Stellantis Motorsport recently held a surprisingly press conference near Paris to discuss its upcoming WRC2 program. And while the ambition was sky-high, the actual details were not the same way. The driver lineup is still a tightly guarded secret, as is the full schedule, beyond the mandatory season-opening Rallye Monte Carlo. Lancia only confirmed they will compete in eight WRC2 events next year.
The lack of clarity, however, was compensated for by extreme confidence. François Wales, the head of Stellantis Motorsport’s customer racing division, did not mince words: for Lancia, winning is the only option. “Our ambitions are clear”, Wales stated. “We are here only to win rallies. The ambition is for one of our drivers to take the WRC2 title next season”.
Yohan Rossel is strongly rumored, but the big question is who will partner him in the Ypsilon HF Integrale. Wales cited “contractual reasons” for the silence but promised a reveal within a few weeks, vaguely confirming they are targeting “drivers who are already at the top of the category”. Jean-Marc Finot, VP of Stellantis Motorsport, simply reinforced the target as a “championship contender”.
Beyond WRC2, the new Ypsilon HF Integrale is set to be busy. Andrea Mabellini is eyed for a European Rally Championship bid. And four-time Italian champion Andrea Crugnola is expected to trade his old Citroen C3 Rally2 for the new Lancia.
The centerpiece of this comeback is the car itself. Lancia is trying to convince the world that the Ypsilon Rally2 is not a re-bodied Citroen C3. While both share the same base 1.6-liter engine, the swap was necessary because production of the road car underpinning the C3 Rally2 ended, and its homologation “jokers” were used up.
Building a whole new car, even if it recycles basic C3 components, allows Stellantis to introduce significant performance upgrades. The exhaust system has been completely reworked to accommodate the Ypsilon’s central configuration, and the major gains come from sophisticated software, with revised engine maps for torque and throttle response. Crucially, the chassis is entirely new, ditching the old PSA PF1 platform for the modern Stellantis CMP modular platform.
Lancia opened the order books for the new Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 and estimates they could receive over 100 orders.
