The FIA European Historic Rally Championship heads to Finland’s high-speed gravel roads from August 22-24 when Lahti Historic Rally hosts round six of this ultimate celebration of the sport’s glorious past.
One of the highlights of the FIA EHRC season, Lahti Historic Rally provides an opportunity for the championship regulars to fly high in iconic machines representing four decades on smooth gravel roads peppered with crests and high-speed sweeps.
Along with November’s Historic Acropolis Rally in Greece, Lahti Historic Rally is one of two gravel events on the nine-round FIA EHRC schedule for 2024 and the change of surface will provide added spectacle and intrigue.
Who’s in it to win it?
Jari-Matti Latvala, a winner of 18 FIA World Rally Championship events, returns to defend his Lahti Historic Rally crown in the Toyota Celica ST165 built by Toyota Team Europe in 1990 and prepared and maintained by his family team, Latvala Motorsport.
The Finn faces opposition from a host of Category 4 E3 class rivals including Hungarian Tibor Érdi Jr (Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4, pictured below), Audi Quattro A2-powered Ville Silvasti and Jukka Jalonen and Flexifly Rally Team’s Ernie Graham, who is reverting back to the Group B-homologated Ford Escort RS1800 he used on Finland’s FIA EHRC qualifier last season (pictured bottom). Category 4 features two additional E2 class contenders, Piotr Gadomski (Toyota Corolla AE82) and Petter Fausko (Opel Kadett E GSI 16V).
Current overall FIA EHRC leader “Zippo” continues in Category 3. But with his regular Audi Quattro not available for Lahti Historic Rally, the Italian switches to a Ford Escort Mk2 for the first time. Christophe Jacob (Ford Escort RS), Maciej Lubiak (Porsche SC Carrera USA), Lukas Schindelegger (Ford Escort RS) and Siegfried Mayr, who swaps his Volvo 244 for a Saab 99, also appear on the Category 3 entry.
Category 1 contenders include James Potter (Ford Escort Twin Cam), the provisional FIA EHRC class champion for 2024, and Jesus Diez Villarroel, who will tackle Lahti Historic Rally in a Volvo 122 having piloted an Escort Mk1 earlier this season.
Piotr Gadomski and James Potter are eligible for the FIA EHRC Front Wheel Drive Trophy, while Gadomski will also chase FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy points along with Petter Fausko and Siegfried Mayr. Flexifly Rally Team tops the FIA EHRC Team Trophy after five rounds. Click HERE for the Lahti Historic Rally entry list.
Lahti Historic Rally route in short
The 22nd edition of Lahti Historic Rally will test FIA EHRC crews on 12 hard-base smooth gravel stages over a competitive distance of 139.54 kilometres. The 68.60-kilometre leg one on Friday August 23 features three stages run either side of a central service halt in Lahti Harbour. Saturday’s second leg follows a similar format with two loops of three stages split by a midday visit to the Lahti Habour service park. Covering 70.94 kilometres, leg two on Saturday August 24 includes two passes of the 14.82 Miehola stage, the longest of the rally. Click HERE for the Lahti Historic Rally itinerary and route map.
Lahti Historic Rally organisers are streaming four stages live each day with commentary in Finnish, plus updates in English, and driver interviews. The leg one live stream is available HERE with the leg two live stream available at this LINK.
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