Rally Sierra Morena – SS1: Dominik Stříteský in the lead after the Super Special Stage

This weekend, the European Rally Championship opens in Andalusia with the Sierra Morena Rally, where the action began on Friday evening, April 17th, with a Super Special Stage laid out in the streets of Córdoba, the event's host city. Prior to that, the qualifying stage run earlier in the day saw José Antonio Suárez – Alberti Iglesias (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) set the fastest time, ahead of the 2025 European Champions Miko Marczyk – Szymon Gospodarczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Jakub Matulka – Damian Syty (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2). The subsequent stage determined the current provisional overall standings of the rally, it is on the basis of this qualifying special stage that the order of Saturday's starts is based.

ERC – Rally Sierra Morena
The Top 10 of the qualifying stage

Barely one kilometer long, the first official stage of the rally couldn't create significant gaps or establish a definitive hierarchy. However, Czech driver Dominik Stříteský, the 2024 Czech Rally Champion, and his co-driver Ondřej Krajča set the fastest time, half a second ahead of the Irish duo Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan, and the Polish pair Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń. The two crews finished this first stage tied, and all three leading crews were driving Škoda Fabia RS Rally2s. Another Fabia completed the provisional standings after this first stage, driven by Bolivian Marco Bulacia and his Spanish co-driver Axel Coronado.

Sierra Morena Rally: For now, the favorites have been decimated after the Super Special Stage

You have to look as far down as fifth in the provisional overall standings to find a car from a different manufacturer: the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale of Andrea Mabellini and his co-driver Virginia Lenzi, who set the same time as the Polish duo Jakub Matulka and Damian Syty (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2). The pre-season favorites are a little further down the standings: the reigning European Champions Miko Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are in eighth place, tied with Calle Carlberg and Jørgen Eriksen (Citroën C3 Rally2) and Tuukka Kauppinen and Sebastian Virtanen (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale). Giandomenico Basso – Lorenzo Granai (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are 13th for the moment, the Romanians Simone Tempestini – Sergiu Itu (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) 15th, William Creighton – Liam Regan (Citroën C3 Rally2) 18th and Erik Cais – Igol Bacigál (Hyundai i20N Rally2) just behind them, in 19th position.

ALSO READ > The 2026 ERC season kicks off at the Sierra Morena Rally this weekend, with four French crews entered.

The French got down to business in Cordoba

First piece of good news for the French: at the end of this short first special stage, Lucas Zielinski – Ewen Leenhardt are leading the ERC3 category, reserved for cars homologated in group F-RC3, aboard their Renault Clio Rally3. Overall, they are in 23rd position. Further down the standings, Tristan Charpentier – Loris Pascaud (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are currently in 45th place, while Pierre Ragues – Julien Pesenti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are 13,2 seconds behind the leaders and sit in 48th. Finally, young Paul Euvrard and his co-driver Maxime Roulland, competing alongside Ragues in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4, bring up the rear of the French contingent in 54th place in the provisional overall standings. This Saturday, April 18th, two sets of three special stages will be run for what will constitute the first true day of competition in the rally.

ERC – Rally Sierra Morena
The Top 20 after SS1