The Sparco Italian Rally 2022 Championship is heading fast to the second exit of the year at the Rallye Sanremo. The City of the Flowers is gearing up to host the 69th edition of the rally organized by AC Ponente Ligure, on April 8th and 9th. This event is a classic appointment of international rallying – this year at an earlier date than usual – and will be the opener of the heavily renewed junior category by ACI Sport CIAR Junior that will include six rounds. A lot of spectacle is ahead as over 130 cars are entered in the event with 80 challengers in the highest series that will be joined – only on Saturday – by 58 crews that will contest the 14th Sanremo Legends, which is valid as the second round of the Rally Cup 2nd Zone. This is going to be a happy occasion as fans will be allowed at Sanremo also in Service Park, Starting and Closing Ceremony under the famous stairs of the Casinò of Sanremo, provided they have the basic green pass, wear face masks and follow social distancing regulations.

THE PROGRAM IN A NUTSHELL| The liasion is completely on the tarmac and includes 461,89 kms, 122,81 of which competitive split in 11 stages and two days. The program will be interesting from the beginning on Friday with the shakedown at local 8:00, in San Romolo, before the start from Corso Imperatrice at 14.00. The first part of the competition will include 5 tests for a total of 52 competitive kms starting from the short Power Stage “Vigne di Bajardo” (2,27 km | SSS1 at 15.00) that will be followed by two loops (also in the night) of the “Vignai” (14,23 km | SS2 at 17.24, SS4 at 20.09) and “Bignone” (10,51 km | SS3 at 17.50, SS5 at 20.35). Leg two will be longer on Saturday and will include 71 kms in 6 tests. These will include two loops of the “Passo Teglia” (9,17 km | SS6 at 10,32 and SS9 at 15.08), “Langan” (19 km | SS7 at 10.54 and SS10 at 15.30) and “Semoigo” (7,36 km | SS8 oat 11.53 and SS11 at 16.29). The end of the rally will be at 17.20 at the Casinò.

THE BIGS OF THE ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP | Eighty, high-quality crews entered the event valid for the Sparco CIAR, 19 of which were on Rally2 cars, among these are all the best of the championship. The classification is currently led by the Citroen C3 #1 of Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Ometto. The pairing reaches Liguria at 23 points but have never won here; they came close to the victory last year even though the great performance in Ciocco is quite a good starting point. The reaction of the most credited pairings is awaited though. The first of the chasers are Damiano De Tommaso and Giorgia Ascalone, Skoda Fabia Rally2, that are second overall with 15 points. In Tuscany, they have been the only ones to challenge Crugnola. Reigning champions Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai, Hyundai i20, will try to step it up as they are now third at 15 points. They got to grips with the new technical package only in the closing stages of the Ciocco and now are looking for some more continuity. The Italian driver already has three wins at Sanremo under his belt, but the last dates back to 2013. The four on top of the Sparco CIAR are all members of the ACI Team Italian and also include Stefano Albertini and Danilo Fappani, that were never happy with the feeling in their Skoda, but are among the ones that can fight for the top.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATERIAL |The novelty that could turn the Championship upside down is the comeback of Craig Breen. The Irish driver of the World Rally Championship is now a Ford M-Sport official driver and decided to come back to the Italian championship ahead of the race that he won in the past two editions. This time around he will debut on a Ford Fiesta Rally2 with his fellow countryman John Rowan at the notes. Another welcome novelty is the participation of Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian driver famous in WRC will be transparent for the classification as he is not entered in the CIAR, but he could aim to win in the Citroen C3 Rally2 shared with the Swede Patrick Barth.

OVERALL AND PROMOTION | A good number of Italian top drivers certainly have what it takes to get on the overall podium as well as on that of the Italian Rally Promotion, the special series reserved for drivers that have never won in the overall. Behind the leader De Tommaso, Rudy Michelini and Michele Perna, Volkswagen Polo, have already a lot of experience in Saremo as ACI Team Italia’s Giacomo Scattolon, Skoda, who will celebrate the 300th rally of his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini. Fabio Andolfi in the Skoda with Manuel Fenoli will try to bounce back on the home turf after the first exit turned out to be more difficult than expected. Tommaso Ciuffi and co-driver Nicolò Gonella, Skoda, of ACI Team Italia will also try to bounce back. Among this good group of youngsters is also Christopher Lucchesi Jr., who will be navigated by his mum Titti Ghilardi, at the second presence in the 4WD Skoda Fabia, and Alessio Profeta, for the first time navigated by Silvia Croce, also on the Fabia Rally2. The experienced Antonio Rusce will also be in the game with the co-driver Giulia Paganoni in the new Hyundai i20.

A new entry in the Italian Production is Simone Miele with Eleonora Mori in the Skoda. After several seasons in the Citroen DS3 WRC, they switched to the higher class following a test in the Rally2 car at the Ronde Val Merula, where they came second overall.

2WD | The drivers entered in the Italian 2WD Championship are also quite numerous. This category is currently led by Gianandrea Pisani, who had the upper hand in Ciocco. The driver navigated by Fabrizio Vecoli will raise the bar in the Peugeot 208 as he will have to confirm the lead and defend himself from the attacks moved by several Rally4 drivers, especially the youngest ones. Among these, Andrea Mabellini with Virginia Lenzi, Renault Clio. They have been very effective and came second in Garfagnan. Among the quickest, another good novelty of this season is Stefano Santero, who came fourth also on a French Rally4 car, with Mirko Pelagantini at the notes. Luca Bottarelli will have to increase his pace after the adaptation of the opening round in the 208 shared with Walter Pasini. All the other rivals of the 2WD CIAR will be in a Peugeot 208, like Christian Tiramani with Enrico Bracchi, Fabio Farina with Gabriele Zanni, Nicola Cazzaro with Sergio Raccuia at the notes. Other more experienced drivers but at their debut on the roads of the Italian championship are Fabrizio Giovanella with Andrea Dresti, that retired early from Ciocco, Pierluigi Maurino with Andrea Bruno, Emanuele Fiore who is at the third participation in the home race with Andrea Casalini.

