Hayden Paddon and Mathieu Franceshi lock horns in pursuit of European glory.
The race to win the 2024 FIA European Rally Championship will be decided later this week (11 - 13 October) when Rally Silesia hosts the eagerly-anticipated season showdown.
Making its ERC debut, the all-Tarmac Polish round will be a level playing field for several championship regulars, including title contenders Mathieu Franceschi and Hayden Paddon, the defending champion.
After seven action-packed rounds, BRC Racing Team driver Paddon tops the title order in his Pirelli-equipped Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Frenchman Franceschi, whose AMD Motorsport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 runs on Michelin tyres, is 27 points behind the New Zealander with 35 points still to fight for in Poland.
Paddon said: “Poland is all about collecting points and that makes me feel more positive with where things are at.”
While he remains in title contention, Franceschi concedes landing a first ERC title represents a tough task, although he’s not giving up: “It’s not over for the championship but to be champion a miracle needs to come.”
Rally Silesia might be unfamiliar territory for the majority of ERC frontrunners, but double Polish champion Miko Marczyk has tackled the event four times previously and is a double winner.
“I have a lot of good memories from this rally,” said Marczyk, who is currently third in the ERC standings, 13 points behind Franceschi and 20 ahead of Andrea Mabellini. “My first Polish championship title was there on the finish [in 2019] and it’s a good time to push everything we have to fight for this second place in the championship.”
Fresh from banking his maiden ERC podium on last month’s JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion, Italian Mabellini will be in the victory fight for Team MRF Tyres along with team-mate Simone Tempestini and M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 driver Jon Armstrong.
Yoann Bonato, the winner of the ERC-counting Rally Islas Canarias in May, is back in action three months after fracturing vertebrae in a crash on a rally in his native France.
Jarosław Szeja, Grzegorz Grzyb and Jakub Matulka are first, second and third in the Polish championship, which also concludes on Rally Silesia.
Other notable entrants include wheelchair user Cirprian Lupu and multiple ERC Ladies’ Trophy winner Ekaterina Stratieva, who are contesting the ERC4 category.
Runner-up battle the focus in Junior ERC
With the title already secured in Mille Johansson’s favour, Calle Carlberg and Max McRae are preparing to faceoff for the runner-up spot in the Hankook-supplied FIA Junior ERC Championship. Czech Daniel Polášek and ACI Team Italia-supported Davide Pesavento will also be chasing strong hauls of Junior ERC points in Poland. Johansson, meanwhile, is stepping up to ERC3 level for the season finale.
Rally Silesia route in short
An exciting new addition to the ERC calendar for 2024, highlights include super special stages in central Katowice and around the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, as well as several challenging and spectacular countryside tests on flat and undulating Tarmac roads.
The action begins with the Katowicze Super Special Stage from 20:05 local time on Friday, which is followed by a packed Saturday in the southern part of the Silesian voivodeship. In store are double runs through the Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Ochaby and Gmina Jasienica stages either side of service at the Silesian Stadium, with the Silesian Stadium super special due to get under way at 19:30.
Sunday’s itinerary features three repeated stages using a mix of new and familiar roads.
The all-new Marklowice Górne stage is up first from 08:55 followed by the Hażlach test and the Silesian Voivodship run, which will form the Power Stage when it’s repeated at 16:05. The Silesian Stadium hosts the finish ceremony from 18:30. With a Tyre Fitting Zone only during the deciding leg, drivers must balance speed with car preservation.
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 Silesia 2024: the key numbers
Stages: 14
Competitive distance: 180.15 kilometres
Total distance: 830.87 kilometres
