Sierra Morena – In the rain, Nikolay Gryazin wins the qualifying stage

By moving to Andalusia to play the first of the 8 rounds of theERC In 2025, the crews were no doubt expecting to suffer from the heat and have to monitor their tire wear. This morning, the only question regarding tires was whether the hard tires would work in the wet or whether it was better to use the soft ones. The rain was indeed there to welcome a remarkable field of 27 Rally2 drivers from which it was easy to identify 10 favorites for victory. After a few hours during which the drivers were able to discover the 6,16 km long qualifying stage located about fifteen kilometers north of the service park, they were then able to try to set the best possible time to establish the starting order. The two punctures that occurred in Rally2 during qualifying (Dominik Stritesky and Philip Allen) confirmed that this would be an important parameter this weekend.

Coming to prepare for the next WRC2 round in the Canary Islands (April 23-26), Nikolay Gryazin secured the fastest time and gave himself the privilege of starting in the lead. This will undoubtedly be an advantage during the first runs if the rain continues, as the road is expected to get dirtier as the cars evolve. After a good 2024 season, Jon Armstrong confirmed the confidence placed in him by M-Sport with the 2^e time just ahead of Mikolaj Marczyk (Skoda) who still loves the asphalt.

Although they were expected on their home turf, the Spaniards surprised with their discretion. Pepe Lopez is 4^e, Jose Suarez 10^e and Efren Llarena only 19^e. In the French camp, Yoann Bonato was hampered by minor mechanical problems and he finished just outside the top 10. Discovering his Hyundai, the team and the MRF tires, Stéphane Lefebvre could be satisfied with his 6^e time.

Le rally will start this evening with a 1,5 km special stage in Cordoba. Things will get serious tomorrow with 6 SS and just over 92 km against the clock to cover.