Legendary World Rally Championship figure Miki Biasion has given his verdict on Lancia’s return to rallying with their new Rally4 project.
The Italian has a rich history with Lancia in his WRC career that started back in 1980. Biasion joined the team in 1986 and spent six years with the manufacturer until his departure in 1991.
In that time, the 66-year-old won 16 of his 17 rallies with Lancia and won the WRC title in 1988 and 1989, both in dominant fashion. Competing in six events in each year, Biasion won five of those rallies in both seasons.
The Italian joined Ford in 1992 and stayed with the team before he retired from the WRC in 1994. Since then, he has remained closely connected to Lancia and was most recently involved in their bid to return to rallying.
Miki Biasion ‘was not sceptical’ about Lancia return during discussions with CEO Luca Napolitano
Lancia, who have won a record 10 WRC constructors’ titles, announced their return to rallying in October, 50 years on from their first title in 1974.
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The manufacturer have built a new two-wheel drive Ypsilon Rally4 car that will compete in the Italian Rally Championship. Lancia have not ruled out the possibility of a future return to the WRC, as they await confirmation of the 2027 technical regulations from the FIA.
The team have confirmed that they will be competing in the European Rally Championship in 2026. Speaking with Motorsport.com Italia, Biasion shared that he ‘was not sceptical’ about the discussions with CEO Luca Napolitano, as he expresses his excitement for Lancia’s return with the ‘sporting history’ he achieved there.
“For me, it’s really very exciting for a simple reason.
“When last year we talked about the project with Luca Napolitano, I wasn’t sceptical but I wasn’t hesitant, because Lancia for me, it was life.
“[It] was my sporting history with Lancia. I’m the driver who won the great number of world rallies with Lancia, so it’s pure history.
“Then this project became reality, we started to think about the car and also to think about a trophy.”
The 2024 WRC champion will be crowned at Rally Japan
In the present day, the WRC title will be decided at the season finale at Rally Japan, as Hyundai teammates Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak battle for the championship.
Neuville leads Tanak by 25 points, giving him a sizeable margin and a slight sense of comfortability heading into the final rally of 2024. The Belgian has never won a WRC title, finishing second five times in his career.
His Estonian teammate won the championship in 2019 and will be searching for his second later this month. Tanak has a ‘superhuman’ ability in title deciders and will be looking to fight Neuville all the way in Japan.
Cyril Abiteboul says Hyundai will support both Neuville and Tanak in Japan, but they will be looking to avoid as much drama on track between the two as possible. The Korean outfit are battling Toyota for the manufacturers’ title, holding a 15-point going into their rival’s home rally.