The sun, a very numerous crowd and the amazing landscapes of Sardinia were the frame of the race organized by the Great Events Sardinia, the third round of the Italian Rally Championship and the second round of the Rally Terra Trophy, the two series organized by CSAI.
Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi on the Peugeot 207 S2000 lined up by Racing Lions won the 30th Rally Costa Smeralda, setting the pace in four of the eight stages on the challenging dirt roads of Sardinia.
The couple on the Peugeot 207 S2000 strengthen the leadership in the Italian Rally Championship thanks to the third victory in three races: "It has been a very nice and very demanding race" commented Andreucci at the end of the race. "In day two we feared for the stones surfacing after the passage of WRC cars. They were a real threat."
The second position went to the young driver from Verona Umberto Scandola and his navigator Guido D´Amore with the couple confirming their value and that of the Ford Fiesta S2000 of Team A-Style, with which they won the second and the second-last stage and always fought for top positions. "It has been a thrilling race" - Scandola commented - "in which we had very good results. We feared to void everything for some engine problems in the last stage". Third on the podium were the Abarth couple made by Luca Rossetti and Matteo Chiarcossi that used all their experience to get everything out of their Grande Punto winning the thitd stage even if they had hoped for something more: "Certainly in terms of championship we harvested some very useful points" - Rossetti commented - "even if we hoped for something more in this very nice race ".
At the feet of the podium gaps get wider and wider. The fourth position in the absolute classification was taken by the first driver in the Rally Terra Trophy, Mauro Trentin sided by Alice De Marco. The couple led their race trying to harvest as many points as possible in the dirt road series, ready to get the lead when Piero Longhi was forced to the retirement due to a problem to the engine support of his Peugeot 207. Brilliant was the fifth place in the race and top of the standings in the two wheeled cars for the official Citroen DS 3 R3T given to the good Simone Campedelli, who was constantly under the spotlight and author of good times in all stages, after some twicking in the initial stages of the race. The sixth position went to Alessandro Perico, at his seventh race on dirt roads and avoided to take too many risks looking at the C.I.R.at the wheel of his Peugeot 207 S2000 - PA Racing.
Seventh absolute position and second in the Terra Trophy for Giuseppe Dettori, at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta S2000, author of a very good home race. Should he have not been penalyzed by more than three minutes at the end of the first stage he could have finished close to the podium. The eighth and ninth position went to the biggest contenders of the Italian Rally Production Championship, both on Mitsubishi, Lanacer EVO IX for Fabio Gianfico and EVO X for Maurizio Angrisani. The latter was a bit nervous at the beginning as he was not used to dirt roads. The top ten was completed by Massimiliano Tonso who also gained some important points for the Rally Terra Trophy at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta S2000. Full points in the two wheeled cars in the T.R.T. for Alessandro Uliana on Ford Fiesta R2.
Eminent retirements in stage 4 for Mikkelsen on Skoda Fabia, after the victory in stage 2, and Andrea Aghini on Peugeot 207. Piero Longhi and his Peugeot 207 S2000 had similar fortune in stage 6.
The top ten classification follows: 1. P. Andreucci - A . Andreussi (Peugeot 207 S2000) in 1:33'13.6; 2. U. Scandola - G. D´Amore (Ford Fiesta S2000) at 35.7; 3. L. Rossetti - M. Chiarcossi (Grande Punto S2000) at 38.5; 4. M.Trentin - A. De Marco (Peugeot 207 S2000) at 6´46.5; 5. S. Campedelli - D. Fappani (Citroen DS3) at 6´50.0; 6. A. Perico - F. Carrara (Peugeot 207 S2000) at 6´54.7; 7. G. Dettori - M. Corda (Ford Fiesta S2000) at 7´23.5; 8. F. Gianfico - R. Tolino (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX ) at 8´08.6; 9.M. Angrisani - M. Pollicino (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) at 10´06.9; 10. M. Tonso - M. Barone ( Ford Fiesta S2000) at 10´35.9.
