THE FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP GETS UNDER WAY AGAIN WITH THE RALLY SIERRA MORENA. PIRELLI DEFENDS ITS TYRES MANUFACTURERS’ TITLE

Once again in 2026, the demanding asphalt roads of the Rally Sierra Morena will provide the stage for the opening round of the FIA European Rally Championship, taking place this weekend, from 17 to 19 April, in Andalusia. A total of 62 crews will line up at the start, with more than 30 of them set to battle for the first points on offer in the race for the European crown.

Pirelli begins the 2026 season as the reigning Tyres Manufacturer champion. Among the drivers competing in Andalusia on Pirelli tyres will be Andrea Mabellini, who finished third in last year’s overall championship standings, at the wheel of a Lancia Y HF; reigning Italian champion Giandomenico Basso, who will compete in a Skoda Fabia RS; and Teemu Suninen, also driving a Skoda Fabia RS.

To tackle the 203.80 timed kilometres across the 13 special stages of the Rally Sierra Morena, Pirelli is making available to its crews entered in the European championship tyres from the P Zero range in hard (RA5C) and soft (RA7+) compounds. These dry-weather tyres are complemented by the Cinturato RWD wet-weather tyre.

Pirelli will also play a leading role, as sole supplier and technical partner, in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, now in its third season, with 11 crews entered for the Rally Sierra Morena.

The tyre allocation available to all drivers during the rally is 16 tyres for RC2, RC3 and RGT cars, and 12 tyres for RC4, RC5 and RC6 cars. For crews eligible to take part in Qualifying, the tyres used will count towards the overall allocation, while those used for Free Practice and the Shakedown will not be included in the total.