The Peugeot 208 Rally4 out-fought the Opel Adam R2 in an all-Junior ERC first round counter with 54% of the fan vote to progress to the quarter-finals, while the Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo got the better of Volkswagen’s Polo GTI R5 in the first round by pooling 73% of the fan vote.
New to the international rallying ranks during the global health pandemic-hit 2020 season, the Peugeot 208 Rally4 replaced the 208 R2 and remains a frontrunner to this day with Max McRae (below) taking a brace of Junior ERC wins in 2024 driving a Hankook-equipped version for TRT Rally Team.
Škoda’s Fabia Rally2 Evo came on stream in 2019 and proved to be the ERC car to beat in 2021 and 2022 with Mikkelsen (below) and Llarena banking successive European titles. The Fabia RS Rally2 has since replaced the Fabia Rally2 Evo, but the older Czech model remains as competitive as it is popular.
Here’s a reminder of the key numbers and don’t forget to follow the ERC’s social media channels to vote.
Peugeot 208 Rally4
Active years: 2020-Present
Junior ERC rally wins: 6
Junior ERC podiums: 29
Junior ERC titles: 1
Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
Active years: 2019-Present
ERC rally wins: 11
ERC podiums: 35
ERC titles: 2
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 have been backing their favourites 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.
Up next: ERC Greatest Car semi-final week begins on 25 November with the line-ups revealed tomorrow (22 November).
Estonia
Poland
Turkey