Breen/Nagle and Campedelli/Canton to line up for Team MRF Tyres in the third round of the FIA ERC
The FIA ERC is a world-renowned rally championship that has been held since 1953. Held on tarmac and gravel, it is open to independent teams and privateers and offers drivers, teams and manufacturers a chance to rise through the ranks to challenge the best in the world. It is held across eight rounds with Rally2 cars competing for the outright win. It is sanctioned by the FIA and promoted by Eurosport Events to a global audience.
Team MRF Tyres joined the European Rally Championship in 2020 after winning nine titles in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. MRF Tyres is the first Indian manufacturer to compete in top-level European rallying and has undertaken an aggressive tyre development campaign. The team took great steps forward in 2020 and enter the 2021 season with Irish ace, Craig Breen to lead the team. He will be driving a Hyundai i20 Rally2 and the Italian front runner will do a limited season in a Volkswagen Polo R5.
Held in Fiuggi, south of the Italian capital of Rome, the third round of the 2021 FIA ERC is the first visit to tarmac this year.
Team MRF Tyres coming off its first podium success in the FIA ERC in Rally Liepaja, demonstrating the effectiveness of the aggressive development program over the last year.
However, Rally di Roma Capitale will be an entirely different challenge.
Craig Breen and Paul Nagle are back in their Hyundai i20 R5. The Irish duo returns to the Italian tarmac after starting the Team MRF Tyres campaign at this rally in 2020.
Meanwhile, Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton rejoin the team for their second rally of the FIA ERC season in a Volkswagen Polo R5. Their local knowledge will be invaluable to the pace and development of the tyres.
The rally features a heavily revised route in 2021. A Craig Breen favorite, Pico is not on the itinerary this year and Sunday’s Collepardo – Civita is a new addition.
The rally gets underway with a ceremonial start in the center of Rome before a show stage will treat the drivers to a blast around the historic sites of Rome.
The FIA ERC is taking the action to the people and the ancient buildings will surely make for spectacular photos and video coverage.
The rally proper gets underway on Saturday. The 7.25km Rocca di Cave test is a twisty classic with 18 uphill hairpins in the first five kilometers. SS2, at 19.7km starts in a fast and flowing way before a challenging descent near the finish.
The morning loop is completed by the Affile-Bellegra stage at 7.34km. It is fast and technical, making it a tough morning for the crews.
The first two stages are repeated in the afternoon but the third stage will just use the final 2.94km to make it a thrilling blast to end the day.
Sunday sees the crews exit service early with the first stage getting underway at 7:45 am local time.
The Fiuggi – Guercino is a 19.87km classic. The start is just a short drive from the service park with three distinct styles, jumps, and a high-speed section to finish. Next up is the new edition, the 10.62km Collepardo – Civita which features many hairpins.
The last stage of the loop is Santopadre – Arpino and at 21.17km is the longest of the rally. It features twisty, narrow and wide flowing sections ensuring that the drivers have to be on top of their game.
The afternoon will see a repeat before a third running of the Fiuggi – Guarcino stage finishes the rally.
Like the previous rallies, the entry list is supreme with 51 Rally2 (R5) cars on the entry list, gunning for victory.
MRF Tyres will be represented with customer cars as well. Polish duo Igor Widłak/ Daniel Dymurski will be campaigning their Ford Fiesta Rally3 in the RC3 division.
After their podium in ERC2 in Rally Liepaja, Michał Pryczek/Jacek Pryczek are back in their Subaru Impreza STi N15.
You can follow the rally on every stage with FIA ERC Rally Radio (www.fiaerc.com/live-radio) and the Show Stage, SS2, SS4, SS9 and SS13 will be streamed live and free on the FIA ERC Facebook and YouTube.