ERC 2019: what’s new?

New names for ERC Junior categoriesThe FIA ERC Junior Under 28 and FIA ERC Junior Under 27 championships are renamed for 2019, bringing them inline with other FIA regional championships. ERC Junior U28, for young stars in R5 cars, becomes the FIA ERC1 Junior Championship, while the Pirelli-supported ERC Junior 27, for rising talents in R2 machinery, is retitled the FIA ERC3 Junior Championship.ERC2 goes from strength to strengthOn the back of its most successful season yet in terms of competitor numbers, ERC2 is set for another strong year in 2019 with cars conforming to the R4-K and RGT technical regulations permitted to take part alongside traditional N4 machinery, such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and Subaru Impreza STI.Abarth Rally Cup joins forces with ERCThe eagerly-anticipated Abarth Rally Cup will run in conjunction with the FIA European Rally Championship in 2019. Contested over six rounds of the eight-event ERC, the Abarth Rally Cup is open to competitors using the lightweight, rear-wheel-drive Italian sportscars, which conform to the FIA’s R-GT category technical regulations. The Abarth 124 rally is available for €110,000, which includes the ERC registration fee. On each round the following prize fund will be offered: First position: €12,000, Second position: €10,000, Third position: €8,000, Fourth position: €4,000. At the end of the season the Abarth Rally Cup winner will receive a final prize of €30,000.Rally Hungary is new addition to ERC scheduleHungary will return to the ERC for the first time since 2003 with a new Tarmac event in Nyíregyháza, northeast of the country, approximately two hours 30 minutes by car from the capital Budapest. While the event was effectively brand new for 2018 when it ran as the Nyíregyháza Rally and counted as the Hungarian championship closer, Nyíregyháza was a regular host of national-level events in the 1980s. With several Hungarian drivers contesting the ERC each season – including back-to-back ERC2 champion Tibor Érdi Jr – a Hungarian round of the championship is perfectly timed. Government and local authority support are other plus points. Rally Hungary is schedule to run from 8-10 November.Eight of the best: ERC calendar 2019In other changes to the ERC calendar for 2019, Rally Liepāja in Latvia and Rally Poland will take place earlier than scheduled in recent years. Host of the season showdown in 2017 and 2018, Rally Liepāja moves forward to late May, while Poland’s counter occupies a late June date after running on the penultimate weekend of September in 2018, when it celebrated its 75thanniversary. Meanwhile, the Cyprus Rally switches from June to September. Barum Czech Rally Zlín takes place two weeks earlier than usual in mid-August.

The post ERC 2019: what’s new? appeared first on FIA ERC | European Rally Championship.