Rome, Thursday 22 September 2016 – An important event but also a sports event that will allow all the fans of the “Eternal City” to watch live the best of Italian rally. The fourth edition of the Rally Roma Capitale, race organized by Motorsport Italia will kick off tomorrow. The start will be given at the “Euroma 2 Shopping Experience” mall at 17.31 with all drivers that will then head to Rome’s city center.

At the “Colosseo Quadrato”, Eur zone, the first stage will get green lights at 18.23, with the spectacular “one-on-one raec that will be repeated on Saturday September 24th at 16.00.

This is going to be the first act of a long race that will see the protagonists challenging each other in a three-days exciting battle with fifteen Stages for a total of 151.75 competitive km, on a total itinerary of 804,97 km in between the provinces of Rome and Frosinone.

These are the added values of this high profile race that will reach its conclusion on Saturday 25th afternoon with prize ceremony at the Euroma2 Shopping Experience from 17.01.

The race will also be valid, alongside the Italian Rally Championship, for the Italian Junior, for the Italian Rally Asphalt and for the Italian Cup and will have 65 entered cars.

The Italian Rally Championship will live its penultimate round of the season in Rome, as all the main protagonists will challenge each other for the win. The current Championship leader Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai on Ford Fiesta R5 will try to keep the edge over rivals as they now stand at 69.75pts after the wins taken at the San Marino and Friuli Venezia Giulia rallies.

Behind BRC’s driver, Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi follow 2.25 points short on Peugeot 208 T16 R5. They are second in the drivers classification but ready to charge for the lead. Skoda Italia Motorsport’s crew will also be present in Rome with Umberto Scandola, and Guido D'Amore, that are third in the standings at 61 points on the Fabia R5.

In CIR, Simone Campedelli is awaited to a strong race on the GPL Ford Fiesta R5 with Orange1 colors. Also at the start the good Simone Tempestini, on Fiesta R5 fitting Hankook tyres and Alessandro Perico, that is ready to counter-charge after the DNF in Friuli on the Peugeot 208 T16 R5. Perico, Tempestini, Michele Tassone (Peugeot 208 T16 R5), Gabriele Ciavarella (Ford Fiesta R5) and Andrea Vineis (Peugeot 208 R2) are all in the fight for the Italian Asphalt Rally Trophy.

This event will also be the penultimate round of the Italian Rally Junior Championship. The battle among the Peugeot 208 R2 driven by Giuseppe Testa and Marco Pollara announced to be exciting. The driver from Molise is leading the Sicilian by 10 points. At the start also on Peugeot 208 R2, Andrea Mazzocchi-Silvia Gallotti and Beatrice Calvi-Miriam Marchetti. The female crew will also compete to get the women trophy lead off Corinne Federighi.

The Italian R1 Championship will see on track Jacopo Lucarelli, the Under 25 Lorenzo Coppe, Stefano Martinelli, Sergio Denaro and Daniele Chiaudrero also fighting for the Suzuki Rally Trophy and the little Renault Twingo R1 of Emanuele Rosso, Riccardo Canzian and Deborah Sartori.

The Renault Clio R3T trophy will see Luca Panzani with Sara Baldacci and Kevin Gilardoni with Corrado Bonato on track.

Among the most awaited presences in Rome, the expert Renato Travaglia with Massimo Nalli at the notes with the debut of the Suzuki Baleno SR R1A and the Japanese cres Tomoyuki Shinikai - Ayumi Urushido on Fiat Abarth 500 R3T.

The Shakedown is scheduled for tomorrow in the Rocca Priora zone from 8.30 to 12.30.

In the picture: Podium of 2015 Rally Roma Capitale and spectacle stage at Colosseo Quadrato.