The Rally Croatia returns to the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) calendar after four years in the World Championship, promising a memorable comeback. As the final round of the season, it is set to be the decisive event for awarding the titles.
The spotlight is on the drivers’ championship, where two Pirelli-equipped contenders are in the fight: Jon Armstrong, winner of the Rally of Ceredigion in a Ford Fiesta, and Andrea Mabellini in a Škoda Fabia. Pirelli also has two drivers in contention for the Rally3 title, with Tymek Abramowski and Hubert Kowalczyk, both in Ford Fiestas, battling for the lead.
A total of 59 crews will start the event, which features 172.36 competitive kilometres divided into 10 special stages. Six stages are scheduled for Saturday, 4th October, and four for Sunday, 5th October.
The stages around Zagreb present numerous challenges. A significant factor is the considerable variation in road surface characteristics. The roads are generally slippery, with notable differences in grip levels from one stage to another. Furthermore, the stages are fast but often narrow, with surfaces likely to deteriorate with each passing car. The ever-present threat of rain must not be underestimated; it can be both intermittent and torrential.
“It has been a closely fought and thrilling championship so far, and I expect nothing less in this final, decisive round,” commented Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli Rally Activity Manager. “Whatever the outcome, we already have some important certainties: throughout the season, we have once again demonstrated the reliability and performance characteristics of our product and received widespread appreciation for the service we offer our drivers during the events.”
Pirelli is supplying its crews with tyres from the P Zero line in the hard (RA5B), medium (RA7E), and soft (RA7+C) compounds. Should it rain, the new Cinturato RWD introduced by Pirelli for this event will be available, using the joker that – according to the regulations – tyre manufacturers can play once per season. The RWD has been developed to optimise performance in wet conditions, even at the low-to-medium temperatures forecast for Croatia during the rally weekend.
