- The 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava concluded in Girona with a victory for three-time World Rally Championship runner-up Jari-Matti Latvala (with Janni Hussi, Toyota Celica), while Romain Dumas, a multiple winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, secured second place (with Mathieu Tyran, Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0).
- In other categories, victories went to Pérez Companc/Volta (RFEDA Sporting), Martínez/Villamayor (RFEDA Sport Regularity), Bru/Bru (RFEDA Regularity), Martínez/Larrosa (FCA Sporting), Fanlo/Robledillo (FCA Sport Regularity), and Pascali/Sasplugas (FCA Regularity).
- The 73rd edition of the Rally Costa Brava surpassed its own participation record, with 256 teams, and enjoyed an extraordinary atmosphere on the stages and at the Service Park.
- The legendary Lancia Rally 037 was this year’s honored vehicle, with Miki Biasion and Salvador Servià as special guests.
The 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava has already made history, and rightly so. The 73rd edition of the oldest rally in Spain has been truly historic, both for the number of participants and the level of machinery and drivers. The 256 teams entered set a new record for the Costa Brava and for any rally in the country. The showcase of vehicles and drivers was exceptional, with the best of European historic motorsport in action on the stages of the Girona region over three days of competition.
The atmosphere at the Service Park in Fornells de la Selva and the opportunity to see the teams working on their cars up close became one of the major attractions of the event, organized by the Club RallyClassics, which last season was chosen by the FIA as the Rallye of the Year in the European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC). This success is largely thanks to the collaboration of all institutions, sponsors, and the more than 500 volunteers who make it possible.
Traditionally, the Rally Costa Brava is the opening round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship, and the winner of the 73rd edition was one of the favorites for the title, Jari-Matti Latvala, a three-time World Rally Championship runner-up and current team principal of Toyota in the WRC. Driving a Toyota Celica with Janni Hussi as co-driver, he dominated the event from start to finish. The Finnish duo was one of the 177 foreign teams entered, representing 68% of the total from 20 different nationalities.
There was also significant female participation, with 67 women taking part, including six female drivers. Among the co-drivers, around 25% were women. In fact, this is the second consecutive year that the Costa Brava has been won by a mixed team. Over the last ten editions, five female co-drivers have claimed victory. This highlights the value of RallyClassics’ efforts through the #MotorDona program, which aims to promote female participation in all areas of classic motorsport. All of this created an exceptional setting for the debut of KH-7 as the new main sponsor of the Rally Costa Brava.
Alex Romani, president of the Club RallyClassics: “With the rain and cold, the 500 volunteers of the organization had to make a superhuman effort to pull off this 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava. Everyone (marshalls, radio operators, service parks, logistics, technicians, safety caravan, etc.) spent between 12 and 14 hours each day braving the harsh weather. In years like this, you realize that this collective effort is the key to the existence of rallies today. The passion that the Costa Brava volunteers bring is what amazes the drivers who come from all over the world, as they see the entire organization smiling through the bad weather. We are infinitely grateful to the entire team that made this epic edition possible.”
Miki Biasion and Salvador Servià, the Champions of the 037
With over seven decades of history, the Rally KH-7 Costa Brava is much more than a sporting competition; it is a testament to the history of motorsport and its evolution. Thus, in recent years, each edition has included a tribute to a specific chapter of this rich legacy. This year, the honor went to the Lancia Rally 037, one of the most iconic vehicles in rally history, as it marks 40 years since Miki Biasion and Tiziano Siviero’s victory in the 1985 edition.
The tribute took place on Thursday afternoon, just before the official start of the rally. Eight Lancia Rally 037s gathered, four of which were original units with a rich history in the Lancia Corse factory team. The special guests were Miki Biasion himself and Salvador Servià. The Girona-born driver was a two-time Spanish Rally Champion with the 037 and drove one in the Legend exhibition category at this 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava.
After the tribute and the official photo, Biasion and Servià participated in an autograph session, joined by Jari-Matti Latvala and Janni Hussi, the future winners of the 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava.
Results of the 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava
FIA European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC)
In a rally marked by rain and challenging asphalt conditions, Latvala/Hussi were the dominant force in the opening round of the EHRC. The Finnish pair set the fastest time on all eleven stages and also won Category 4 of the European Championship and the KH-7 Trophy for the rally’s fastest team. Second place went to Romain Dumas, another star of this edition. Driving a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 with Mathieu Tyran as co-driver, the three-time Le Mans winner and multiple Pikes Peak champion also claimed victory in Category 2. Pascal Perroud, winner of the 2022 Costa Brava, completed a world-class podium alongside Loïc Dumont in a BMW M3. The spectacular Lancia Stratos of Seb Perez and Bowen Dale narrowly missed the podium after a strong comeback following a penalty. In Category 1, the winners were Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo (Porsche 911 S), while Category 3 went to Xesús Ferreiro and Xabier Anido (Ford Escort RS1800).
