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Top European Rally title for Honda pair

Despite not competing in last weekend's San Remo Rally - the penultimate round of this year's ERC - Hungarian duo Zoltan Bessenyey and co-driver Yulianna Nyirfas have clinched both driver and co-driver titles in the two-wheel-drive category.

With their closest rivals failing to score sufficient points to keep the 2WD title race alive, the Honda Civic Type R team can now not be overhauled in next month's final round to be staged in Switzerland.

This year's campaign was won against stiff opposition and has been full of memorable performances. Battling through fog, mud, wet gravel and rain, the Hungarian pair took class honours in the SATA Rallye Açores and delivered another strong result when finishing second in the Rally Croatia. The Honda Civic Type R showed remarkable stamina as well as speed, posting seven finishes from seven starts.

The 2013 ERC 2WD driver and co-driver titles add to Honda's growing success in international rallying. In 2011 Honda won the 2WD Manufacturer's Cup in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the precursor of the ERC.