After a drama-filled weekend, the Finnish duo claimed victory on their debut with the Indian tyre manufacturer’s team in round two of the FIA European Rally Championship. Tempestini missed out on the podium in the final stages. Positive signs from McRae and Csomos.

Veszprém (HU), May 11th, 2025 – Team MRF Tyres leaves Rally Hungary with the top prize, securing overall victory with Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka (FIN), who clinched the win on their very first outing with the team in round two of the FIA European Rally Championship 2025.

Making their debut in the series, Korhonen and Viinikka crossed the finish line 30.1 seconds ahead of their rivals after a rally that once again showcased the strong performance of MRF Tyres on rough and demanding gravel. Of the thirteen special stages contested, MRF Tyres drivers won seven – a key factor that paved the way for the Finnish crew to take a remarkable victory in their first-ever FIA ERC event.

"Feels amazing, I have to say. The last stage was really rough. We had a top package – perfect tyres, fantastic car – I’m really, really happy. Also one important thing: Happy Mother’s Day! It felt like quite a long stage, but we managed" Korhonen said.

The win also moved Team MRF Tyres to the top of the Teams’ standings in the FIA European Rally Championship, now leading with 47 points. The rough and stony roads of Rally Hungary put even the best tyres to the test, making this success technically significant and a clear sign that MRF’s tyre development is playing a key role in the team’s performance.

There was frustration, however, for Simone Tempestini and Sergiu Itu. The Romanian pair, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, made a strong start by winning the opening Super Special Stage and added another stage win on Saturday during the second pass of the 25km-long “Kislőtér” test. They ended the opening leg in third place and continued to fight on Sunday morning, despite losing time after hitting a rock which caused the tyre to come off the rim. Pushing hard to regain podium position, their rally came to an early end with a broken damper just a few kilometres from the end of SS11.

Positive takeaways also came from the other two MRF Tyres crews making their ERC debut with the Team: Max McRae with Cameron Fair (GB), and Miklós Csomós with Attila Nagy (HU), both driving Citroën C3 Rally2 cars. Csomós, a fan favourite on home soil, impressed in SS1 but was sidelined after suffering two tyre-off-the-rim incidents on SS2 and SS3. With only one spare on board, the Hungarian duo was forced to retire.

McRae hit a concrete barrier during the opening Super Special, damaging the rear left suspension. Thanks to an impressive job by his mechanics on Saturday morning, the Scot was able to rejoin the rally and posted encouraging times, consistently running in the top ten. However, with just one stage to go, he was forced to stop due to rear-left suspension damage.

The FIA European Rally Championship will resume at the ERC BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia from May 29–31.