The FIA European Historic Rally Championship arrives on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea this week as Rallye Antibes Historic plays host to nearly 40 crews from across Europe. Although the special stages of this classic rally will use the famous roads of the Monte Carlo Rally, the city of Antibes stages both the start and finish in its picturesque yacht harbour.

Will Finnish ace Jari-Matti Latvala be standing on that podium on Saturday night? After two convincing wins from two starts in 2025, the flying Finn and co-driver Janni Hussi start Antibes as clear favourites. Chasing them is Pikes Peak and Le Mans 24-hour legend Romain Dumas. Dumas showed strong pace on the opening round in Costa Brava in his Category 2 Porsche 911. The French ace returns to the series in Antibes, where he will look to exploit his tarmac driving skills to the full, over two days of very challenging asphalt stages.

Third on the road is Italian ace Angelo Lombardo. The Sardinian hot-shot is no stranger to EHRC success: wins in Costa Brava and Elba last year demonstrated his serious pace in a Porsche 911. The fearless Sardinian will be a driver to watch in Antibes as he guns for the podium.

French youngster Tom Pieri is an exciting entrant. Driving Donagh Kelly’s BMW M3 from the MATS Racing stable, Pieri arrives knowing exactly how to tackle twisty, flowing tarmac roads after finishing second overall in the Historique Tour de Corse.

Fellow French drivers Julien Courchet and Richard Genesca could also spring a surprise this weekend. Courchet will also pilot a BMW M3, while Genesca brings a stunning Group A Subaru Legacy RS to the event. Genesca impressed in Costa Brava but was forced to miss Round 2 due to an engine rebuild and returns determined to make amends.

Italians Enrico Brazzoli and Martina Musiari have enjoyed a strong start to the season in their Category 4 Group B Porsche 911. Brazzoli hopes to draw on his wealth of experience from previous Monte Carlo Rally starts to clinch victory this week.

Polish EHRC regular Maciej Lubiak is back for Antibes. The Pole missed Round 2 due to a scheduling conflict in his native Poland but returns with a bang in his Category 2 Porsche 911. Lubiak can set a searing pace when all is working well and will be hoping the roads of the French hills suit his driving style.

Outside the leading drivers, in FIA Category 4 for cars up to 1992, German driver Ron Schumann joins the EHRC for 2025. Schumann demonstrated strong pace on previous outings; with Claudia Harloff alongside, the Team MATS pairing will be another pacesetter to watch this week.

Irishman Alan Ring is also starting his EHRC campaign in France. The BMW M3 driver is always competitive on tarmac and will look to bring home a strong result at Antibes.

In FIA Category 3, the rapid Asturian crew of Jesus Ferreiro Perez and Javi Anido arrive with a maximum points haul from two wins in as many starts. They will have their work cut out to make it a hat-trick, against a strong entry in the up-to-1981 category.

French duo Philippe Mermet and Eric Guignard bring their glorious Renault 5 Turbo Cevennes to Antibes. The powerful rear-wheel-drive Renaults suit twisty tarmac roads and will look to challenge the Escort RS1800 of Perez.

Series regulars Siegfried and Renate Mayr bring their rare Volvo 240 to the event, celebrating Siegfried’s birthday this week. The Volvo may not have the outright speed of its rivals, but the Mayrs’ enthusiastic driving can help them pick up strong points with a good finish.

Joining the 2025 EHRC crowd are Tim Metcalfe and John Connor, veterans of several Antibes starts who will be looking to put that knowledge to good effect this week.

In FIA Category 2, Dumas, Lombardo and Lubiak are expected to set the pace. However, discounting young French driver Tanguy Tailler would be a mistake. Although luck was against Tailler in Costa Brava, he has proven his pace several times before on French events, as has countryman Richard Kolle. Both Porsche drivers can show real speed and cannot be discounted from the podium positions in the category this week.

In FIA Category 1, Italian Antonio Parisi leads the way in his Porsche 911, ahead of Czech veteran Oldrich Kovarik Sr. It is a family affair in Antibes, as Oldrich Kovarik Jnr joins his father. Kovarik Jnr suffered a heartbreaking transmission failure on the previous round but, now repaired, his Group A Škoda Favorit is favourite for the FIA EHRC Front-Wheel-Drive Trophy as well as being a strong contender in the FIA 1600 cc Trophy.

Flexifly Rally Team leader Ernie Graham is keen to win the 1600 cc Trophy. Graham debuted a new BDA-engined 1600 cc Ford Escort in the Czech Republic, but a freak mechanical failure damaged the engine before the start of the first stage. Now repaired, he will look to try again in this rare configuration of the classic Escort.

With nearly 40 entries in the FIA EHRC section of the rally, it is all to play for on the Côte d’Azur!