Hubert Kowalczy from Poland and Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Tomov are set to make their first appearances in the Rally3-based category on Rally di Roma Capitale as the ERC3 division returns to asphalt following two events on gravel.
After two seasons competing in Rally4 machinery, Kowalczyk (pictured above) has upgraded to Renault Clio Rally3 power for 2024. Having finished fifth in the RC3 class on ORLEN 80 Rally Poland last month, his WRC debut, the 20-year-old is now preparing for his first ERC event as a priority driver following an outing on Barum Czech Rally Zín last August when he wasn’t registered for points.
While Tomov (pictured below) needs no introduction to the ERC – he made his championship debut on Rally di Roma Capitale 12 months ago – ERC3 marks a new adventure for the 19-year-old. After starting the 2024 season in the Rally4-based Junior ERC category, Tomov is stepping up to four-wheel drive for his Roma return in a second Clio Rally3.
He explained: “Last October I bought a brand new Rally3 car. During the tests in Bulgaria I feel that I was born for driving this car and I really like the four-wheel-drive experience. For a long time we were discussing with the team should we drive Rally4 or Rally3 for 2024. We decided to race in Rally4 and leave the Rally3 for 2025 but things did not go as we planned and that’s why we couldn't participate in Sweden and Estonia.
“During these two months, we ran many tests with different navigators and, in the end, I worked best with Dimitar Spasov and we made a final decision to continue the championship in Rally3. We will drive the four remaining ERC events in Rally3 to build up our experience and become one with the car, SC-911 TEAM and the navigator.”
Meanwhile, Kerem Kazaz, Filip Kohn, Martin Ravenščak and Igor Widłak (pictured above) will continue their pursuit of FIA ERC3 success in Rome with the quartet also eligible for the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, a new-for-2024 contest from M-Sport Poland in partnership with Pirelli and Gulf Race Fuels.
At the halfway point of the season, Widłak, the 2022 champion from Poland, holds a five-point advantage over Kazaz in the ERC3 standings with Czech Kohn six points behind his Turkish rival. Croatian Ravenščak is next up.
It’s a different story in the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy for which Rally di Roma Capitale is the penultimate event of the five-round season. Kohn (pictured below) is in front on 84 points with Kazaz second on 70 points after the teenager scored his first victory on Delfi Rally Estonia earlier this month. Widłak and Ravenščak follow.
How to watch?
Fans across the globe can experience the excitement and drama of the ERC with every stage of every rally broadcast 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 di Roma Capitale 2024: the key numbers
Stages: 13
Competitive distance: 189.52 kilometres
Total distance: 797.68 kilometres