Team MRF Tyres win the 2022 FIA European Rally Championship

Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández of Team MRF Tyres have won the 2022 FIA Europen Rally Championship. This victory is a big deal for Team MRF Tyres as it is the first time ever that an Indian Manufacturer has won the prestigious European Rally championship.

The duo of Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández have been performing consistently despite their rocky start in the first stage of this year's championship. This helped them rack up all the points they needed to be in contention for the title. After Simone Tempestini withdrew himself from the upcoming round — Barum Czech Rally Zlín, victory was imminent for the duo. All the work that has been done to their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo over the course of the rally has really paid dividends allowing the two to push and consistently keep a race-winning pace.

Commenting on the team's victory at the 2022 FIA ERC, Efrén Llarena, said "I have no words, It's a dream - a dream which started four years ago when we were the first crew to compete in the ERC with the colours of Rally Team Spain. We achieved the ERC3 Junior championship and also the ERC3 championship and now, to get the overall title, it's fantastic. This is a very important year for MRF. We tried our best and put all our effort into the tyre development, so I think we worked really hard in one direction. It has been great work from everyone: the engineers, the team and everybody who has been involved.

On Team MRF Tyres becoming the first Indian manufacturer to win the ERC, Arun Mammen, vice-chairman and managing director of MRF Tyres, said "It is a very happy and momentous occasion to capture this first European Rally Championship for us at MRF Tyres. It is a testament to the work put in by our entire team to come up with championship-winning tyres which have performed at the top level in European rallying, thereby showcasing our superior technical capabilities. I would like to congratulate Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández for achieving this feat, and our other drivers who have supported our team in achieving this historic effort. It is indeed a very prestigious and proud moment for us to be crowned FIA European Rally Champions 2022."

It is an incredible feat for an Indian manufacturer to win at a prestigious motorsport event like the FIA ERC, but to win it with two races to go is the icing on the cake. This weekend — August 26-28 will see the drivers blasting through the Barum Czech Rally Zlín stage while the final round — RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada will happen from September 20-22.