Like his fellow FIA EHRC competitors, Štajf had to negotiate challenging conditions for much of the asphalt event with heavy rain, sleet and even snow proving a tough test for all crews.

Driving a Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 alongside co-driver Veronika Havelková (pictured top and bottom), Štajf claimed a winning margin of 2m00.1s ahead of Italians ‘Zippo’/Nicola Arena (Audi Quattro).

Donagh Kelly/Rory Kennedy (below) completed the podium, despite finishing the deciding stage with their BMW M3 stuck in third gear.

Christophe Jacob/Isabelle Regnier overtook Ernie/Anna Graham for fourth on the final stage after the father-and-daughter pairing had moved ahead on the previous run.

Georg Reitsberger/Michael Schauderna drove their Ford Sierra to sixth place with Stanislav Budil/Petr Vejvoda (BMW 2002 Ti) winning Category 2 in seventh overall.

Antonio Sainz/Carlos Cancela (Subaru Legacy 2.0 Turbo) were eighth, 7.5s behind, with Pascal Eouzan/Pascale Eouzan taking ninth in a BMW M3, 8.9s adrift. Jan Bejvl/Jan Hlista beat Valter Chr. Jensen/Erik Pedersen to 10th place by 2.6s.

Category 3 winner ‘Zippo’ (below) bagged important FIA EHRC points following his opening-stage retirement on the season-opening Rally Costa Brava last month.

James Potter/Tim Sayer (Ford Escort Twin Cam) finished first in Category 1, while Jan Bejvl/Jan Hlista claimed top spot in the new-for-2024 European Historic 1600cc Trophy and FIA European Historic FWD Trophy driving a Ford Fiesta XR2 Mk1.

Tibor Érdi Jr, the Historic Vltava Rallye winner in 2023, won the opening two stages in his extensively rebuilt Ford Sapphire RS Cosworth but returned to the overnight halt in second position, 8.9s behind Štajf. But following the Hungarian driver’s exit, Štajf was able to pull clear and claim Category 4 honours in the process.

After finishing Rally Costa Brava as the leading FIA EHRC crew, Angelo Lombardo/Giovanni Battista Campeis were forced to retire on SS2 with a mechanical failure on their Porsche 911.

The thoughts of the FIA EHRC community remain with Michael and Elisabeth Putz following their accident on the opening leg of the event.

Historic Rally of Asturias forms round three of the 2024 FIA EHRC season from May 17-18.

*Results subject to confirmation