The eighth and final opening round vote is between the Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo and the Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 as these hugely successful FIA European Rally Championship machines go for a place in next week’s quarter-finals.
Škoda’s Fabia Rally2 Evo replaced the Fabia R5 in 2019 and scored 11 ERC event wins as well as powering Andreas Mikkelsen and Efrén Llarena to the 2021 and 2022 European titles respectively. Although the Fabia RS Rally2 is now Škoda’s ERC contender of choice, the Fabia Rally2 Evo remains competitive in the championship with Jarosław Szeja finishing the 2024 season-deciding Rally Silesia in the top 10.
Volkswagen’s Polo GTI R5 helped Oliver Solberg make ERC history in 2019 when the Swede became the championship’s youngest winner as a 17-year-old. The following year, Solberg won the Rally2-based Junior ERC1 crown driving a Polo, while Nasser Al-Attiyah, Nikolay Gryazin and Nil Solans have also claimed ERC events wins aboard Volkswagen’s Rally2 challenger.
Here are the key numbers and don’t forget to follow the ERC’s social media channels to vote.
Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
Active years:
2019-Present
ERC rally wins: 11
ERC podiums: 35
ERC titles: 2
Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
Active years: 2019-Present
ERC rally wins: 7
ERC podiums: 10
ERC titles: 0
ERC Greatest Car of the modern era explained
It’s not just the drivers who have starred since the FIA European Rally Championship calendar was streamlined into the format recognisable today.
Following that landmark moment in 2004, some of the greatest rally cars ever built have battled for glory in the various categories that continue to ensure the ERC remains as popular as it is relevant.
Fans can vote from a shortlist of 16 great ERC cars prepared by our team of experts. Employing bracketology, voting is available through the ERC’s social media channels with a 24-hour window to vote for each pairing. The winner will be announced on 4 December.
Included on the shortlist are the Abarth Grande Punto S2000, Ford Fiesta R5, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, and many more.
Up next: It’s ERC Greatest Car quarter-finals week from Monday 18 November. Visit FIAERC.com soon to find out more
Estonia
Poland
Turkey