The Trofeo Lancia 2026 kicks off at Rally Il Ciocco

Second edition of the Lancia one-make series launches with a record entry list in the Rally4 class and the Italian debut of the new Lancia Ypsilon HF Racing Rally6
 

• The Trofeo Lancia is underway — and once again, a strong field of crews has entered with one single goal: the 2026 Championship title.
• A record-breaking start: Trofeo Lancia competitors represent 27% of the total Rally Il Ciocco entry list.
• The Tuscan event is the first of six rounds, all part of the Italian Absolute Rally Championship Sparco (CIAR).
• The rally starts on Saturday 28 March from Lucca, with 13 special stages determining the first winner of the season.
• A prize fund worth over €350,000 is on offer, including a factory seat with Lancia Corse HF in 2027.
• Italian debut for the new Lancia Ypsilon HF Racing Rally6, which joins the Trofeo from Rally Due Valli onwards.
   

The Italian rally season is about to ignite with the launch of the second edition of the Trofeo Lancia, which gets underway at the 49th Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio. Set among the tight, technical and often unforgiving stages of the Garfagnana mountains, the Tuscan event is the ideal arena to open what promises to be the most competitive season yet. The Lancia one-make series once again fields six rounds within the CIAR Sparco and welcomes all enthusiasts to the Lancia Corse HF Village.

Featuring a mix of returning competitors and fresh faces, a strong field of crews is targeting the 2026 Trofeo Lancia title, spread across all three competing categories. The numbers speak for themselves — confirming both the strength of the project and the growing appeal of the championship. The entry list also boasts a significant female presence, with seven women competing as either drivers or co-drivers. The impact on the CIAR Sparco is equally impressive: Trofeo Lancia competitors account for 27% of the total Rally Il Ciocco entry.

The Junior and Master categories — the gateway to a factory seat with Lancia Corse HF next season — feature 15 drivers split evenly between the two classes, while four drivers aged 35 and over compete in the Expert category, bringing the current total to 19 entries. The Trofeo Lancia's appeal extends beyond Italian borders: four foreign crews have entered, three of them aged under 25.

The prize fund of over €350,000 in value — with €22,500 distributed at each round — rewards 12 drivers per event according to the following structure, designed to recognise both performance and youth:

Should the 2026 Champion be aged under 35, the prize includes the choice between a full factory programme in Italy with the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale in the CIAR Sparco, or a European campaign with the Ypsilon Rally4 HF in the FIA ERC. This initiative is already bearing fruit: this year, it will give Davide Pesavento the opportunity to compete in the FIA ERC Junior with the official Lancia Corse HF squad, joining Francesco dei Ceci and Andrea Mabellini — at the wheel of the Ypsilon Rally4 HF and Rally2 respectively. The Trofeo Lancia is proving to be a genuine steppingstone for young drivers, combining accessibility, visibility, competitive racing and a realistic pathway to a professional rally career.

Further incentives include the Michelin draw, which awards a complimentary tyre to 10 lucky drivers at each round, and the support of two coaches: Andrea Crugnola as Lancia Mentor Coach and Marco Cavigioli as Lancia Dedicated Coach.

With these foundations in place, the Trofeo Lancia field enters the season in highly competitive form — and ready to deliver further points to the Turin marque in the Italian 2-Wheel Drive Championship, where Lancia arrives as defending champion following the double title sweep in 2025, both in the Manufacturers' and Drivers' standings.

The undisputed centerpiece of the series is the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF — a car developed to the latest FIA standards with the invaluable input of Miki Biasion and a network of Italian specialist suppliers, engineered to deliver performance, reliability and controlled running costs. The project is a cornerstone of Lancia's motorsport revival, as the brand returns as a genuine contender in the world of rallying with a clear vision and a full three-car racing line-up: the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, the Ypsilon Rally4 HF and the Ypsilon HF Racing Rally6.

Among the highlights of the season opener is the presence of a Lancia Ypsilon HF Racing Rally6, making its Italian race debut — ahead of its full Trofeo Lancia campaign from Rally Due Valli onwards, where it will compete with its own dedicated prize structure. The smallest of the Ypsilon competition cars, designed to serve as a true entry point into the world of rallying thanks to its accessible running costs, will be driven by young talent Lorenzo Varesco, co-driven by Isabel Gross.

Born in 1989, Varesco has impressed in junior categories and earned his place as an ACI Team Italia driver in the CIAR Junior Championship, where he will compete in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF. His participation is a further sign of Lancia's commitment to nurturing emerging talent through a structured and competitive pathway — from the Rally6 all the way to the doors of the WRC2.

The goal is clear: to establish the Trofeo Lancia as the benchmark of Italian rally competition, building a credible pipeline from grassroots racing to professional motorsport — in the name of a brand that has written some of the most iconic chapters in rally history.

Rally Il Ciocco gets underway on Saturday 28 March. Following morning shakedown at the Tenuta Il Ciocco estate, the ceremonial start takes place in Lucca at 15:00. The event features 13 special stages — 5 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday — with the finish ceremony set in the picturesque town of Castelnuovo Garfagnana.

The Trofeo Lancia continues at Rally Due Valli on 7 June, which also marks the first round of the dedicated Rally6 trophy. Rally di Roma Capitale, counting towards the FIA ERC European Rally Championship, is scheduled from 3 to 5 July and — as in 2024 — carries double weight in the Trofeo standings, with the first two days counting as Race 1 and the final day as Race 2. Rally Regione Piemonte follows on 2 August, with the season finale at the iconic Rallye Sanremo on the weekend of 18 October.

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
 

Lancia
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Today, Lancia is ready to begin its renaissance with a ten-year strategic plan that is progressing by leaps and bounds.
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Turin, 25 March 2026