Miguel Fuster controlled the Rally de Valencia to secure his seventh Spanish asphalt title at 55, eight years after his previous crown. Alberto Ordóñez’s Lancia debut showed pace before a puncture ended his challenge.
Eight years after stepping away from competition with six national titles, Miguel Fuster returned to the top with an unchallenged lead in Valencia. The 55-year-old sealed his seventh CERA crown at the Rally de Valencia, an unusually long gap between titles in the discipline. Fuster and co-driver Diego Fuentes secured the title in the XXVI Rallye Ciudad de Valencia Memorial Javi Sanz, the penultimate round of the 2026 season.
Skoda’s success extended beyond Fuster. A week after securing its fourth manufacturers’ crown in the Supercampeonato de España de Rallies, the marque added the Spanish asphalt title. Fuster’s victory was his seventh national asphalt championship, leaving him one title behind Antonio Zanini and Chus Puras, Cadena SER’s Radio Benidorm reported.
Fuster retired at the end of 2018. His latest comeback attempt gained traction with Recalvi Team, which he joined at the beginning of 2025. The team put him in the Fabia RS Rally2 previously driven by ‘Cohete’ to the title in Catalonia a year earlier, when he was still with the Vigo-based squad.
The partnership found its pace quickly. Fuster came close to winning on his Rally La Llana debut in April and took victory at the 55 Rallye de la Vendimia in Extremadura at the end of June. In Valencia, he dominated. His Vendimia win moved him into the championship lead. Valencia marked the asphalt series’ return after a four-month pause and the start of its final stretch. He claimed this unusual title at 55, eight years after his previous one.
Valencia also brought the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale into the CERA. Alberto Ordóñez, Diego Ruiloba’s fellow Asturian and a new teammate under the Italian marque, took the lead from the start and set several fastest stage times. Ordóñez and co-driver Pablo Sánchez won the opening stage, giving the Lancia its first CERA-Recalvi stage win. Fuster had also tested the new Lancia during the official pre-event test, while continuing his championship campaign in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, the RFEDA reported.
A puncture at the beginning of the second stage ended Ordóñez’s chance to keep pressuring Fuster. Ordóñez and Sánchez went on to claim five more stage wins but finished fourth. The Lancia’s first CERA outing showed promise, but Fuster faced no serious opposition as he secured the title in the Škoda. Automovilismo Canario reported that the puncture had cut short the Lancia crew’s challenge.
