Repubblica di San Marino, 4 July 2014 – Three awaited protagonists, three drivers that will battle out the victory in the 42nd San Marino Rally, that is the fifth round of the Italian Rally Championship and the second of the Gravel Trophy. It has been a good day, a two sided day actually, with the Tuscan driver Paolo Andreucci, on Peugeot 208 T16 R5, pushing hard since the two gravel stages and then the Veronese Umberto Scandola on Skoda Fabia Super 2000 trying to close in during the following two stages on tarmac. The latter managed to end the day on top. Among the two, Giandomenico Basso, on GPL powered Ford Fiesta R5 won in the evening the final two stages on tarmac. Scandola is currently leading day one with a 2''9s lead over Paolo Andreucci and 7''8s on Giandomenico Basso. Behind the top three drivers, Simone Campedelli, Ford Fiesta R5, led the pairing fighting for the Italian Gravel Trophy: Renato Travaglia, on Peugeot 207 Super 2000, and Luigi Ricci, who is second on Ford Fiesta R5. The top ten is closed by the good driver from St. Marin Filippo Reggini, Skoda, followed by Mauro Trentin, Subaru Impreza N14, Massimiliano Tonso, Ford Fiesta R5, and Stefano Albertini, on 207 Super 2000 run by Peugeot Rally Junior Team.
The drivers of Aci Team Italia, Alessandro Tolfo, Peugeot 207 Super 2000, from Marostica, and Este's Nicolò Marchioro on Renault Clio R3 ended twelfth and thirteenth respectively. In the Renault Clio R3 Trophy, Mikko Pajunen leads the pack followed by Marchioro and Fabrizio Andolfi Jr., who is another driver enforcing the ACI Team Italia. The final verdicts are awaited for day two, the longest of the rally, that is completely to be run on gravel. Eight stages are still to be run for a total of nearly 70 timed kms on the tricky gravel roads that make this race one of the most difficult of the whole Italian Championship.

Absolute classification of the 42nd San Marino Rally – Day One: 1. Scandola-D'Amore (Skoda Fabia S2000) in 41'10.4; 2. Andreucci-Andreussi (Peugeot 208 T16 R5) at 2.9 ; 3. Basso-Dotta (Ford Fiesta R5 Ldi) at 7.8; 4.Campedelli-Fappani (Ford Fiesta R5) at 1'51.1; 5.Travaglia-Ciucci (Peugeot 207 S2000) at 1'56.0; 6.Ricci-Pfister (Ford Fiesta R5) at 2'01.6; 7. Reggini-Bizzocchi (Skoda Fabia S2000) at 2'42.7; 8. Trentin-De Marco (Subaru Impreza N14) at 2'49.9; 9. Tonso-Stefanelli (Ford Fiesta R5) at 2'52.1 ;10. Albertini-Mazzetti (Peugeot 207 S2000) at 3'16.1.