Juan Pedro García / Jan Rosa (Citroën AX GT) claimed victory in the XXII Rally Costa Brava Històric, the best edition to date of this benchmark historic regularity event.

  • Garrigolas / Boix (VW Golf GTI) and Poveda / Jordán (VW Golf GTI) completed the podium after covering 1,000 kilometers across 24 regularity stages.
  • Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Empuriabrava enjoyed an exceptional atmosphere of historic motorsport, welcoming 126 teams.

Dominant from start to finish. Juan Pedro García and Jan Rosa (Citroën AX GT) were the undisputed winners of the XXII Rally Costa Brava Històric, the regularity rally for classic and historic vehicles organized by RallyClassics. For the second year in a row, the rally featured shared venue, starting in Sant Feliu de Guíxols and finishing in Empuriabrava. Both locations offered a fantastic setting, blessed with good weather and a warm, enthusiastic audience, while the challenging route once again tested the best regularity experts from across Europe.

According to participants, this was a truly exceptional edition — the best in the event’s history. Included in the calendar of the FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens), the rally featured 126 enrolled teams, of which 35% were international competitors representing 12 different nationalities. Female participation, promoted by RallyClassics’ #MotorDona program, was also noteworthy, with 4 women drivers and 30 co-drivers. 

With 126 entered teams, the XXII Rally Costa Brava Històric truly resembled a rolling museum. Around thirty vehicles were over 50 years old, and the field included a dazzling lineup of legendary cars such as Porsche 911, Lancia Delta HF Integrale, Renault 5 Turbo, BMW 2002, Lotus Elan, and Toyota Celica. Also taking part were exceptionally rare and historically valuable models including Citroën DS 21 Pallas, Datsun 1600 SSS, Alfetta GTV, Volvo Amazon, Porsche 356, and Fiat Abarth Berlina Corsa.

This year, the spotlight on historic vehicles was even greater thanks to a classic car gathering held on Saturday in Empuriabrava, where dozens of vintage cars drew admiring crowds.

A route full of surprises and legendary stages. Covering approximately 1,000 kilometers across three stages (Thursday to Saturday), more than half of the distance consisted of 24 regularity stages, held mainly in the afternoon and at night. A major highlight of the third stage was the rally’s first-ever visit to Camprodon, followed by several sections across the Roussillon and Vallespir regions of southern France — a demanding and scenic addition featuring spectacular, lesser-known roads. In keeping with the signature RallyClassics style, the itinerary skillfully combined new stages with all the legendary roads of the Rally Costa Brava.

Juan Pedro García and Jan Rosa Lead from the Start

From the very beginning, Juan Pedro García and Jan Rosa made their intentions clear. The Citroën AX GT duo dominated the opening stage, winning all four Thursday sections over David Garrigolas and Jordi Boix (VW Golf GTI). 

On Friday, García and Rosa extended their advantage during the longest stage of the event (230.5 km of regularity sections), ending the day 39 points ahead of the Girona-based pair, winners of the 2024 edition. 

Maintaining a strong pace on Saturday, García and Rosa sealed their first-ever Rally Costa Brava Històric victory, ahead of Garrigolas / Boix and Eduard Poveda / Joan Jordán (VW Golf GTI). For García, it was a well-earned triumph after six participations and two previous runner-up finishes. Co-driver Jan Rosa, who debuted last year with a second place, added this new victory to his wins at RallyClassics Africa and the Dakar Classic earlier this season.

Competition was fierce throughout the stages. Thirteen different drivers took stage wins across the 24 stages contested, with García / Rosa winning seven and Garrigolas / Boix five.

Poveda and Jordán pushed hard to overtake Garrigolas and Boix for second place, but the pair held on, leaving the Terra Negra Team duo to complete the podium in third. Carles Bracons / Sergi Giralt (Peugeot 205 GTI) finished fourth, followed by the best foreign teams: Kurt Deklerck / Aswin Pyck (Porsche 914/6) and Aris Georgosopoulos / Ioulios Iatridis (Fiat 128 Rally).

The #MotorDona Trophy rewarded the best female participants. The top all-female crew was Tere Armadans / Anna Vives (VW Golf GTI), while Roser Morera was the highest-placed female co-driver.

Also worth highlighting were the only two drivers who have competed in every single edition of the Rally Costa Brava Històric: Francesc Costa and Jordi Martí. Costa drove a VW Golf GTI with Miquel Pumarola — his co-driver in 21 of the 22 editions — while Martí competed alongside his son Nil, in a Porsche 911 Carrera 4.

Alex Romani, President of RallyClassics, stated: “It has been a truly special and complete edition. Participants have unanimously praised the route, and the overall feeling is that this has been the best edition of the Rally Costa Brava Històric. The dual-venue format we introduced last year has proven to be a great decision. It was fantastic to visit Sant Feliu de Guíxols for the first time and enjoy an unbeatable atmosphere. In Empuriabrava, both the classic car gathering on Saturday morning and the karting stage were a success. The proximity to the French border allowed us to include new sections. And above all, it was extraordinary to see so many participating cars and such incredible variety.”

The 23rd Rally Costa Brava Històric will take place from October 29 to November 1, 2026.

Category Winners – XXII Rally Costa Brava Històric

  • Trophy Écuries: Escuderia Mediterrània 1
  • Papi Bäbler Trophy: Carles Miró / Ivan Matavacas (Porsche 911 SC)
  • Gentlemen Classic Trophy: Angus McQueen / Phil Cottam (VW Golf GTI)
  • Father & Son Trophy: Pierre Juanola / Daphné Juanola (VW Golf GTI)
  • Àlex Rimbau Trophy: Nuno Pereira / Francisco Pereira (Fiat Uno Trofeo)
  • Junior Trophy: Mathieu Teston / Vincent Bertoux (Renault 5 TS)
  • Motorcycle Class: Francisco Iglesias / Jordi Sala (BMW R100 GS)
  • Antiques Class: Luis Carvalho / Sancho Ramalho (BMW 2002)
  • Historic Class: Kurt Deklerck / Aswin Pyck (Porsche 914/6)
  • Classic Class: Juan Pedro García / Jan Rosa (Citroën AX GT)
  • Youngtimers Class: Ramon Vidal / Roser Morera (Honda Civic)
  • Low Average Trophy: Aris Georgosopoulos / Ioulios Iatridis (Fiat 128 Rally)
  • Rally-Sprint Costa Brava Històric Trophy: Marc Céspedes / Carles Turón (Ford Escort XR3)
  • #MotorDona Trophy: Tere Armadans / Anna Vives (VW Golf GTI)

 

The XXII Rally Costa Brava Històric is possible thanks to the collaboration of the Ajuntament de Castelló d’Empúries, Ajuntament de Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Departament d’Esports de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputació de Girona, Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona, Classic Cover, Vera, Van der Valk Hotel Barcarola, Hotel Port Salins, Hotel Xon’s, Ajuntament de Camprodon, Ajuntament de Vic, Garatge Internacional, Montjuïc Watches, Les Pockets Vic, Karting Empuriabrava, Suprametal, MiRally, Motor Clásico, and News Classic Racing.

 

More information about the XXII Rally Costa Brava Històric is available on the RallyClassics website.