The wheelchair user from Romania, who is tetraplegic, placed fifth in class on Rally di Roma Capitale in July before going one position better when he made his Barum Czech Rally Zlín debut the following month.
Now the opportunity to make it three points-scoring finishes from three starts awaits on the all-Tarmac ERC season showdown from 11 - 13 October.
It’s also the chance for Lupu to learn a new event with Rally Silesia representing unchartered territory for the Renault Clio Rally5 driver, who is co-driven by Andrei Aițculesei.
But while Lupu is a Rally Silesia newcomer, Michał Chorbiński made his debut on the event in 2023 and the 24-year-old from Poland will be one to watch following his JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion heroics last month.
Although Chorbiński had never previously competed outside his homeland – or at Rally3 level – he beat champion Filip Kohn to the runner-up spot in FIA ERC3 behind winner and compatriot Jakub Matulka after he was called up as a late replacement for Igor Widłak.
“Of course, it will be our home rally, I will have more time to prepare for it,” said Chorbiński, who will be back at the wheel of his familiar Peugeot 208 Rally4. “For sure and I will try to do a good job.”
In addition to the FIA Junior ERC drivers Calle Carlberg, Max McRae, Davide Pesavento and Daniel Polášek, Bulgaria’s Ekaterina Strateieva (pictured above) will also chase ERC4 points for the fourth time this season.
How to watch?
Fans across the globe can experience the excitement and drama of the ERC with every stage of every rally broadcast on the Rally.tv platform. In addition, the ERC is broadcast in a number of countries around the world and fans are advised to check local listings for details.
Rally Silesia 2024: the key numbers
Stages: 14
Competitive distance: 180.15 kilometres
Total distance: 830.87 kilometres
Estonia
Poland
Turkey