On the gravel of Rally Poland, June 18th will see the kick-off of the third edition of the Abarth Rally Cup with the responsive Abarth 124 rally on the starting line, in one of the rounds of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). After Andrea Nucita, the winner in 2019, and Andrea Mabellini, who triumphed in 2020, the challenges are rekindled in the six events scheduled among the special stages of the most evocative European rallies. With the publication of the regulations for the 2021 series (available here), registrations have officially opened for the trophy dedicated to the Scorpion cars capable of delivering 300 hp.
With the changes to the FIA ERC calendar, a curious double on gravel will open the 2021 season. After Poland, Latvia will host the second round of the Abarth Rally Cup. The Abarth 124 rally, with gravel alignment, raised by 40 mm and with 15” OZ alloy wheels, has already demonstrated its ability to give its opponents a hard time. Likewise on tarmac, the best terrain to exploit all the power of the Abarth 124 rally. The versatility and performance of the Scorpio car is evidenced by the fact that, in the last three seasons, triumphs have come in the FIA R-GT Cup, basically the Gran Turismo World Championship.
Francesco Morosini, Abarth Senior Brand Manager & Racing: “Again in 2021, Abarth Racing’s commitment to the world of rallying continues and is being relaunched with a series that is more and more appreciated by drivers and navigators, partly thanks to its very large prize fund. In the last three seasons, the Abarth 124 rally has proved the world leader among R-GT cars. Once again this year, we will play our cards right to keep the world title in-house, despite our opponents having upped their game. Abarth has racing in his DNA and as always, as taught by Carlo Abarth, one of its missions is to be able to help young drivers grow. A commitment taken to heart by the Abarth brand, which has for several seasons been investing in the Formula 4 championships, the preparatory formula with young drivers on the starting line, most of whom come from the world of karting. Indeed, in the world of rallying, the first 2 editions of the Abarth Rally Cup crowned 2 under-30s, Andrea Nucita and Andrea Mabellini. Our hope is to be able to continue to offer a springboard onto the international stages.”
The prize fund for the 2021 series is very large, with as much as €169,000 up for grabs. The winning driver in each race will receive €10,000, with €8,000 for second place and €6,000 for third. The winner will also receive a grand prize of €25,000.
Abarth Rally Cup* – FIA European Rally Championship: Rally Poland (Poland – gravel), June 18th-20th; Rally Liepāja (Latvia – gravel), July 1st-3rd; Rally di Roma Capitale (Italy – tarmac), July 23rd-25th; Rally Barum Zlín (Czech Republic – tarmac), August 27th-29th; Rally Hungary (Hungary – tarmac), October 22nd-24th; Rally Islas Canarias (Spain – tarmac), November 18th-20th.