ERC
ERC lights up Córdoba as Gryazin sets early pace
The new J2X Rally Team has made the perfect start to the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship with Nikolay Gryazin in front after tonight’s Córdoba super special stage.
Having marked himself out as a contender for Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad glory by setting the pace on the Qualifying Stage this morning, Gryazin was quickest again through the spectacular 1.50-kilometre city test tonight in his Michelin-equipped Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
“Good start, I could not do a mistake,” Gryazin said after posting a rapid 1min 39.4sec best. “But it’s a long race, it’s not easy to say what the strategy will be but, anyway, the target is to enjoy, do our job and see how it works out.”
Stéphane Lefebvre was second quickest for Team MRF Tyres in a time of 1min 41.2sec, despite the inaugural Junior ERC champion bemoaning a pop-off valve issue on his Lifelive Motorsport-run Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Lefebvre was second quickest for Team MRF Tyres
© ERC
“It was quite okay but we have struggled with the pop-off since this morning and now in the super stage we need a lot of torque but the pop-off opened three or four times so we lost quite a lot,” he said.
Michelin-equipped Mads Østberg and Pirelli-shod ex-Formula One driver Jos Verstappen were joint third fastest with 1min 41.2sec efforts. Robert Virves was fifth quickest having nudged a concrete barrier in his Hankook-equipped Škoda. Pepe López set the sixth fastest time, Yoann Bonato was seventh quickest with Jakub Matulka eighth, Dominik Stříteský ninth and José Suárez 10th.
Verstappen nudged a barrier during his charging run
© ERC
Mille Johansson, the ERC4 and Junior ERC champion from 2024, was 11th fastest on his graduation to the headlining ERC1 category. Simone Tempestini, Simon Wagner, Martin Vlček and Andrea Mabellini rounded out the top 15.
Efrén Llarena was the first driver to tackle stage. Following earlier rain, the Spaniard opted to fit Michelin wet weather tyres to his Citroën C3 Rally2. But with the stage drying rapidly, his time failed to trouble the leading positions as Jon Amstrong and Philip Allen both stalled, while a suspected powersteering issue meant Daniel Alonso was almost four minutes slower than Gryazin.
Igor Widłak was the fastest of the FIA ERC3 drivers in a Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Raly3, one place ahead of Renault Clio Rally3 driver Hubert Kowalczyk.
Newcomer Hubert Laskowski completed SSS1 on top in ERC4 and the Hankook-equipped Junior ERC championship followed by Timo Schulz and Tuukka Kauppinen, another rookie.
The 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad resumes tomorrow (Saturday) with the 6.70-kilometre Obejo stage from 10:00 local time.
