Sanremo, Saturday April 13th, 2019 - Craig Breen and Paul Nagle, Skoda Fabia R5, win the 66th Rallye Sanremo, an event organized by Automobile Club del Ponente Ligure, a very challenging and spectacular rally that has historically held the sting in the tail. This is what happened this year too, as the Irish driver of Metior Sport managed to get past Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton in the last test as the pair kept the lead for a long time on the Ford Fiesta R5 run by Orange1 Racing.

The Italian won five of the ten stages reaching the closing test with an advantage to Breen of 11s. The closing 34,45 km stage was run under bad weather with rain and fog mixing with dry patches and the Irish driver managed to put in an extraordinary time that allowed him to clinch the win.

The third overall place went to Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai on Skoda Fabia R5 run by Loran and DP Sport. The Italian driver run a strong race and the third step of the podium allowed him to retain the classification lead by just one point on Campedelli.

The Rallye Sanremo confirmed its nature of nice and difficult race as unpredictable weather affected the whole event.

The fourth place went to Luca Rossetti and Eleonora Mori on the works C3 R5. The Citroen Italia’s driver struggled due to the conditions as he still does not have enough experience on this car that has a very high potential still to be discovered.

Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Ometto were fifth and first of the CIR Asphalt Trophy confirming their speed. The top ten of the 66th Rallye Sanremo was rounded off by the good French Franceschi and the other protagonists of the Asphalt Trophy: Giacomo Scattolon, Skoda, Kevin Gilardoni, Hyundai I20 R5, as Franceschi followed on Skoda Fabia R5.

In the first round of CIR Junior Marco Pollara managed to recover the gap of day one and kept the lead among the under on Ford Fiesta R2B fitting Pirelli tyres.

That was a really nice opener for the young drivers followed Motorsport Italia with ACI Team Italia. Behind the winner were Giorgio Bernardi and Mattia Vita.

In the 2WD Championship, Tommaso Ciuffi and Nicolò Gonella, put in a virtually perfect race in their maiden appearance at Sanremo and ended on top despite the attacks of Luca Panzani and Francesco Pinelli’s Ford Fiesta. Fabio Poggio claimed the second win in the Suzuki Rally Cup at the end of a fight with the other Swift R1B. In the Peugeot Competition Trophy, the victory went to the Peugeot 208 R2 driven by Davide Nicelli.

FINAL CLASSIFICATION 66TH RALLYE SANREMO: 1. Breen-Nagle (Skoda Fabia R5) in 1:40’42.3; 2.Campedelli-Canton (Ford Fiesta R5) at 4.3; 3. Basso-Granai (Skoda Fabia R5) at 32.9; 4. Rossetti-Mori (Citroen C3 R5) at 1’00.0; 5. Crugnola-Ometto (Volkswagen Polo R5) at 1’17.9; 6. Franceschi-Haut Labourdette (Skoda Fabia R5) at 2’53.1; 7. Michelini-Perna (Skoda Fabia R5) at 4’07.0; 8. Habaj - Dymurski (Skoda Fabia R5) at 4’40.0; 9. Rusce-Farnocchia (Volkswagen Polo R5) at 5’15.5; 10. Scattolon-Nobili (Skoda Fabia R5) at 5’48.5.

CIR OVERALL CLASSIFICATION: Basso 25; Campedelli 24; Breen 23; Rossetti 18.

CIRA CLASSIFICATION: Michelini 24; Rusce 20; Albertini 21; Gilardoni 14.

CONSTRUCTORS CLASSIFICATION: Ford 24; Citroen Italia 18.

CIR JUNIOR CLASSIFICATION: Pollara 15; Bernardi 12; Vita 10.

CIR 2WD CLASSIFICATION: Ciuffi 30; Panzani 24; Nicelli 20.