Lancia wins again after 33-year absence

Yohan Rossel leads historic WRC2 victory as iconic brand signals strong return to rally competition

Lancia has declared its maiden WRC2 victory in Croatia as an "exceptional result" on its second start since rejoining the World Rally Championship after an absence of more than three decades.

The Italian manufacturer, which holds a record 10 WRC manufacturers’ titles, has made its long awaited return to the WRC this year through the second tier WRC2 class. Lancia's previous factory involvement in the WRC came to end after the 1992 season.

After a challenging debut in Monte Carlo in January that resulted in its pair of factory backed Ypsilon Rally2 cars, piloted by Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin both crashing out early, Lancia served real pace with its WRC2 car in Croatia, finishing fourth overall.

Yohan Rossel, Arnaud Dunand, Lancia Corse HF Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale

Photo by: Luca Barsali - NurPhoto - Getty Images

Despite the challenging road conditions, Rossel produced a faultless drive to victory in WRC2. The result was Lancia’s best since Alex Fiorio’s run to fourth at the 1994 Acropolis Rally Greece, while the last time Lancia tasted a victory of any kind in the WRC arrived in 1992 when Andrea Aghini triumphed at Rally Sanremo.

To further outline the credentials of the newly developed Ypsilon HF Integrale, Gryazin fought back from losing ground to a loose turbo boost pipe to claim third in WRC2.

Yohan Rossel, Arnaud Dunand, Lancia Corse HF Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale

Photo by: Massimo Bettiol - Getty Images

"Following an extremely encouraging Monte Carlo Rally, where drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin demonstrated their pace and the proven effectiveness of the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, both drivers managed this weekend to navigate the pitfalls to achieve an exceptional result," said Lancia Corse team principal Didier Clement.

"The victory for Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand and the superb third place for Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov show us that, in terms of performance, a one-two finish was assured.

"Unfortunately, a minor technical issue, quickly resolved, saw Nikolay drop to third place on the podium, but in any case, the pace is there and the reliability is there. And this bodes well for the rest of the season, with the Canary Islands Rally coming up in less than a week. We are proud of our two crews."

What it means to usher in a new Lancia era

Nikolay Gryazin Konstantin Aleksandrov, Lancia Corse HF Lancia Ypsilon HF

Photo by: Federico Manoni / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The history books will forever state that Rossel led Lancia back to the top step of a WRC podium.

It’s a feat that is not lost on the Frenchman, who now joins the likes of legendary former factory Lancia drivers, including Miki Biasion, Juha Kankkunen, Markku Alen and Walter Rohrl, who scored wins for the marque.

"It’s been a fantastic rally, for us and for the team. We knew that Lancia’s ambition this year was to come back strongly in the WRC," said Rossel.

"After Monte Carlo it was a bit difficult for me, as it wasn’t the result I was expecting, but here in Croatia, at this second round, everything was perfect.

"It's nice. At the beginning of the year when Lancia confirmed its return I did so many interviews with Italian guys and it was crazy to see the passion. I’m happy for the Italian guys, the French guys at Stellantis and the team. We are back and let's see what we can do in two weeks [in the Canary Islands]."

Yohan Rossel, Arnaud Dunand, Lancia Corse HF Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale

Photo by: Federico Manoni / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Rossel was quick to praise the work carried out by the Stellantis Group to develop the Ypsillon into a WRC2 rally winning machine in only its second start.

"In a short time, everyone has pushed a lot to be ready. The plan is to stay in my place, to push behind the steering wheel, and we need to continue," he added.