18-time FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) winner Jari-Matti Latvala claimed a dominant victory at Rally Costa Brava, marking an electrifying start to the 2025 FIA European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC). Co-driven by fellow Finn Janni Hussi, the duo stormed to victory, setting the fastest time on all 13 special stages in their Toyota Celica GT4. In addition to their overall victory in the EHRC, the pair also triumphed in FIA Category 4.
As It Unfolded: Day One
Latvala stormed to a comfortable lead on Day One of Rally Costa Brava to hold a commanding 2min 22sec lead, dominating the FIA Category 4 pack in the process.
British Historic Champion Seb Perez led the charge to the flying Finn in his Lancia Stratos, but a costly transmission issue dropped the Derbyshire driver down the order and from the lead of Category 2 as he and co-driver Dale Bowen incurred road penalties as they fixed the car.
Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, with Mathieu Tyran alongside, led the charge to Latvala, holding second place in his Porsche 911 and the lead in FIA Category 3.
The Frenchman held off the Swiss driver Pascal Perroud, who held third place in his BMW M3. Perroud led the hard-charging Belgian pair of Pieter-Jan Maeyaert and Yves Dewulf in their identical car in Category 4. Pascal made his M3 softer on suspension settings for the wet conditions and reaped the benefit as his confidence in tricky conditions improved.
Italians Domenico Guagliardo and EHRC regular Giovanni Battista Campeis led the way in FIA Category 2 in their Porsche 911. Domenico made the most of the traction of the Porsche on some arduous but smooth tarmac roads. The Italians led the Category after the drama for Perez, and were just ahead of the Irish duo of Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy.
With rain falling on all stages around the Girona area, it was an easy day of tyre choices for the wet conditions. Many drivers in a record FIA EHRC entry reported slippery conditions due to the very cold temperatures – unusually cold for this time of the year, dropping as low as 4c in some sections of stages.
Despite going off the road in SS1, James Potter and Croatia co-driver Lana Sutlovic led the FIA 1600cc Trophy in their Ford Escort Twincam. FIA Category 1 was an all-Italian affair on the rally, as lifelong friends Antonio Parisi and Carlo Fiorito battled it out for the top spot. Parisi led the way after the nine special stages in his Porsche 911. Elsewhere, Italian legends and former EHRC Category 4 champions ‘Lucky’ and Fabrizia Pons had an eventful Day One in their new ‘Deltona’-specification Lancia Delta Integrale, reporting some handling challenges in the wet conditions as they adjust to a new car.
Fast Frenchman Tanguy Tailler was just too fast for one section of the road. Sadly, the Porsche driver went off the road and could not rejoin after an impressive performance up to that point. Former WRC driver Tobias Johansson had been battling turbo boost issues in his Audi Quattro during the opening day but continued to set some strong times. British driver Rob Smith endured a torrid start to the season when the alternator failed on his BMW M3 on the way to the start of SS1. The Englishman enjoyed the stages on Friday in some tricky and demanding conditions.
As It Unfolded: Day Two
While Latvala claimed a memorable victory at Rally Costa Brava, the closest challengers to Latvala were Le Mans winner Romain Dumas and co-driver Mathieu Tyran, who finished second overall in their Porsche 911 Carrera RS. Although the French duo could not match Latvala’s blistering pace, they secured victory in FIA Category 2. Notably, their Porsche 911 Carrera RS is a much older car compared to Latvala’s modern Toyota Celica, with nearly two decades of technological difference between them, making Dumas and Tyran’s second-place finish an even more remarkable achievement.
Pascal Perroud and Loïc Dumont took third place overall in their BMW M3, finishing 54 seconds behind Dumas and Tyran while also securing second in FIA Category 4.
British Historic Champion Seb Perez, co-driven by Bowen Dale in a Lancia Stratos HF, finished fourth overall. Perez had a mixed weekend, showing early promise by challenging Latvala and securing second place in Special Stage 1. However, a transmission issue hampered his progress, forcing him to fight back through the remaining stages. Despite this setback, Perez managed to secure fourth place.
In Category 1, Italians Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo secured victory in their Porsche 911S, finishing an impressive 9 minutes 18 seconds ahead of compatriots Carlo Fiorito and Nicolo Ventoso.
Category 2 saw Romain Dumas and Mathieu Tyran take the win, edging out the Lancia duo of Seb Perez and Bowen Dale by just 57 seconds.
In Category 3, Spain’s Jesus Manuel Ferreiro Pérez and Javier Anido Vázquez triumphed in their Ford Escort RS1800, crossing the line 3 minutes 23 seconds ahead of Gregory and Caron McCormack.
In Category 4, the Finnish duo Latvala and Hussi claimed victory, with Pascal Perroud and Loïc Dumont securing second place.
The FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy was claimed by James Potter and Croatian co-driver Lana Sutlovic, who overcame a minor off-road excursion in Special Stage 1. Despite some early damage, the pair managed to quickly repair their car and bounce back, ultimately claiming the trophy.
Finally, in the P2 Category, Kris Rosenberger and Nicola Januschke Bleicher secured victory in their Subaru Impreza 555, beating Portuguese duo Rui Madeira Pinto and Nuno Rodrigues da Silva.
Saturday’s warmer conditions brought new challenges, including intermittent rain, which made tire choice crucial for teams aiming for victory.
Rally Costa Brava marked a historic milestone as the first FIA European Historic Rally Championship event to feature Pre-2000 (P2) cars. Introduced for the 2025 season following the FIA World Motor Sport Council’s decision to update Appendix K, this new class allows vehicles homologated between 1993 and 2000 to compete within the EHRC framework. While not eligible for championship points this season, notable entries included Kris Rosenberger’s Subaru Impreza 555, Patrick Canavese’s Renault Clio Maxi Kit Car, and Fernando Dameto’s Mitsubishi Carisma GT.
Category Winners
- Overall EHRC winners: Jari-Matti Latvala / Janni Hussi, Toyota Celica GT4
- Category 1: Antonio Parisi / Giuseppe D’Angelo, Porsche 911S
- Category 2: Romain Dumas / Mathieu Tyran, Porsche 911 Carrera RS
- Category 3: Jesus Ferrerio Pérez / Javier Anido Vázquez, Ford Escort RS1800
- Category 4: Jari-Matti Latvala / Janni Hussi, Toyota Celica GT4
- FIA EHRC 1600cc Trophy: James Potter / Lana Sutlovic, Ford Escort Twincam
- Category P2: Kris Rosenberger / Nicola Januschke Bleicher, Subaru Impreza 555.
Overall Rally Costa Brava Results
- J-M. Latvala/J. Hussi (Toyota Celica ST185 – Category 4) – 1h 28m17.1s
- R. Dumas/M. Tyran (Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 – Category 2) + 3m 52.5s
- P. Perroud/L. Dumont (BMW M3 – Category 4) + 4m 46.4s
- S. Perez/B. Dale (Lancia Stratos HF – Category 2) + 4m 49.1s
- D. Guagliardo/G. Battista Campeis (Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 – Category 2) + 5m 06.9s
- P-J. Maeyaert/Y. Dewulf (BMW M3 – Category 4) + 5m 31.6s
- D. Kelly/R. Kennedy (BMW M3 – Category 4) + 5m 58.2s
- R. Genesca/F. Sompayrac (Subaru Legacy 2.0 Turbo 4WD – Category 4) + 6m 15.3s
- “Lucky”/F. Pons (Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v – Category 4) + 6m 39.7s
- J. M. Ferreiro Pérez/J. Anido Vázquez (Ford Escort RS1800 – Category 3) + 6m 47.0s
