The unique atmosphere of the Capital City and the magical background of the Colosseum offered the stage for the introduction of the Campionato Italiano Assoluto Rally Junior 2023. During the ceremony, Automobile Club d’Italia with ACI Sport, supported by Motorsport Italia – the technical partner and organizer of the youth series – unveiled the details of the seasonal project reserved for Under 28 rally drivers. There will be 12 crews representing ACI Team Italia – the National Team – that will face each other in six rounds (four rounds on tarmac and two rounds on gravel) at the wheel of Renault Clio Rally 5 fitted with Pirelli tyres. But it will not only be a question of pure sporting competition but also of a growth path for which the Scuola Federale ACI Sport "Michele Alboreto" will once again have an essential role in supporting the drivers. The school will once again propose its educational program during the year.

The evening started in Largo Agnesi, right under the Anfiteatro Flavio, has opened with the speech by Alessandro Onorato – the Great Event Coumncilor of the Municipality of Rome – then followed by the President of the Automobile Club d’Italia Angelo Sticchi Damiani and the ACI Secretary General Gerardo Capozza, the President of CONI Giovanni Malagò, the ACI Central Director of the Four-wheel Motorsport Marco Ferrari, the General Director of ACI Sport Marco Rogano, the President of the Automobile Club Roma Giuseppina Fusco and the President of Motorsport Italia Max Rendina.

12 NEW CREWS | The excellent technical package from the last season has remained unchanged, but there is a new drivers line-up, two more than the previous editions. New faces have been introduced and some of them were already appreciated in several local series and single-brand trophies. Among the youngest there are two nineteen-year-olds, Francesco Dei Ceci from Ceccano, joined by Marco Lepore, and Niko La Notte from Arezzo, joined by Matteo Zaramella. The latter was already a junior athlete of the Scuola Federale during the Stage Off Road ACI Sport in 2022. There are also two 2003 class drivers as Matteo Doretto, flanked by Andrea Budoia, Geronimo Nerobutto with his sister Francesca and Marco Zanin, already winner of CRZ in Rally5 category – Mattia’s brother, who is involved with ACI Team Italia in the FIA ERC Junior – who will be flanked by Massimo Moriconi. Salvatore Pio Scanella (2001), still together with Francesco Galipò, took advantage of the prize money won in the Under 25 category in the Finale di Coppa Italia Rally 2022. Davide Pesavento, with Marco Frigo, and Mattia Menegaldo, joined by Tiziano Pieri, have also been introduced. There is also the 22-year-old Igor Iani, who has already taken part in Suzuki Rally Cup always together with co-driver Nicola Puliani. Then the class ’98 drivers as Riccardo Pederzani – the only one who joined the Junior Championship two years ago – flanked by Edoardo Brovelli as always, and Filippo Peduzzi with Samuele Pellegrino, after some experiences on the gravel. Antonio Gudenzi (1997) with Marco Demontis completes the team.

THE CALENDAR | Also for the 2023 season the CIAR Junior calendar will develop into six races. The two rounds that will assign an increased coefficient score (x 1.5) will be the Rally di Roma Capitale – also a round of the FIA European Rally Championship – organized by Motorsport Italia under the aegis of Comune di Roma, and the ACI Rally Monza, the novelty that will propose an itinerary along the gravel of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza’s park. The great start is scheduled for the first weekend of May at the Targa Florio Rally – which will start from the center of Palermo – followed by the San Marino Rally (gravel) scheduled two weeks later. Then the Rally 1000 Miglia near Brescia and the classic round at Rallye Sanremo, which this year will be at the end of September.

The final championship’s standings will be drawn up based on several results equal to the number of races organized, minus one. Also for the CIAR Junior, there will be a Power Stage at each race, which will award 3,2, and 1 points to the first three classified in this single special stage. The winner of the Campionato Italiano Assoluto Rally Junior 2023 will get the prize money of 75.000 euros offered by ACI Sport, to participate in an international program for the 2024 season.

A WINNING TEAM | All the crews will be able to compete under the same conditions, considering the sole management of Motorsport Italia as supplier and trainer of the Renault Clio Rally 5, a two-wheel drive car of the "primary" category, with a 1.3cc turbo engine capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 300Nm of torque. The other guarantee is represented by Pirelli, the technical partner for the sole supply of tyres.

TRAINING PATH | As far as the training of the boys is concerned, the Scuola Federale ACI Sport represented by the Director Raffaele Giammaria introduced the training program based on what was already proposed in the last season. In addition to the tutor in support on each race, represented by the Federal Trainer and driver Piero Longhi together with the other Federal Trainers Lorenzo Granai and Simone Scattolin, both with particular attention to the notes and the role of co-drivers, will deal with the theory lessons and practice during the three rounds, coinciding with the preparatory tests in San Marino, Roma Capitale and Sanremo. Part of the meetings will be held by the specialists of the Research and Training section, the Pedagogist Glenda Cappello and the Prof. in Neuroscience Lucio Tonello, who in addition to individual meetings will also collect data for each driver. The program will be completed with insights into communication and regulations.

To get started immediately, the Motorsport Italia staff has organized a first test as a seasonal shakedown which will see the 12 crews involved in the Renaults already in the days following the presentation, on Friday 31 March and Saturday 1 April.

THE INTERESTING FACT | The most interesting data concerns above all the average age of the drivers who entered the CIAR Junior 2023, which this year drops to 21.9 years compared to 24.0 for the 2022 team.

 

 

CAMPIONATO ITALIANO ASSOLUTO RALLY JUNIOR SPARCO 2023 CALENDAR

5-7 May | RALLY TARGA FLORIO

16-18 May | SAN MARINO RALLY - (gravel)

28-30 July | RALLY DI ROMA CAPITALE - coeff. 1,5

8-10 September | RALLY 1000 MIGLIA

29 September – 1 October | RALLYE SANREMO

1-3 December | ACI RALLY MONZA - (gravel) - coeff. 1,5