The fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship has attracted 68 entries spread across all the classes, including one of the strongest WRC3 entries in recent times with a whopping 21 Rally3 crews registered for Rally Croatia which runs from 18th to 21st April.
Set against the backdrop of Zagreb, Croatia’s capital city, next month’s event marks the season’s first all-asphalt challenge.
At the forefront of the championship, Thierry Neuville will open the road in his i20 N Rally1 alongside Hyundai team-mates Ott Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen, the latter of whom competes on a part-time basis for the Korean marque.
Eight-time WRC champion Sébastien Ogier is back for his second outing of the season with Toyota GR Yaris colleagues Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. Ogier, who clinched victory in Croatia in 2021, is aiming for another win to add to his impressive record.
Meanwhile, M-Sport Ford will be fielding two Pumas for Adrien Fourmaux, currently third in the points, and rising star Grégoire Munster.
Leading the charge in WRC3 is Mattéo Chatillon, fresh from his triumph in last year’s Clio Gravel Trophy in France. At just 22 years old, he’s gearing up for his debut in the category, steering Renault machinery while his competitors opt for Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars.
But it’s not just about Chatillon – other contenders, like Filip Kohn, Jan Pokos and Slaven Šekuljica are gunning for WRC3 points. Plus, an additional 18 crews will line up in identical M-Sport Poland-built Fiestas, ready to battle it out in the ultra-competitive FIA Junior WRC. They include round one podium finishers Romet Jürgenson and Eamonn Kelly, as well as series newcomer Ali Türkkan.
In WRC2, leading entries include Citroën C3 Rally2 pair Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin as well as hard-charging privateers Nicolas Ciamin (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) and Pepe López (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2). Sami Pajari and Gus Greensmith have also entered, although neither are counting the rally as a point-scoring round.
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