56 drivers from 24 countries have been confirmed for the opening round of the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship, Rally di Roma Capitale.
A total of 87 entrants will tackle the Italian tarmac stages next weekend, with the ERC also being joined by drivers in the Italian Rally Championship on what will be the largest event following the COVID-19 pandemic.
42 of the European-entered cars are Rally2 spec – what was formally known as R5 – with 12 of these entrants also being eligible for ERC1 Junior points.
Joining them on the entry list include a further 13 drivers in the ERC3 Junior class, which for 2020 is open to Rally4 – effectively an updated version of what were R2 machinery – and Rally5 spec vehicles.
Examples of Rally4 include the new for 2020 M-Sport Ford Fiesta and Peugeot’s recently launched 208 Rally4.
Jean-Bapitste Ley, the ERC Co-ordinator, said on the large entry: “A huge amount of work has resulted in what is, quite simply, one of the best entry lists in recent ERC history when you consider the number of ERC Junior drivers (25), the number of Rally2 cars being driven by ERC drivers (29) and nationalities represented (24).”
“The support from our loyal teams and drivers during these challenging times is incredible and we extend our gratitude to them for their unwavering support. We must also acknowledge the work of the FIA and Max Rendina, Bruno De Pianto and all the team at Motorsport Italia for their dedication and solution-driven approach to organising what we expect will be a fantastic start to the 2020 ERC season.”
The full entry list to next weekend’s opening round of the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship can be viewed here, with a full preview to the opening round of the season coming next week here on The Checkered Flag.
