Lancia has shed more light behind the reason it is making its anticipated World Rally Championship comeback in the second tier Rally2 class.
The iconic Italian manufacturer that won a record 10 WRC manufacturers’ title will return to the WRC stages next year courtesy of a WRC2 programme with its all-new Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 car. It is also anticipated that the brand will be present in the European Rally Championship and national championships in 2026.
Lancia officially unveiled its new WRC challenger during a presentation to media at Stellantis Motorsport’s Satory headquarters in Paris, where further details of the car maker’s rallying comeback were shared.
The manufacturer’s decision to make its WRC return with a Rally2 car has arrived while rallying’s top tier is working through a transition ahead of a change in technical regulations for 2027. These regulations will introduce cars built to a €345,000 cost cap that are expected to deliver a similar performance to the current Rally2 cars. They will utilise Rally2 engines and other second-tier componentry.
The FIA hopes this new flexible and more affordable ruleset will attract new teams and manufacturers.
At the moment, Toyota is the only manufacturer known to be developing a car for these regulations for 2027, which initially will see Rally2 cars and the new WRC27 cars compete together in the WRC’s top class. The FIA has stated that it will ensure there is parity between the two vehicles by adjusting the minimum weights of the car before the start of the season if there is a discrepancy.
The new regulations were available to Lancia before it made its decision to develop a new Rally2 car. Speaking at the launch, Lancia HF Corse director Eugenio Franzetti explained why the brand opted for Rally2 instead of WRC27.
WRC27 chassis
Photo by: FIA
“At the end, this category [Rally2] the cost to develop this car is less than the new category [WRC27],” Franzetti told media, including Autosport.
“It is a product you can sell, so you can make money and at the end with that car you can win many local championships, European championships and then the return on the investment is the perfect one. If the category will be equivalent to the final one [WRC27] this will be fantastic.
“This is a customer racing product and thanks to this it is perfect as you can have official programmes, local, national and European and WRC2, and then you can sell the car to the teams. You can sell the car, make money and with that money you can pay for the programme. It is the magic circle.
“We will have 120 teams looking at the car and maybe buying the car. To me, it was an easy choice if you can compare the cost to develop the car, the revenue you can have selling the car, the visibility you can have winning the local, the European, WRC2 titles and maybe more in the future. It is the right choice.”
Does Lancia have plans to develop a WRC27 car?
When asked if there were any plans to develop a car for the WRC27 rules in the future, Franzetti explained that “it would be super complicated” to now invest in a new car.
“For us, we have [to] do Rally2 now and we will still stay in the Rally2 category. Then if the Rally2 category will have the opportunity to race for the victory then okay, if not we will stay in Rally2,” he added.
“It is super complicated to do an investment after this one, to do a new rally car. It is too early to say, but the idea is to wait for that. We will compete in Rally2, and we want to stay in Rally2, and if the category will compete for the victory we will be there – but in Rally2.”
Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale
Photo by: Lancia
Is the Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 a new car?
From the moment images of the Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 leaked on social media in September, question marks were raised as to the provenance of this car. Stellantis has already developed and enjoyed success with its Citroen C3 Rally2, which led to suggestions that the Ypsilon could be a rebadged C3.
This is wide of the mark, with Franzetti confirming that the Ypsilon has been constructed utilising an entirely new chassis. The Ypsilon does share the engine and gearbox from the C3, but this has been significantly improved upon.
“The chassis is completely different, the roll cage is different, but the engine and the gearbox is a carryover – but with a strong evolution,” said Franzetti.
“It is stupid to change the engine and the gearbox considering this is still a Rally2 and we did a bit of evolution on this. We have worked on the weight on the car to be faster on the tarmac and faster on gravel. We know what we have to improve compared to a Citroen Rally2. We are working on it.”
Lancia is expecting to showcase its new Ypsilon later this week to 120 prospective customers that have already registered interest in purchasing the vehicle.
Who will pilot Lancia’s WRC return and what are the expectations?
Lancia has already set itself the lofty goal to be challenging the likes of Skoda, Toyota and Ford for victories, with management stating the wish is “to have one if its drivers clinch the WRC2 title” in its first season with the Ypsilon.
Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale
Photo by: Lancia
To achieve such a target, the team will require a strong driver line-up that is set to compete in a minimum of eight WRC rounds next year. However, Lancia stated during the presentation of its new car that it was “not in a position for contractual reasons to reveal the identity of its drivers,” but added that an announcement will arrive before Christmas – just weeks before its debut in Monte Carlo.
It is known that 2025 WRC2 title contender Yohan Rossel has been heavily linked with a drive as has fellow WRC2 title rival Nikolay Gryazin. Experienced Rally2 competitors Yoann Bonato, Andrea Crugnola and Jan Solans and two-time WRC champion along with Lancia ambassador Miki Biasion have already tested the machinery.
Early indications from its test programme have left Lancia’s management confident it can hit the ground running in its quest for the 2026 WRC2 title.
“The testing has been very positive and the level of the maturity of the car is very high considering the time of the car as the homologation is not done yet. At this moment, compared to all the previous cars, the level of maturity is higher, so for this reason we are confident,” added Franzetti.
“Motorsport is like life, many things can happen, but we are confident because the Citroen did a good job in the last two years and this is a new platform with a big evolution of the mechanical side with the engine and the gearbox. We are confident we can be there to fight and compete then we will see.
“When your name is Lancia and Stellantis Motorsport and you have this kind of expertise and heritage, you have to have this kind of ambition.”
Lancia confirmed that the PH Sport team that had been running the factory-supported Citroen C3 programme will run Lancia’s official Rally2 programme.
Stellantis intends to make the C3 Rally2 still available for customers to purchase alongside the Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2.
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
– The Autosport.com Team
