Lancia Corse HF Makes Its FIA ERC Comeback with a Fully Italian Line-Up and ACI Sport Support

• Lancia returns to the FIA ERC with a fully Italian project, developed in partnership with ACI and ACI Sport: 3 official cars, 3 Italian crews, Italian team and licence.
• Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale in the ERC top class and Ypsilon Rally4 HF in the Junior ERC: Mabellini–Lenzi, Dei Ceci–Fappani and Pesavento lead the Brand’s European challenge.
• Following its promising WRC2 debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo, Lancia further strengthens its international pathway, with a programme that combines sporting heritage, talent development and continental ambition.
  

Lancia is strengthening its presence in international motorsport with a new chapter in its sporting journey. Following its WRC2 debut – highlighted by overall victory in the SuperSunday at the Rallye Monte-Carlo with the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale – the Brand officially unveiled at the Racing Meeting in Vicenza the programme marking its return to the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC).

A total of 3 Ypsilon cars will compete in the official Lancia Corse HF colours, as part of a fully Italian project made possible through close collaboration with ACI and ACI Sport, long committed to nurturing young talents through the ACI Team Italia programme. An initiative that combines heritage and development, bringing Lancia back to the continental stage with a completely Italian structure: Italian drivers, Italian team and Italian licence.

The European programme will field 3 high-profile crews. In the FIA ERC top class, Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi will represent Lancia behind the wheel of the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, while in the Junior ERC category, reserved for 2-wheel-drive cars, the Ypsilon Rally4 HF entries will be entrusted to Francesco Dei Ceci, co-driven by Danilo Fappani, and to Davide Pesavento.

Technical support will be provided by F.P.F., led by Team Manager Michele Fabbri, adding another key component to a project entirely conceived and developed in Italy.

“The return of Lancia to competition is a strategic decision focused on the future,” commented Roberta Zerbi, CEO of Lancia. “For us, rallying is a platform for technological development and for promoting young Italian talents, whom we aim to support on a path of international growth. The enthusiasm experienced in Monte-Carlo confirmed the strength of the project. This direction reinforces our positioning and supports the evolution of the Brand, from the New Ypsilon to the upcoming models in the range.”

Echoing this view, Eugenio Franzetti, Director of Lancia Corse, added: “3 Italian crews, an Italian team and the support of our national federation represent the most authentic response to those who called for a return to motorsport in line with our tradition. We have highly talented young drivers, a technically strong structure and the ambition to be competitive. We head to Europe aiming to fight at the highest level, aware of the challenges ahead but confident that we have all the elements in place to perform well.”

The President of the Automobile Club d’Italia, Avv. Geronimo La Russa, stated: “We are extremely proud of the path we have built through the Progetto Giovani within the ACI Team Italia programme, supporting emerging drivers across the various disciplines of motorsport. After achieving strong results on track, with examples such as Antonelli and Fornaroli, we now have a selection of young drivers with great potential also in rallying. This new collaboration with Lancia provides further momentum to the Italian talent pipeline and ensures continuity for the project, starting from the grassroots level with the CIAR Junior and progressing to international programmes such as the FIA ERC, where our National Team talents will now compete in the Ypsilon HF. This synergy represents an additional step towards bringing the Italian tricolour back to the top of international rallying.”

At 26 years old, already Italian 2-Wheel Drive Champion and ERC4 Vice European Champion, Andrea Mabellini has become a benchmark on the continental scene, competing consistently since 2020 and racing Rally2 machinery for the past 3 seasons.

“For me, being part of this project is a special emotion. One year ago Lancia returned to rallying; today I have the opportunity to represent the Brand at the highest European level. We will give everything: I want it, and I owe it to Lancia, to Lancia Corse HF, to ACI and to ACI Sport, who made this opportunity possible.”

He will once again be joined by Virginia Lenzi, reuniting the well-established crew that concluded the 2025 season in 3rd place overall, with podium finishes at the Barum Rally and Rally Roma Capitale.

“I will need to get to know a new but already competitive car. I will put my experience at the team’s disposal and together we will work to achieve the targets we are aiming for.”

Francesco Dei Ceci also brings solid European experience. Italian Junior Vice Champion in 2024 and a contender in last season’s FIA Junior ERC thanks to the support of the Italian Federation, the 21-year-old driver from Cassino returns to the FIA ERC Junior as an official Lancia driver supported by ACI Team Italia.

“It is a dream coming true thanks to Lancia and ACI. As a child I dreamed of the Delta; today I am part of the return of a unique Brand to the international stage. The goal is to fight consistently for the Top 3 and to grow rally after rally. If we succeed, we can aim for strong results at the end of the season. Danilo Fappani, a highly experienced co-driver, will be alongside me – an important added value for my development.”

After an outstanding 2025 season in the Trofeo Lancia, Davide Pesavento returns to the European stage, inheriting from Gianandrea Pisani the prize awarded by the Brand’s one-make series. For the young driver from Veneto, runner-up in the 2025 Trofeo, the FIA ERC Junior 2026 season opens as an official Lancia driver at the wheel of the Ypsilon Rally4 HF.

“This opportunity came almost unexpectedly and filled me with joy. The competition is strong, but being able to rely on a Brand like Lancia and on a solid technical structure allows us to work in the best possible conditions.”

The opening round of the FIA European Rally Championship will take place in Spain from 17 to 19 April with Rally Sierra Morena, the first of 7 rounds in the 2026 season. The championship will continue with Rally of Scandinavia (22–24 May), which will mark the first round of the FIA Junior ERC, followed by Rally Roma Capitale (5 July), Rally Poland, Barum Rally in August, Rali Ceredigion in September and the season finale in Portugal from 23 to 25 October, marking Lancia’s official return to European competition with a project that is Italian in every detail.

Lancia
With 119 years of history, Lancia embodies timeless Italian elegance — a brand that has inspired people all over the world with its iconic cars, from the refined Flaminia and Aurelia B24 Spider to the outstanding performance of Delta, Stratos and 037, as well as the eclectic Fulvia, Beta HPE and many others.

Today, Lancia is ready to embark on its Renaissance, driven by an ambitious ten-year strategic plan that is progressing at full speed.

Innovation and timeless design have always been the brand’s core values, and sustainability, customer centricity and social responsibility are now equally fundamental, as Lancia looks to the future with strong commitment and ambition.

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