Marczyk sealed his European title at the season-closing Croatia Rally, where he finished third. The victory went to Ireland’s Jon Armstrong, who climbed to second in the final standings.
Marczyk moved one step closer to his first ERC crown already on Saturday, when Italian driver Andrea Mabellini went off the road. Marczyk eventually secured the title by six points over Armstrong, while Mabellini – who finished without points in Croatia – had to settle for third overall.
Marczyk’s title-winning campaign was remarkable in that he did not win a single rally throughout the season. From the eight ERC events, he collected one second place and four third places.
He recorded only nine stage wins this year, but his consistency was enough to clinch the championship.
The Polish driver was overjoyed at the end of the final stage of Croatia Rally, when his title was confirmed.
“I’m happy. I don’t know what to say because there’s quite a lot of emotions. It’s important to trust the process, because it’s probably my biggest dream in my sporting life,” Marczyk said.
“When I was 15, I started from karting and then decided to go rallying. There are three Polish drivers who are European champions: Sobiesław Zasada, Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Kajetan Kajetanowicz. To be in that group with them is very special,” he added.
Armstrong, who took the silver medal, was in a class of his own on Croatia’s asphalt stages. The Ford driver pulled clear of his rivals on Saturday and managed his lead confidently in Sunday’s wet conditions.
Armstrong claimed his second consecutive victory by 45.7 seconds over Mads Østberg. Marczyk finished nearly two minutes adrift of the leader.
Estonians Romet Jürgenson and Robert Virves finished fourth and fifth in Croatia. Both were involved in the fight for the lead during the weekend, but Jürgenson suffered a puncture on Saturday and Virves got stuck in a ditch for a long time on Sunday.
Finland’s Lauri Joona took sixth place, four minutes behind the winner. Joona represented the Team MRF Tyres, which narrowly secured the teams’ championship title ahead of M-Sport Ford in Croatia.
Croatia Rally results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jon Armstrong | Ford | 1:50:57.4 |
| 2. | Mads Østberg | Citroen | +45.7 |
| 3. | Mikolaj Marczyk | Skoda | +1:46.1 |
| 4. | Romet Jürgenson | Ford | +2:47.3 |
| 5. | Robert Virves | Skoda | +3:25.7 |
| 6. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | +3:58.6 |
| 7. | Erik Cais | Hyundai | +4:10.8 |
| 8. | Norbert Maior | Citroen | +4:27.5 |
| 9. | Norbert Herczig | Skoda | +4:48.7 |
| 10. | Simone Tempestini | Skoda | +4:50.6 |
ERC standings:
| POS | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mikolaj Marczyk | 154 |
| 2. | Jon Armstrong | 148 |
| 3. | Andrea Mabellini | 131 |
| 4. | Mads Østberg | 104 |
| 5. | Roope Korhonen | 60 |
| 6. | Isak Reiersen | 60 |
| 7. | Romet Jürgenson | 50 |
| 8. | Mille Johansson | 49 |