THE OPENER OF THE JUNIOR CIAR | The Italian Rally Junior Championship will debut in Sanremo. After the presentation at the end of March in the Rome city centre and collective tests held in the past few days, the Championship reserved for the under 28 drivers is ready for the challenge. The Rallye Sanremo is the first of the six rounds on the calendar: four of which will be on tarmac, with Roma Capitale, 1000 Miglia and Due Valli that will follow the two rounds on gravel at Adriatico and San Marino, which are the second and third round of the Italian Gravel Trophy.

The ACI Team Italia’s lineup will include 10 crews in the new Renault Clio Rally 5 managed uniquely by Motorsport Italia, with Pirelli tyres and Sparco safety devices. At first look, the group seems to be split in experienced drivers and rookies. Three drivers will be in their second year in the Junior like Alessandro Casella (class ’94) with Rosario Siragusano, that won in Sanremo and fought for 2021 until the closing test, Guglielmo De Nuzzo (‘95) with Fabio Grimaldi, that came fifth here in 2021, Davide Porta (‘01) with Marco Demontis, that will try to bounce back from the retirement at the latest Sanremo. Among the more experienced are Davide Nicelli (’94), with Tiziano Pieri, that are currently leading the R1 Italian Championship. They were the only ones present at Ciocco in the new Clio, the same car with which they won the Renault single-make trophy.

Several new entries will be present too, some of which have already competed in other categories like Mattia Zanin (‘01), who comes from the Renault trophy, with Fabio Pizzol at the notes, Edoardo De Antoni (’97) with Martina Musiari, that contested the Toyota GR Yaris Rally Cup last year, and Davide Gianaroli (’99) with Alessio Spezzani, that entered the Junior following the victory in the National Final of the CRZ Under 25 2WD. The other crews are rookies like Sara Carra (’93) – the first woman in CIAR Junior – with Giovanni Barbaro, Fabio Solitro (’98) with Rosario Navarra, both already present at Sanremo last year. The entry list is completed by Matteo Ceriali (’99) with Luca Ferraris, that took part in several rounds of the season last year.

THE SECOND ROUND OF THE SUZUKI TROPHY| The Swift Rally5 will compete for the second round of the Suzuki Rally Cup. The entry list of the Japanese single-make trophy is growing and in Saremo it will count 14 1.0 Boosterjet, Sport 1.6, which is the latest Sport Hybrid. The pack is currently led by Matteo Giordano, who will have to fend off rivals like the experienced Giorgio Fichera, who is currently second, Roberto Pellé and Igor Iani among the others.

THE SANREMO LIVE | The Rallye Sanremo will be covered live by ACI Sport TV in all its main moments. The great show is the Power Stage, la SSS1 “Vigne di Bajardo” that will be integrally covered from local 14.55 on RAI Sport ch.57 FreeView and ACI Sport TV ch.228 SAT. All the rest will be available on the Italian TV dedicated to motorsport and all its platforms on the web www.acisport.it, Facebook @ACISportTV and @CIRally, and on channel 402 of FreeView. Several live coverages are scheduled on the occasion of the shakedown, and the stage end “Bignone” and “Passo Teglia”, as well as both loops of the “Semoigo” test.

CIAR SPARCO CLASSIFICATION: 1. Crugnola (Citroen C3 Rally2) 23pt; 2. De Tommaso (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 15pt; 3. Basso (Hyundai i20 NRally2) 12pt; 4. Albertini (Skoda Fabia Rally 2) 11pt; 5. Michelini (Volkswagen Polo GTI Rally2) 10pt; 6. Scattolon (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 6pt; 7. Andolfi (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 4pt; 8. Ciuffi (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 3pt; 9. Rusce (Hyundai i20 NRally2) 1pt

CIRP CLASSIFICATION: 1. De Tommaso (Skoda Fabia) 20pt; 2. Michelini (Volkswagen Polo) 218pt; 3. Andolfi - Scattolon (Skoda) 12pt: 5. Ciuffi (Skoda) 9 pt; 6.Rusce (Hyundai i20) 6pt; 7. Lucchesi (Skoda) 4pt; 8. Profeta (Skoda) 3pt; 9. Mabellini (Renault Clio Rally4) 2pt

CIR 2WD CLASSIFICATION: 1. Pisani (Peugeot 208 Rally4) 15pt; 2. Mabellini (Renault Clio Rally4) 12pt; 3. Campanaro (Ford Fiesta Rally4) 10pt; 4. Santero (Peugeot 208 Rally) 8pt; 5. Bottarelli (Peugeot 208 Rally4) 6pt; 6. Tiramani (Peugeot 208 Rally4) 5pt; 7. Fiore 4pt; 8. Cazzaro (Peugeot 208 Rally4) 3pt

CIR CONSTRUCTORS: Skoda 20 pt; Citroen 15 pt; Hyundai 11 pt; Volkswagen 6 pt

ITALIAN RALLY SPARCO 2022 CALENDAR: March 4-5 | 45th Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio; April 8-9 | 69th Rallye Sanremo; May 6-7 | 106th Targa Florio (coeff. 1,5); June 24-25 | 16° Rally di Alba; July 22-24 | Rally di Roma Capitale; August 26-27 | 45th Rally 1000 Miglia; October 7-8 | 40th Rally Due Valli Coeff. 1,5

 

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