The 2025 FIA European Historic Rally Championship returns to asphalt this week, as Rallye Elba Storico brings the continent’s finest historic crews to the twisting mountain and coastal roads of the Tuscan Island. With the championship fight finely poised and rain in the forecast, the Mediterranean stages promise to test precision, patience and bravery in equal measure.

For all its postcard beauty – from Porto Azzurro’s pastel harbour to the sheer cliffs above the Formiche della Zanca – Elba is anything but a holiday drive. The rally has a reputation for punishing, narrow sections that leave no margin for error, where the wrong tyre call or the slightest lapse in concentration can end a campaign in a stone wall or vineyard.

Leading the home charge are Italians Angelo Lombardo and Consiglio Roberto, whose Porsche 911 RS is as much a fixture of the EHRC as their attacking style. After claiming victory on the Italian Island last year and banking 28 points on the asphalt of Antibes earlier this year, they will be desperate to repeat the feat on home soil and take top honours in FIA Category 2.

Standing in their way is championship leader Maciej Lubiak, whose black-and-white Porsche 911 RS has been relentlessly consistent – three podiums from as many outings, have put the Pole in command of the standings. Elba, though, is no place to play it safe, and with only a slender cushion to protect the Pentacar driver, Lubiak will have to balance experience with aggression to claim victory on the Italian Island.

Just ten points behind lurk Flexifly Rally Team’s Will and Karen Graham. Their BMW M3 E30, an icon of late-’80s rallying, will need every ounce of Bavarian horsepower to muscle ahead of the Porsches. For the Grahams, a strong run on Italian asphalt could tilt the championship fight in their favour with only three rounds left in play.

Italian pride doesn’t stop with Lombardo. Enrico Brazzoli and Martina Musiari, flying the flag for Pentacar Racing Team, arrive fresh from impressive runs in Vltava and Weiz. Fifth in the overall table, their experience on tarmac and home-field advantage make them a dark horse for outright victory.

Category 1 promises an all-Italian showdown, as local hero Carlo Fiorito lines up his BMW 2002 TI against Antonio Parisi’s Porsche 911 S. With both drivers boasting proven pedigree in the FIA European Historic Championship, sparks are sure to fly for top honours.

In Category 2B Flexifly boss Ernie Graham returns in his beloved Ford Escort RS1800 alongside Karen Graham, the pair carrying momentum from a strong gravel campaign. They face a direct duel with French pairing Bertrand Metivier and Fabrice Garin, with both crews equal on points heading into Elba a strong performance could tilt the championship in their favour.

The P2 class offers a slice of ’90s nostalgia, with Matteo Ricaldone and Alessandro Floris back in their Peugeot 306 Maxi – a fan favourite from the asphalt-specialist era. While France’s Richard Genesca will look to spoil the party, keeping the battle for P2 honours very much alive.

Rallye Elba Storico will also welcome a pair of eye-catching wildcard entries. Belgian duo Glenn and Conrad Janssens bring the rare Ferrari 208 Michelotto – the marque’s only rally car to have competed in the legendary Group B era, and the first Ferrari to feature in this year’s EHRC. Italian fans will be eager to see how the Prancing Horse handles Elba’s twisting coastal stages.

They’ll be joined by Hungarian crew Peter Magoss and Laszlo Ronay who arrive with an Alfa Romeo every bit as evocative, aiming to challenge the Ferrari for top honours.  

With the championship fight still finely balanced, and such iconic machinery on show, Rallye Elba Storico promises a spectacular weekend of historic rallying. Fans can follow the action across the event on the official FIA EHRC Instagram.