Lancia hasn't won a rally since 1992... and has just won two races in the same weekend in two different countries.

We had to wait more than 30 years. Thirty-three years to be exact, since the last factory victory for Lancia in the World Rally Championship in 1992, with the legendary Delta HF Integrale. An eternity for a brand that has dominated the discipline like no other. And yet, this weekend, Lancia made a spectacular comeback: two victories, in the same weekend, in two different countries. Italy and France. Like a symbol.

A comeback that's already making history

The scene was set in Tuscany, on the demanding roads of Rally Il Ciocco, the first round of the Italian championship. The terrain was selective, with fast, technical stages that were sometimes run at night. The kind of event that doesn't forgive anything.

At the wheel of the new Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, Andrea Crugnola never wavered. Right from the key moments of the race, the Italian driver set the pace, before managing his lead perfectly right up to the finish. The result: a clear victory, with a lead of almost 18 seconds. This success is not insignificant. It marks Lancia's return to the top of a major national championship in its very first appearance. A strong signal sent out to all the competition.

1. Crugnola-Beltrame (Lancia Ypsilon) in 1:36’29.3 ;
2. Dapra’-Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia RS) at 17.8 ;
3. Nucita-Pollet (Skoda Fabia RS) at 24.4 ;
4. Campedelli-Canton (Toyota GR Yaris) at 41.1 ;
5. Avbelj-Andrejka (Skoda Fabia RS) at 41.2 ;
6. Andolfi-Menchini (Toyota GR Yaris) in 1’28.2 ;
7. Pisani-Biagi (Skoda Fabia RS) in 1’48.5 ;
8. Rusce-Zanni (Skoda Fabia RS) in 3’27.2 ;
9. Joona-Linnaketo (Skoda Fabia RS) in 3:59.0 ;
10. Testa-Bizzocchi (Skoda Fabia RS) in 4:14.9.

An equally impressive victory in France

At the same time, on the other side of the Alps, Lancia was writing a second page in its comeback. On the tricky roads of the Rallye Le Touquet Pas-de-Calais, the opening round of the French championship, conditions were particularly difficult: rain, precarious grip, night-time stages.

Perfect terrain to reveal a car's true performance. Six-time French champion Yoann Bonato first observed, then attacked at the right moment. On the night loop, he took the lead... and never relinquished it. Special stage after special stage, he widened the gap to take the win. A true demonstration.

1. Bonato-Boulloud (Lancia Ypsilon HF) in 1:35’09.6 ;
2. Margaillan-Coppa (Hyundai i20) at 19.9 ;
3. Gilbert-Guieu (Skoda Fabia) at 1’40.5 ;
4. Casale-Delorme (Skoda Fabia) at 2’02.2 ;
5. Brunson-Mondon (Citroën C3) at 2’02.8 ;
6. Ragues-Pesenti (Skoda Fabia) at 2’45.3 ;
7. Potty-Herman (Citroën C3) at 3’23.5 ;
8. Stirling-Stirling (Citroën C3) at 3’29.2 ;
9. Darmezin-Quartini (Hyundai i20) at 3’33.7 ;
10. Bayard-Lemaire (Skoda Fabia) at 8’26.3.

Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale already up to scratch

This double success is not just a pretty symbol. It immediately validates the Lancia Corse HF project. The new Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale won out in two very different contexts: the technical roads of Italy and the fast, tricky special stages of northern France. In both cases, it dominated.

It's hard to imagine a better launch. This return is part of a wider strategy to relaunch Lancia's sporting activities, including the Trofeo Lancia, which has already attracted a large number of crews in Italy. At the Rally Il Ciocco, almost 30 of the %s entered were part of this trophy, proof of the immediate response.

Since 1992, Lancia had been absent from major rally victories. The brand with 10 WRC constructors' titles seemed to belong to the past, frozen in the glory days of the Delta, Stratos and 037.

This weekend changes the perception. By winning two major rallies right from the start, Lancia is not just making a comeback. It is a reminder that it remains, in its DNA, a competition brand. Above all, it sends a clear message: this comeback is not symbolic. It's ambitious. The rest of the season will tell whether this double victory was a coup d'éclat... or the start of a new era.