Hungary approaching, the Acropolis disappears from the 2019 calendar

It's a bit like the end of an era in the world of rallies since the legendary Rally of the Acropolis, disputed in Greece, will neither be included in WRCnor in ERC, where the round on gravel had found refuge since 2014. As in 2011, where the event was not contested, the race did not even have to be organized, against a backdrop of great financial difficulties.

The 2019 ERC calendar, confirmed yesterday on the sidelines of the World Motor Sport Council in St. Petersburg, Russia, will ultimately feature eight rounds, most of which have already been seen this year. The Azores (dirt) and the Canary Islands (asphalt) will serve as an appetizer in March and then in May before a trip to the Liepaja Rally, which served as the final in October 2018.

Poland, Italy (Roma-Capital), the Barum Rally in the Czech Republic, and Cyprus (postponed from June to September) find their places, while a new destination will appear, with a final round scheduled in Hungary, subject to final acceptance by the FIA.

Renamed categories

The different classes registered in the continental series will also be renamed by the federation, to better match the names of the other regional FIA championships. The ERC Junior U28, aimed at youngsters racing in R5 cars, becomes the FIA ​​ERC1 Junior championship, while the ERC Junior 27, supported by Pirelli, with young guns competing in cars meeting R2 regulations, will take over. name of FIA ERC3 Junior Championship from 2019.

Furthermore, the R4-K and RGT cars could be entered in ERC2 next season, alongside the N4 cars (Mitsubishi Lancer, Subaru Impreza).

Specific consideration of results will be applied to establish rankings for drivers according to the following rules: ERC1, ERC3, ERC Teams and ERC Nations teams will only count their six best results, compared to four for ERC2 drivers. . The ERC1 Junior and ERC3 Junior drivers will take into account their four best results out of six possible, the ERC women will count their four best points collections.

2019 FIA ERC Calendar:

Azores Airlines Rally, March 21-23 (ERC Junior) / Terre
Rally Islas Canarias, May 2-4 (ERC Junior) / Asphalt
Rally Liepāja, May 24-26 (ERC Junior) / Gravel
Rally Poland, June 28-30 (ERC Junior) / Gravel
Rally di Roma Capitale (Italy), July 19-21 (ERC Junior) / Asphalt
Barum Czech Rally Zlín, August 16-18 (ERC Junior) / Asphalt
Cyprus Rally, September 27-29, Terre
Rally Hungary, November 8-10 / Asphalt