Lancia was a dominant force in the WRC in decades past. The iconic Italian marque claimed a historic ten manufacturers’ titles before pulling out of the championship after the 1992 season.
Last year Lancia began laying the groundwork for a comeback and unveiled its front-wheel-drive Ypsilon Rally4 HF. But last week came an even bigger revelation: Lancia is developing a Rally2-specification car.
The brand has recently carried out intensive testing on French mountain roads, with French drivers Yoann Bonato and Leo Rossel among those behind the wheel.
Lancia belongs to the Stellantis group, which also owns Citroën. The French manufacturer already has a Rally2 car, the C3, with which Yohan Rossel has enjoyed success in the WRC2 category.
Both Bonato and Leo Rossel currently drive the Citroën C3 Rally2 – Bonato mainly in the French tarmac championship and Rossel in WRC2 alongside his elder brother Yohan. It is understood that the upcoming Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 incorporates many components from the Citroën C3, making the use of Citroën drivers in testing entirely logical.
So far Lancia has remained tight-lipped about the project. And even test driver Leo Rossel refused to say a word about it when interviewed by YouTube channel RM Rallye during a test session.
It appears the test drivers have been instructed not to speak about the car, as Rossel only commented on his ongoing WRC2 campaign with Citroën.
“Having not driven on gravel for four years, it hasn’t been easy at first, but in the end the progression has been quite good. We’re all fairly happy with what we’ve achieved. Unfortunately, in a couple of rallies we missed out on some luck and couldn’t cover all the kilometres,” Rossel explained.
And that was it – not a single word about Lancia.
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All indications are that Lancia is serious about its Rally2 project. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has confirmed that Lancia is among the manufacturers involved in discussions regarding the technical regulations for 2027 in the WRC’s top category. Ben Sulayem has openly stated he would like Stellantis to be represented in the premier class from 2027 onwards.
Reportedly, Lancia’s plan is to homologate its new Rally2 car at the start of January. That would allow the machine to line up at the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo in 2026.
But the bigger question is whether Lancia could return with a full works team in 2027, when the top-class regulations change.
From 2027, cars will use Rally2-based components and engines but with a tubular chassis. Current Rally2 cars will also be eligible in the top class, alongside the new “WRC27” machinery.
