was working quite well, but for sure… to be honest on the [first] test [with the Michelins] – it was a short test, and the feeling was quite similar,” Llarena adds.
“And also in the short stages like qualifying or a short stage like six, eight or 10 kilometers with MRFs, we had the same feeling. But in the long stages, even the feeling is quite similar but in the end, the time with the other tires is better because you have a little bit less tire wear, but it’s very little.
“The feeling driving the car is quite similar, the difference is when you arrive to the finish line you are eight, 10, 12 seconds faster. There is not a big, big, big step and big difference in the feeling or a big difference in the driving style, it’s just the stopwatch.
“I have one friend who always said that in motorsport you can buy everything except the stopwatch. It’s quite a similar feeling but it’s just some seconds in the longer stages you lost the performance.”
In Rome, Llarena won his first ERC stage in 21 months and scored his first podium in 14.
What can we expect now?
Rome 2023 was also a decent event for the 29-year-old as he came home fourth, so it’s important not to assume that one result means Llarena is suddenly going to be a contender everywhere again.
However, evidence would suggest he should be.
Drivers on Michelin rubber have won three of the five ERC events so far in 2024 and the French brand leads the new tire suppliers’ championship, while no driver has finished higher than sixth overall on MRFs this term.
Llarena is confident Rome marks the end of his difficult chapter but feels wet weather at this weekend’s Barum Rally Zlín would make another podium difficult.
“For sure we will try it, but just to change the tires doesn’t mean that we will always be on the podium,” he shrewdly points out. “Especially when we go to rallies like Barum Rally where it’s quite tricky.
“But for sure we will try and we have the experience from previous years there, so I think we can expect to fight for everything. For sure if it is completely dry we can compete, but if it is raining I don’t know – we do not have experience with the Michelin tire in this weather condition and also local guys like [Jan] Kopecký, Erik Cais, etc they are really fast in this mixed conditions with damp gravel and some mud.
“I just want to say thank you to all the sponsors that have been trusting us through this difficult period,” Llarena concludes. “We try to do our best every rally and we have some guys who are always supporting us, it’s really appreciated.”
