Switching from Tarmac to gravel and relocating from Nyíregyháza to Veszprém, V-Híd Rally Hungary was up first on the eight-event schedule last April.
Fifty-two crews registered for ERC points, while 11 drivers out of the top 12 from 2023 were in the mix for opening-round glory. Here’s a recap.
The winners: Simone Tempesini and Sergiu Itu landed a dramatic maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory when the 2024 season fired up on a dramatic V-Híd Rally Hungary last April.
Driving a Michelin-equipped Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, the rapid Romanians moved into contention when they won SS3 and completed the opening leg 6.3sec behind overnight leaders Mikko Heikkilä and Kristian Temonen (below).
Turning point: The rally was turned on its head on SS10 when Heikkilä suffered more opening-round agony following his Power Stage demotion in 2023, a broken wheel leading to instant retirement. Mārtiņš Sesks and Renars Francis capitalised by leapfrogging Tempestini/Itu only to crash out on the penultimate stage to leave Tempestini/Itu with a lead of 7.7sec to maintain over the event-deciding Power Stage.
Although the Keane Motorsport duo always looked in control, their path to glory was eased when defending European champions Hayden Paddon and John Kennard suffered a damaged front-left tyre on the deciding test and dropped back to fourth, as Mathieu Franceschi/Andy Malfoy scored their first ERC podium in second place with the fastest Power Stage time.
There was plenty of reason for local celebration when Hungarian heros Miklós Csomós and Attila Nagy completed the top three in their Pirelli-equipped Škoda (below) despite a left-rear impact on SS10 and a two-wheel moment on SS11.
How did it feel? “It feels really, really amazing,” 29-year-old Tempestini said. “We did a really good rally, Sergiu did really nice pacenotes, he was perfect and I’m really happy because it’s my first rally with this car in the ERC and she wins. It’s really nice.”
Miracle man: After landing his maiden ERC stage win on SS2, Mathieu Franceschi rolled on SS3 and reached the stage finish with damaged front tyres and a dented Fabia RS Rally2. But he responded in the afternoon with two stage wins to complete day one in seventh place before he snatched second spot during the final afternoon.
Shining through: With Cameron Fair co-driving, Max McRae (below) delivered a strategical masterclass to claim his first FIA Junior ERC win. The 19-year-old opted to use four Hankook tyres only during the opening loop to preserve the remaining eight from his allocation for the final three loops of stages. It resulted in the Briton leading at the end of day one by 35.2sec. Combined with his caution-first approach on day two the Scot continued a long line of McRae family success in the ERC with victory. His father Alister took an outright ERC win in 1996, his late and legendary uncle Colin triumphed in 1992, while grandfather Jimmy posted his last victory in the championship in 1989.
Filip Kohn and Tom Woodburn topped the FIA ERC3 times on all 13 stages for a commanding win. They also won the inaugural ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy counter.
Early setback: Former European champion Efrén Llarena’s bid to regain the ERC crown he lost to Hayden Paddon in 2023 suffered an early setback when he retired with radiator damage on SS3.
ERC title contender Mads Østberg was a non-starter after he was hospitalised with a lung infection on the morning of the start. Although the Norwegian was soon in recovery mode, he was ordered to rest rather than chase back-to-back Rally Hungary victories.
What’s next? Rally Islas Canarias
Sweden
Spain
Turkey