Lancia has made a stunning return to the World Rally Championship in 2026, decades after their dominant record-breaking run. The Italian marque, which holds a record 10 WRC constructors' crowns, has returned to its spiritual rally home, competing in the WRC2 category this year.
Lancia's Rally Legacy
Lancia is behind some of the most iconic rally cars of the 20th Century, from the Stratos, which picked up the marque's first rally title in 1974, to the Group B Delta. The Turin-based brand bowed out of the series in 1993, just a year after title success in 1992 with the Integrale.
Lancia withdrew from the wider European and UK markets in 1994, with the brand kept alive by selling the Ypsilon in Italy. It stayed like this until now, with Lancia starting a major revival in European markets in 2024 with the launch of an all-new Ypsilon.
The Rally2 HF Integrale
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Lancia team boss Didier Clément said: "It's amazing to have Lancia again in the Championship. It's an iconic brand with so many victories, so many world titles. I think this championship needs a brand like Lancia. We need new brands, but we need iconic brands to create a fantastic atmosphere for the fans."
Lancia's Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale is based on the premium Lancia Ypsilon HF that customers can buy for the road. The road car is fitted with a 280bhp electric powertrain capable of 230 miles of range and a top speed of 112mph, and costs around £32,717 (€38,200). The rally car is fitted with a 1.6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder internal combustion engine.
Competitive Return
Didier told Express.co.uk: "Of course its really important because in fact we consider this championship, the WRC, as a fantastic platform for marketing. In fact, the number of fans all around the world is still amazing. On every rally we have several thousand fans everywhere on the stage… It's a fantastic platform for the brand."
After Rally Finland, the squad sits just 40 points off the WRC2 Teams' standings lead after picking up three wins so far this season. Dider said: "It's not more difficult than we expected because we know the level of this championship. We have already won three times in Croatia, Canarias and Japan with Yohan Rossal and Nikolay Gryazin. For the first season of this car, it is still a great result. We also showed our speed in Portugal and Greece."
With three rounds to go, an 11th WRC crown is in its sights.