The EHRC began a new era at the 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava, admitting vehicles from 1993 to 2000 for the first time, albeit without championship points. In this new P2 category, the first winners were Kris Rosenberger and Nicola Januschke (Subaru Impreza).
Jari-Matti Latvala: “I don’t remember ever enjoying myself so much in such difficult conditions. On these beautiful stages, some of which I already knew from racing the Costa Brava 20 years ago, driving is a bit like dancing on the road. It was fantastic to see so many people despite the bad weather. So many people enjoyed the rally and the passion for classics, reliving great memories with the cars that shaped an era.”
Spanish Historic Rally Championship (CERVH, Sporting)
The Rally KH-7 Costa Brava is also the opening round of the Spanish Championships. In the Sporting category, the excitement was intense, with the victory decided by less than 10 seconds between the Ford Escort RS1800s of Ezequiel Pérez Companc/José M. Volta and Ferreiro/Anido, who also took first and second in Pre-81. Third place went to José M. Martínez and Luka Larrosa (BMW M3), winners in Pre-92.
In Pre-2000, Antonio Afonso and Jonay Miranda (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V) took first, while Daniel Alonso and Jandrín López (Ford Escort RS1600) won the Classics category. The Trophy for vehicles under 1,600cc went to Ramon Vidal and Imma Clarà (Peugeot 205 Rallye), and the Open Trophy was claimed by Christian Sagli and Andreas Hvambsahl (Volvo 242). The #MotorDona Trophy awarded to the top female team in Sporting went to Corinne Lefebvre and Louise Leroux (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth).
Spanish Historic Rally Championship (CERVH, Sport Regularity)
In the Sport Regularity category of the CERVH, the top two positions from the previous edition were repeated, with Francisco Martínez and José Manuel Villamayor ahead of Jaime and Enrique Carbonell, both teams in Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4s. Third place went to Jordi Fanlo and Dani Robledillo (Porsche 911 SC 3.0). The Open category was won by Eric Pifarré and Vincent Vasseur (Porsche 911 SC 3.0).
Spanish Historic Rally Championship (CERVH, Regularity)
The Regularity category of the CERVH was won by Christophe and Hélène Bru (Porsche 911 SC 3.0), with just a 3-point advantage over Jean-Pierre Verneuil and Philippe Mareschal (Peugeot 205 GTI 2.9) and 6.8 points ahead of Marco Pascali and Carles Sasplugas (Seat Ibiza 1.5 GLX). In the Open category, Christian and Elena Bonnet (Fiat 124 Spider) took the win. The #MotorDona Trophy for the top female team in Regularity went to Antonella Monza and Susanna Nicolini (Porsche 911 T).
Catalan Historic Rally Championship (Sporting)
Martínez/Larrosa (BMW M3) won the Catalan category and the Pre-93 group, followed by Àlex Dude and Dani Muntadas (BMW M3), and David Nogareda and Xavi Lozano (Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0), who topped Pre-85. The Teams Trophy went to Escuderia Mediterrània.
Catalan Historic Rally Championship (Sport Regularity)
Fanlo/Robledillo won the Catalan Sport Regularity category, followed by Ramon Dalmau and Antoni Moragas (Ford Escort RS2000) and Albert and Jan Rosa (Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9).
Catalan Historic Rally Championship (Regularity)
In the Regularity category of the Catalan championship, Seat Históricos achieved a double victory, with Pascali/Sasplugas (Seat Ibiza 1.5 GLX) in first and Mia Bardolet and Carles Jiménez (Seat 1400 B, the oldest car in the 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava, from 1957) in second. Third place went to Mia Vidal and Miquel Corona (Autobianchi A112 Abarth).
In the personal challenge between the most media-friendly participants, internationally renowned singer Álvaro Soler edged out pastry chef Jordi Roca. With musician Ramon Mañas as co-driver and at the wheel of a Porsche 911 SC, Soler finished ninth, just 1.7 points ahead of Roca’s Seat Fura Crono, co-driven by Eloi Alsina, in tenth.
The 73 Rally KH-7 Costa Brava concluded with the trophy ceremony at the Pont de Pedret podium on Saturday night. An exceptional event that, over one weekend, once again placed the Girona region at the epicenter of global historic motorsport.
Information and results available at the RallyClassics website
