Abarth is a new manufacturer with its roots in history as the performance arm o f Fiat.
The Italian company won the inaugural Intercontinental Rally Challenge last year with Giandomenico Basso and the all-new Grande Punto Super 2000. This year the team is back with two cars, built and run from the factory in Turin. One will be driven by Andrea Navarra while the other will be shared by Umberto Scandola and Anton Alen, sonof Finnish Rally le gend Markku Alen.

Honda’s renowned engineering pedigree has given the Japanese firm plenty of success on the race track in every category, thanks to ground-breaking innovations that have changed the face of the sport. This year, Honda turns its attention to rallying with the new Civic Type R. Its variable valve-timing V-tec technology allows the Honda to exploit the maximum power from its engine, with the car being developed and built by renowned preparation firm JAS Motorsport in Italy. The Civic has been built with the new R3 regulations in mind, designed by world motor sport’s governing body as a blueprint for the future of rallying.

The Japanese company has been an iconic figure in world rallying for many years, associated with some of the biggest stars that the sport has ever seen. The Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is one of the world’s most popular rally cars, and living proof of the ongoing technology transfer between road and rally cars. This year, Mitsubishi Ralliart Italia has responded to customers’ requests to enter the IRC.

Peugeot is another manufacturer with an illustrious past in rallying and this year the French company’s emphasis switches to Super 2000. Peugeot Spain will contest the 2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge with two factory 207 Super 2000s for Spain’s Enrique Garcia Ojeda and reigning French Rally Champion Nicolas Vouilloz. The 207 Super 2000s will be built in Paris by Peugeot Sport and run by the Borja Moratal team in Spain.

Volkswagen’s entry into the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has come about thanks to Volkswagen South Africa, which originally developed the Super 2000 Polo for use on the South African Rally Championship – one of the pioneers of the Super 2000 formula. Now the car is developed and run by Rene Georges Rallysport in Belgium, where it has starred on several national events. The Polo made its IRC debut in Ypres with asphalt expert Freddy Loix but Volkswagen already has a distinguished history in rallying, thanks also to its well-known Dakar campaign.