Rallye Sanremo concludes the 2025 season of the Italian Rally Championship. The event, which was once one of the highlights of the WRC, is now represented at its peak by the Rally2 (ex-R5) category. A historic version is held at the same time, but only on Saturday. The rally was won by Andrea Crugnola, driving a Citroën C3 Rally2, while the title went to Giandomenico Basso, driving a Skoda Fabia. The Italian, who takes his 5th crown, was formerly an Abarth driver, first with the Grande Punto S2000 and then with Peugeot.
What we were most interested in was seeing the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 in action. The Italian marque, after long years of somnolence, brought out the new Ypsilon last year, and this year made its return to rallying a reality with a Rally 4 version of the Ypsilon HF, which prefigures the arrival of a Rallye 2 in 2026 which will compete in the 4-wheel-drive world championship WRC2.
In any case, it's a welcome change, as the Italian championship has been deserted for years by transalpine cars, with the field currently dominated by Skofa Fabias, French 208/Clio, Hyundai i20s and Toyota Yaris.
The Ypsilon, great to see in action!
For the moment, the Ypsilon HF is the main protagonist of the Trofeo Lancia, a single-brand cup that is part of the Italian championship. It also competes against its Peugeot 208 cousin in the Rally4 category, so it's a family affair at Stellantis. In any case, as you already know, the Ypsilon HF shares the same engine as the Lioness, a competition derivative of the 1.2L ex-Puretech delivering 212 hp.
Some twenty Ypsilons were entered, including one in the iconic Lancia Martini Racing livery. It's clear that the Ypsilon is a pleasure to look at: in any case, on the section where we were positioned, on the ascent to the village of San Romolo (SS6), the Ypsilon is nervous and its rear end is playful. As you can see from the video, the Turinese often offered the most spectacular passages.
The Trofeo saw sustained participation throughout the season, and Lancia won the 2WD Manufacturers' title at Sanremo. Gianandrea Pisani and Nicola Biagi won the Trofeo 2025, at the end of a masterful season that also saw them claim the 2WD Drivers' title. The final round saw Davide Pesavento and Alessandro Michelet take the lead from the second stage.
Lancia proud of its renewal and its history
The championship was also an opportunity for Lancia to make a conspicuous marketing comeback. In the paddock village, the brand is very much in the limelight, with a Lancia Corse HF pavilion displaying both the production Ypsilon HF and HF Line, as well as two glories of the past: a Lancia Rally 037 rear-wheel drive (ex-Attilio Bettega, who died in the 1985 Tour de Corse), which helped Lancia conquer the Group B WRC World Championship in 1983, and the Delta HF Intégrale from the Group A era.
History was also evoked by the presence of Miki Biasion, WRC world champion in 1988 and 1989 in a Delta HF. The Italian, who took part in the development of the Ypsilon R4 and R2, was on hand for the awards ceremony on the Ligurian city's waterfront.
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