Lancia officially returned to the World Rally Championship in the iconic Monte Carlo round that concluded on Sunday, and did not leave empty-handed. That was not, of course, a given to begin with, as the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale competes in the second tier of the WRC.
This time in Monte Carlo there was no shortage of drama due to the wintry conditions, and the Lancia drivers were not spared either. French ace Yohan Rossel retired already on the opening stage on Thursday evening after hitting a rock. Russian-born Nikolai Gryazin fought for the WRC2 class victory all the way to Saturday evening’s loop, before being forced to retire after going off the road on the 12th special stage.
In the end, however, Lancia also found plenty of consolation, as Rossel put on quite a show over Sunday’s four special stages. In his Rally2 car, Rossel set the fifth-fastest time on the Power Stage, earning him one WRC point. And that was not all: Rossel was in fact the fastest driver across the whole of Sunday, which added a further five WRC points to his tally. On top of that, Rossel now sits eighth in the WRC standings, level on points with Toyota Rally1 driver Takamoto Katsuta.
Rossel’s and Lancia’s success on Sunday is explained by the Frenchman’s road position. The snowy mountain roads improved car by car, and many Rally2 and even Rally3 drivers were able to challenge the top-category names. Rossel nonetheless made the best use of the situation and picked up six WRC points, even though he ultimately finished only 18th overall due to his earlier retirement.
Monte Carlo was once again a joyous event for the Rossel family, even though Yohan did not reach a class victory this time. Top spot was instead taken by Yohan’s younger brother Leo Rossel, who competes in a Citroën. For the younger of the Rossel brothers, the WRC2 class victory was the first of his career.
Leo Rossel claimed the class win by a margin of more than two minutes ahead of Italy’s Roberto Daprà and his compatriots Arthur Pelamargues and Eric Camilli.
Lancia’s factory team withdrew from the World Rally Championship after the 1992 season, but cars from the Italian marque continued to be seen in the series thereafter. Drivers who have won world championships in Lancia machinery include Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion. Sandro Munari and Markku Alén also competed with Lancia during their FIA Cup championship seasons in 1977–78.
