Lancia officially made its return to rallying at the Rally Regione Piemonte over the weekend of April 12-13, with the Ypsilon Rally4 HF making its competitive debut.
According to Lancia, it has already sold 90 Ypsilon Rally4s, with several competing in Piemonte. Equipped with a 212hp, turbo engine paired with a SADEV 5-speed gearbox and adjustable Ohlin shock absorbers, the Ypsilon Rally4 HF is aimed squarely at new drivers who want to cut their teeth. The Trofeo Lancia – a one-make championship that officially starts on May 8 at the Rally Targa Florio – is already fully subscribed with 40 teams, including 25 under-35 participants, seven foreign drivers and two female crews.
Miki Biasion, two-time WRC champion and development driver for the Ypsilon Rally4 remarked, “It is incredibly moving to see all of this passion and warmth for a brand that has been absent from racing for so many years! I got emotional when I saw the Lancia HF Village and thought, ‘We’re back!’. We are starting out humbly in Rally4, but made a big entrance in pure Lancia style – we look like a team that has been around for 20 years in world rally. Our goal is to help young drivers, discover new talent and help them kick off their careers.
“Lancia’s return to rally is big news for everyone. It is huge for Italian motorsport because it brings Italian cars back to the forefront of rally, and big for motorsport in general because other brands will be much more likely to race after seeing Lancia making its return.”
Read our 2024 story on the announcement that Lancia would be returning to rallying here
