The FIA European Historic Rally Championship's Gravel Championship produced another spectacular weekend of competition as the Lahti Historic Rally delivered two days of flat-out action across Finland's world-famous gravel roads. Featuring fast, flowing forest stages, spectacular crests and the gravel championship's strongest entry of the season so far, Round 3 attracted a stellar field of international competitors eager to test themselves against some of the country's finest historic rally specialists. While the demanding conditions challenged crews throughout the event, one driver ultimately proved untouchable on home soil.

Former FIA World Rally Championship star Jari-Matti Latvala produced an impressive performance to claim overall victory alongside co-driver Janni Hussi in their Toyota Celica ST185. Having established a substantial advantage across Friday's opening seven stages despite a minor technical issue, the Finnish pair returned on Saturday determined to convert their overnight lead into victory. However, the rally briefly threatened to swing dramatically midway through the final leg when Latvala suffered a steering rack problem after the morning loop. The Toyota crew managed to nurse the car back to service, where the team worked rapidly to replace the damaged component and return the Celica to the stages. The repairs meant Latvala checked into the next time control late, incurring a one minute and 10 second penalty, but thanks to the sizeable cushion he had built over the opening day, the delay proved little more than a setback. Back at full pace for the remaining stages, Latvala comfortably secured victory by exactly four minutes, underlining both his speed and the resilience of his team in overcoming the rally's biggest challenge.

Behind the runaway leaders, Ireland's Martin McCormack and Irish co-driver Barney Mitchell delivered another superb performance aboard their BMW M3 E30 to secure second overall. The Irish pairing emerged as the strongest international challengers throughout the weekend, showing pace to comfortably retain the runner-up position against an exceptionally competitive field. Their result represents another impressive points haul in the FIA EHRC Gravel Championship and further demonstrates the pace of the rear-wheel-drive BMW on high-speed gravel.

Completing the overall podium was Finland's Marko Rämänen and Sakari Ranki, whose Opel Kadett E GSi 16V proved one of the standout stories of the rally. Despite competing against significantly more powerful machinery, the pair produced a superbly judged drive throughout the weekend to secure an outstanding third place overall, rewarding consistency and commitment with one of the best results of their FIA EHRC careers.

Just missing out on the podium, Austria's Kris Rosenberger and Nicola Januschke-Bleicher guided their Subaru Impreza GT Turbo to fourth overall after another strong performance, while Ville Silvasti rounded out the top five in his spectacular Lancia Rally 037.

Among the other notable performances, defending Lahti Historic Rally winner Marko Uutela recovered well from the delays and penalties suffered on Friday to finish seventh overall, while championship contenders including Jesús Manuel Ferreiro Pérez, Lukas Schindelegger and Christophe Jacob all collected important championship points despite facing the daunting challenge of competing against a formidable home contingent.

The result marks a significant moment in the inaugural FIA EHRC Gravel Championship. Latvala's dominant home victory delighted the Finnish fans lining the stages around Lahti, while also establishing the former World Rally Championship star firmly into the championship battle with just two rounds remaining. With only each crew's best three results counting towards the final standings, every point remains crucial as the championship heads directly to Sweden next weekend for Round 4.

The FIA European Historic Rally Championship continues with Historic Rally Sweden next weekend (28-29 August), where crews will once again tackle demanding gravel stages as the battle for the inaugural FIA EHRC Gravel Championship title gathers momentum.