Lancia Corse targets strong showing at Croatia Rally in FIA World Rally Championship

• Rossel–Dunand and Gryazin–Aleksandrov return to the world stage after Monte Carlo
• 300 km across 20 asphalt special stages set the challenge for the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale
• WRC2 Team standings leaders Lancia Corse HF aim to consolidate their position
• Former Croatia Rally winners Rossel and Gryazin face a mix of familiar stages and key route
   

Lancia Corse returns to FIA World Rally Championship action at the Croatia Rally (April 9–12), round four of the 2026 season, aiming to build on a strong start to the year and defend its lead in the WRC2 Team standings.

The Italian squad will field its two official crews—Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand and Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov—on a revised route featuring 20 special stages and more than 300 competitive kilometres. Crews will face a demanding mix of technical asphalt roads stretching from Croatia’s coastline to its inland and mountainous sections.

Following promising performances in both WRC and national competitions, the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale has already proven its reliability and competitiveness, underlining its potential at the highest level of international rallying.

Rossel and Gryazin arrive in Croatia as proven contenders. Both drivers have enjoyed strong success at the event in recent years, each claiming a victory and a second-place finish in the WRC2 category across the 2023 and 2024 editions. Their experience on Balkan roads could prove decisive, although this year’s updated itinerary introduces significant changes, shifting the focus from traditional inland stages to coastal routes and mountain passes.

The rally will get underway with the ceremonial start in Rijeka on Thursday evening (18:30 local time), highlighting the coastal setting that will play a key role throughout the event. The service park also relocates to the historic Grobnik Circuit, adding another new element to this year’s edition.

Friday’s leg features eight special stages across the narrow and twisty roads of Istria, where tyre management is expected to be a critical factor. Crews will face a similar challenge on Saturday, with a further 115 kilometres of competitive action spread over eight stages inland. The rally concludes on Sunday with four decisive stages along the Croatian coast.
 

Didier Clément – Team Principal, Lancia Corse HF
“We’re excited to fire up the engines of our Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale once again for this fourth round of the WRC season. For us, it will be only our second outing of 2026 following a very strong debut in Monte Carlo, and we know we can rely on two drivers who are highly familiar with these roads. Yohan and Nikolay’s victories in the last two editions of the championship held here give us confidence, despite the route changes, which remain an unknown factor for all crews. It promises to be a great challenge on the Croatian stages, and we are ready to take it on.”
 

Media contact:

Lancia:
Simona Magnarelli: +39 366 6729414 – simona.magnarelli@stellantis.com 
 

Team Lancia Corse HF / Stellantis Motorsport:
Mathilde Ponceau: +33 6 58 81 43 01 – mathilde.ponceau@external.stellantis.com

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Turin, 7 April 2026