The fifth round of the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship and Campionato Italiano Assoluto Rally Sparco begins with 103 entries, 46 Rally2 cars, 26 nations represented and a remarkable number of talented crews. The largest starting list to date. Sustainability and road safety initiatives take centre stage, alongside a spectacular opening ceremony at the Colosseum on Friday 4 July.
Rome, 25 June 2025 – Rally di Roma Capitale is set for a record-breaking edition as it prepares to host round five of the FIA European Rally Championship and the Campionato Italiano Assoluto Rally Sparco from 4 to 6 July.
Organised by Motorsport Italia and Max Rendina, the event has attracted 103 crews – the highest number in its twelve-year history. A truly exceptional entry list brings together the top names of the discipline in a blend of talents from 26 nations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Hungary.
The 46 Rally2 cars – the highest-performance vehicles in the event – mark a new benchmark both nationally and internationally. But there is more: 15 ERC Junior drivers, 12 Rally3 cars and an impressive 39 Rally4 entries, including 20 Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally4s entered in the dedicated one-make trophy.
The event goes beyond competition. Motorsport Italia and Max Rendina have assembled an extensive programme of side activities designed to amplify the reach and impact of the rally. A major focus will be placed on environmental sustainability through initiatives on mobility, waste management and best practices, promoted both at the Fiuggi service park and across the rally route.
A key symbolic moment will take place on Friday at 19:00 at Colle Oppio, just steps from the Colosseum stage. In the presence of leading government and sporting authorities, a cypress tree will be planted as part of the “One Driver, One Tree” initiative promoted by the Automobile Club d’Italia in partnership with the Carabinieri’s Forest and Environmental Division. The project unites all top-level motorsport events held in Italy – and Rome is no exception.
Road safety will also take centre stage through the initiative “La strada non è un videogioco” (The road is not a video game), which will engage both adults and children in Fiuggi and during the opening evening in Rome. The campaign will deliver awareness messages to the wider public attending the show, with the aim of promoting a culture of respect and responsibility beyond the special stages.
Turning to the leading contenders, Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto will be back in their Citroën C3 Rally2. Winners of the last two editions, they come to Rome seeking redemption after a retirement at the Due Valli round. They face the most challenging field of the 2025 CIAR season. Championship leaders Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), winners in 2021, return with strong momentum.
At ERC level, the spotlight is on current points leaders Miko Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2). They have yet to win a rally this year, but their experience on Italian roads could be a decisive factor. One to watch will be Andrea Mabellini, with Virginia Lenzi in another Fabia RS. The Brescia-based driver, contesting the full FIA ERC season, will look to capitalise on his home advantage in what could be a defining round.
Elsewhere in the ERC field there is strong interest in Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne aboard the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 MkII, as well as Austrian driver Simon Wagner, who joins forces with Hanna Ostlender for his Rome debut in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Returning to the event are 2024 podium finishers Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández, now in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, while two WRC crews also make the trip: Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen (Škoda Fabia RS), fresh from a strong performance in Sardinia, and Jan Solans with Rodrigo Sanjuan, also in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Other ERC frontrunners include Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen (Citroën C3 Rally2), currently second in the standings, and Finland’s Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), who start with car #1 after strong gravel form in recent months. Simone Tempestini and Sergiu Itu (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are also ones to watch, having always shared a strong connection with Rally di Roma Capitale.
The CIAR field also boasts serious contenders, including Bostjan Avbelj and Elia De Guio, and ACI Team Italia drivers Roberto Daprà and Fabio Guglielmetti, both in Škoda Fabia RS Rally2s. Also in the mix are Fabio Andolfi and Marco Menchini in the official T-Racing Italy Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, and Marco Signor with Daniele Michi in a privately entered GR Yaris. After a 2024 podium, Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton (Škoda Fabia RS) return hoping to turn their season around.
The two-wheel-drive entry is extensive, reflecting the combined presence of ERC Junior, the Italian 2WD Championship and the Lancia Trophy. Regarding the Ypsilon HF Rally4, the Rome event will have a double points format, with separate classifications for Friday-Saturday and Sunday. Ones to watch include Davide Pesavento and Alessandro Michelet, Gianandrea Pisani with Nicola Biagi, Giorgio Cogni with Daiana Darderi, and Gabriel Di Pietro with Andrea Dresti.
In the ERC Junior category, ACI Team Italia is represented by Francesco Dei Ceci and Nicolò Lazzarini in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, with Tommaso Sandrin and Andrea Dal Maso also flying the Italian flag. The current championship leader is Opel works driver Calle Carlberg, co-driven by Jørgen Eriksen in a Corsa Rally4.
The event begins on Friday 4 July with the Fumone shakedown, followed by the ceremonial start and Colle Oppio superspecial in the shadow of the Colosseum. Saturday features six stages, including the 34.57 km “Torre di Cicerone” – the longest test in both the ERC and CIAR 2025 seasons. Sunday brings another six stages, with the 30.59 km “Canterano–Subiaco” and the “Jenne–Monastero” Power Stage closing the event. The finish is set for 18:30 in Corso Italia, Fiuggi.
A separate rally for the Coppa Rally di 8^ Zona will follow the main event, serving as its fourth round. Crews will tackle six stages – three per day. Entries for the CRZ close on Friday 27 June, with the official entry list published shortly afterwards.
