The World Rally Championship is coming to Rallylegend 2026 with the official presence of M-Sport Ford WRT, which will bring to San Marino the Puma Rally1 driven by Martiņš Sesks. Alongside the British team will be Lancia Corse HF, fielding two Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale cars. Organizers have also revealed that an agreement is being finalized for the participation of a second World Rally Championship team, whose name will be announced in the coming days.
The Puma Rally1 will arrive in San Marino straight from the Italian round of the World Championship in Sardinia. Sesks, chosen by M-Sport Ford for Rallylegend, will compete from Thursday to Saturday in the Legend Stars, while on Sunday he will take part in the Memorial Bettega alongside three other drivers to be revealed in the coming days. “I’ve watched Rallylegend videos so many times over the years — it’s a truly iconic place, where all the fans come together and put on a great show. That’s why it was such wonderful news to find out I’ll be driving there this year with the Puma Rally1. It will be a special end to the season for the car, and I can’t wait to experience it,” said the Latvian driver.
One of the main highlights is the official return of Lancia, which will bring the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale to Rallylegend for the first time. Two cars will take part: the first will be driven by Nikolay Gryazin, currently competing in WRC2, entered in San Marino with the car run by the F.P.F. Sport team; the second will be driven by Rachele Somaschini, returning to competition after taking part in the 2026 Dakar Classic.
“Being present at Rallylegend with two Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale cars holds special meaning for Lancia. Rallylegend is a unique event, capable of bringing together different generations of fans and telling the extraordinary story of Lancia in rallying, connecting it with the present and the future,” said Luca Martello of Lancia Corse HF. “For us, this is another important step in Lancia’s return to competition. We want to be protagonists at events with a strong connection to our history and our fans, giving even more visibility to our project and, above all, sharing with supporters the excitement of seeing Lancia competition cars in action once again. Rallylegend, with its unique atmosphere and the presence of cars and drivers who wrote rallying history, is the ideal place to do that.”
The 2026 edition will also mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Group B era. More than twenty cars have already been entered, either taking part in the race or on display at the Rallylegend Village. Several drivers who symbolized that era will also return to the special stages: Stig Blomqvist with the Audi Quattro, Juha Kankkunen with the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, and Miki Biasion and Markku Alén with the Lancia Delta S4.
“Having an official Rally1 car competing, driven by a driver of Martiņš Sesks’s caliber, further raises the sporting level of Rallylegend,” commented organizer Paolo Valli. “And we’re not talking about an isolated entry: I’m thinking of the quality that continues to build for the Memorial Bettega and for the Group B category, with drivers who made rallying history behind the wheel of the very cars they won with. These are ingredients that make this edition special from a sporting perspective too.”
Organizer Vito Piarulli also commented on the event’s growing international dimension: “Bringing an official team of M-Sport Ford’s caliber to Rallylegend is another sign of our event’s international growth. We know how much our audience was hoping for news like this, and we’re proud to be able to announce it alongside Lancia’s return and such a rich Group B celebration. More confirmations and important names will follow in the coming days, because Rallylegend keeps opening up to a wider audience and to the world of rallying at every level.”
