Unreachable, Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto, Citroen C3 Rally2, dominated the 40th Rally Due Valli and took the title in the Sparco Italian Rally Championship 2022. They first won the opening Power Stage that earned them the title and then won 11 tests out of 11 and deserved to celebrate the title in Piazza Brà. The challenge organized by Automobile Club Verona celebrated its 50th anniversary from the first edition of 1972 was also the penultimate round of the Italian Rally Asphalt Trophy and the closing act of the Rally 3rd Zone Cup and the historic Zone Rally for a total of 187 cars. Nobody could better Crugnola-Ometto, despite the pairing already secured the title after the first two km, they never held anything back and claimed the fourth win in seven rounds with fantastic confidence.

“We are really happy about this splendid season. We have been solid and concrete, did not put a step wrong – an emotional Andrea Crugnola explained at the end - team FPF Sport were impeccable as team Movisport. This is a team victory. We have been more relaxed today and we kept a fast pace without pushing too hard. Thanks to the more relaxed mindset, we completed a perfect race”.

Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai, Hyundai i20 Rally2, tried to challenge them but today they had to settle for P2 at 39.9’’. This seemed to be the best performance of the driver from Treviso, who displayed great syntony with the Korean car. The final podium was a sort of handover with the reigning champion Basso, who won the title in Verona twelve months ago, and Crugnola, that returned to winning ways after the title obtained in 2020. Basso-Granai ended the Sparco CIAR in P3 overtaking Stefano Albertini and Danilo Fappani at the end. The latter ended on the third step of the podium in Verona. The pairing from Brescia in the Skoda Fabia did not seem to be very resolute in the initial part of the rally overnight, gained some pace later on but were never close to the leaders to attack them.

At the feet of the podium, Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksadrov, Skoda. The driver of the World Rally Championship reached Verona with four wins in Italy but had to deal with a technical itinerary like the Due Valli. He suffered a puncture in the evening test and slipped down to the back, but Gryazin confirmed his talent and recovered up to P4. Behind him, two youngsters of ACI Team Italia, both in Skoda Fabia, like Tommaso Ciuffi and Nicolò Gonella that won the Italian Promition Championship and were followed by Damiano De Tommaso and Massimo Bizzocchi. They were the main rivals of Crugnola but the fourth place in the Power Stage put the word end to their victory dreams and this might have affected the performance of the driver in a rally where he has never been at ease in the Czech Rally2 car.

The Rally Due Valli has been eventful regarding the Asphalt Trophy. The victory went to Corrado Pinzano and Marco Zegna, Volkswagen Polo Rally 2. This was the second win of the season after that claimed at home at the Rally Lana. The driver from Biella, which was third, managed to get the most out of the delay of Simone Campedelli, who was much awaited on the tarmac with Tania Canton at the notes in the Skoda Fabia. This was the chance to get the lead of the CIRA’s classification back but after a good start and four best scratches in a row he had a puncture in the SS6 “Vestenavecchia” that made him lose 2’50s’. A recovery, with 8 tests won, allowed Campedelli to get P4 which earned him the points to get close to the leader Marco Signor. The second place in the Asphalt trophy went to Giuseppe Testa and Emanuele Inglesi, Skoda. They battled with Pinzano-Zegna in the closing stages. The driver from Molise settled for a placing that kept him in the fight for the title at the Trofeo ACI Como and allowed him to win the Michelin Rally Cup. Campedelli, Pinzano and Testa in the order will fight for the Asphalt trophy at the end of the month on the benches of the Lake Como against the absent Signor and Corrado Fontana. The third place on the CIRA podium went to Andrea Carella and Manuel Fenoli, who struggled too early to fight for the top. Behind them, the top ten was rounded off by the Argentine Paulo Soria and the Spaniard Axel Coronado, at his first experience in the Skoda Fabia.

The Rally Junior Championship lived its closing act on this occasion. The victory and the title went to Alessandro Casella and Rosario Siragusano, that were the fastest among the talents of ACI Team Italia, all in the Renault Clio Rally4 managed by Motorsport Italia and fitting Pirelli tyres. The challenge among the Juniors has been intense until the end with four contenders exchanging on top. Edoardo De Antoni and Martina Musiari started off very well winning the Power Stage but were slowed down by an external car caught up in the stage first and by a puncture then in the closing test of Friday. Mattia Zanin and Fabio Pizzol came then to the fore posting the best time in the second test and leading until the following morning. Davide Nicelli Jr. and Tiziano Pieri bounced back then taking the provisional lead thanks to two stages win. Finally, Casella got the lead in the penultimate stage and kept it in the closing test. The second place overall went therefore to Zanin-Pizzol at 7.3’’, which stripped Nicelli-Pieri of the title as they ended at 11.9’’. They would have needed P2 to win the title.

The Rally Due Valli was the penultimate round of the Suzuki Rally Cup and the last round on the tarmac. The very young driver Igor Iani, who already won the Under 25 classification, claimed the second win of the season with Nicola Puliani in the Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid. Matteo Giordano already won the title, with Manuela Siragusa and ended second at 28.1’’. The third place went to Roberto Pellé and Giulia Luraschi on another Hybrid at 1’53.8. Massimiliano and Marco Milivinti claimed their maiden win in the Racing Start category. They are also Under 25 and managed to keep their chance open for the title that will be decided in the closing round at the Rally delle Marche on gravel.

 

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

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 40TH RALLY DUE VALLI: 1. Crugnola-Ometto (Citroen C3 R5) in 1:18'10.1; 2. Basso-Granai (Hyundai I 20 N) at 39.9; 3. Albertini-Fappani (Skoda Fabia Evo) at 1'19.1; 4. Gryazyn-Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia R5) at 1'38.3; 5. Ciuffi-Gonella (Skoda Fabia Evo) at 2'06.9; 6. De Tommaso-Bizzocchi (Skoda Fabia R5) at 2'20.4; 7. Pinzano-Zegna (Volkswagen Polo GTI) at 2'35.9; 8. Testa-Inglesi (Skoda Fabia Evo 2) at 2'41.6; 9. Carella-Fenoli (Skoda Fabia R5) at 3'23.2; 10. Soria Sanchez-Coronado Jimenez (Skoda Fabia Evo) at 4'18.3;

CIAR SPARCO: 1. Crugnola 145,5pt; 2. De Tommaso 105pt; 3. Basso 74,5pt; 4. Albertini 74pt; 5. Andolfi 69pt; 6. Ciuffi 36,5pt; 7. Scattolon 31pt; 8. Michelini 14,5pt; 9. Rusce 12pt; 10. Miele, Sulpizio, Profeta 6pt;

CIAR JUNIOR: 1. Casella 101pt; 2. Nicelli 97pt; 3.Zanin 89pt; 4. De Antoni 73pt; 5. Ceriali 40pt; 6. De Nuzzo 32pt; 7. Solitro 27pt; Carra 19pt

CIR ASPHALT: 1. Signor 58pt; 2. Campedelli 57,5pt; 3. Pinzano 53pt; 4. Fontana 51,5pt; 5. Testa 48pt; 6. Carella 41,5pt; 7. Aragno 17pt

CIRA CALENDAR 2022: April 22 - 23 | Rallye Elba; May 27 - 28 | Rally del Salento (coeff. 1,5); June 17 - 18 | Rally della Marca Trevigiana; July 29 - 30 | Rally della Lana; September 9 - 10 | Rallye San Martino di Castrozza; October 7-8 | 40° Rally Due Valli; October 20 - 23 | Rally ACI Como (coeff. 1,5)

 

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