Rome, Sunday, July 30th, 2023 – Unstoppable, Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Ometto have won the Rally di Roma Capitale and secured the title in the 2023 Sparco Italian Rally Championship with three races to spare. This is the third championship title of their careers and the second consecutive one for the driver from Varese and the co-driver from Bassano, along with the FPF Sport team, who, in collaboration with Pirelli, have led the Citroen C3 Rally2 to its fifth consecutive victory of the season. They dominated the competition with yet another flawless performance, this time highlighted by their success in the face of the top crews of the FIA European Rally Championship, which joined the Italian event for its sixth round. Over 90 competitors started the race organized by Motorsport Italia, but Crugnola and Ometto outperformed them all from the short prologue near the Colosseum, which rewarded them with the 3 points of the Italian Power Stage. These points turned out to be crucial for securing the overall title with three races remaining. The leaders of the Sparco CIAR did most of the work on the central day of Saturday, the most substantial session in terms of mileage, but also the most feared due to the presence of the "Rocca di Cave-Subiaco," the longest stage of the rally and the entire Italian championship. By the end of the night interval before the final day, the duo in the red four-wheel-drive car had won every stage, with seven fastest times out of seven stages contested, building up a lead of over 20 seconds over each of their pursuers. Then, all they had to do was maintain their pace and avoid mistakes to return to Fiuggi, the town in the Frosinone province that also hosted this 11th edition of the Roman event, with the victory in their hands.

CRUGNOLA-OMETTO'S ACHIEVEMENTS | With this third title in the history of the Italian Rally Championship, Crugnola becomes the fifth most successful driver in the history of the top Italian series, alongside legends of the likes of Cunico, Fassina and Vudafieri; behind Cavallari and Basso (4), Cerrato (7), and Andreucci (10). It was since 1989, with Cerrato himself, that the title had not been won with such a substantial margin before the end of the season. In the first five rounds of the Sparco CIAR, Crugnola and Ometto collected a total of 141 points out of the available 145. They only missed out on 3 points in the Power Stage at Ciocco (the only one where they scored 0) and 1 point in the Power Stage at San Marino (finishing in second place). Crugnola won 20 out of 49 stages in the five rounds.

The main rivals in this championship, Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai, who returned for the occasion in the Skoda Fabia RS, tried to keep up with the winners. The driver from Treviso took the initial stages of the rally to regain confidence with the new version of the Czech car, and then engaged in a head-to-head battle for the second position with the French crew of Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud, driving another Citroen C3. After a series of changes in the standings, the second place went to the driver from Cavaso del Tomba, who regained the lead before the final session and maintained the advantage after the puncture in the penultimate stage, which pushed the French crew back to seventh place. The second pass of the "Santopadre," another 29 km long section, completely reshuffled the rankings due to a series of punctures that changed positions in the points zone and in the various categories. Two Italian crews competing for the FIA ERC, both in Skoda Fabia and fighting for a place on the podium, paid the highest price in this lottery on SS12; Andrea Mabellini from Brescia with Virginia Lenzi, finishing twelfth but winning the final Power Stage, their second European season victory, and Simone Campedelli from Cesena with Tania Canton, finishing thirteenth at the finish line.

Hayden Paddon and John Kennard from New Zealand, driving the Hyundai i20, took advantage of the situation. They were initially slowed down by a rear-right touch on the long stage of Saturday. Nevertheless, they persevered and, after gaining a couple of positions in the first loop of Sunday, they seized the opportunity in the final stages to secure the third step of the podium, finishing 53.8 seconds behind the leaders. The Spanish driver and current European champion, Efren Llarena, with Sara Fernandez as navigator, also made a comeback after the incidents on "Santopadre" in the opening stage of the last loop of tests. They faced problems with the intercom. Despite a spin and radiator damage caused by hitting a rock along the route, Llarena continued and climbed from eighth to fourth position in the final sprint. Among the top five overall positions, the names of Bostjan Avbelj and Damijan Andrejka stand out. The Slovenian crew in the Skoda Fabia not only managed to outperform many international profiles but also secured their second consecutive victory in the Italian Rally Promotion Championship. Behind them, the Austrian pair Simon Wagner and Gerard Winter in another Czech Rally2 car.

Completing the top ten positions of the overall standings behind Bonato-Boulloud are the European crews, all driving Skoda cars: the Hungarian duo Csòmos-Ban, the Polish team Grzyb-Wrobel, and the Czech pair Mares-Bucha.

CIR PROMOTION | Several twists and turns reshaped the top positions in the Italian Rally Championship Promotion behind the winners Avbelj-Andrejka. Despite various challenges, the Emilian duo Ivan Ferrarotti and Massimo Bizzocchi managed to secure the second position, also in a Skoda, being slowed down by pop-off issues on the first day. Luca Bottarelli and Massimiliano Bosi from Brescia ceded second place in the final stages, as they also suffered a puncture on SS12. However, they managed to limit the damage and secured a third place, allowing them to maintain their lead in the general classification of the CIRP.

EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP WON BY DAPRÀ | The Italian national anthem was played on the podium in Fiuggi, thanks to Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti, the ACI Team Italia crew driving the Peugeot 208 Rally4 prepared by Delta Rally. They were the winners in the FIA Junior European Rally Championship stage. For the junior series, it was the fifth round, and the Trentino-born driver did not miss the opportunity to achieve his first seasonal victory in his home race. He dominated from the early stages and demonstrated great determination and focus in the final part of the event. With this victory, Daprà now rises to third place in the overall FIA Junior ERC standings, 13 points behind the Norwegian Ola Nore, who finished fourth in Rome. It was also a significant win for the RC4 class classification, confirming Daprà's leading position.

"It's incredible for me to be here celebrating," said Roberto Daprà. "It was a tough race. Today's stages were really complicated, and we are extremely happy with this result and performance. Winning the home race with the colours of ACI Team Italia is something extraordinary, an indescribable emotion. Thanks to my navigator Luca, who did a perfect job. But I want to thank the whole team, especially Roberto and Giovanni, my mechanics, who were fantastic."

TRIUMPH FOR PISANI, THE NEW 2WD CHAMPION | Satisfaction in the Capital for Gianandrea Pisani, who once again triumphs in the Italian 2WD Rally Championship and is crowned Italian Champion with three rounds to go, securing a perfect record starting from the winding roads at Ciocco, the hometown of the Pietrasantino driver. He confirmed his dominance on every road and surface in Italy with the Michelin-equipped Peugeot 208. Under the shadow of the Colosseum, he presented himself with two options to win the title: either finishing in first or second place. Navigated by Simone Brachi, he pushed hard in all the fast, long, and challenging special stages. In the end, Pisani-Brachi raised the trophy with an enormous advantage of 52 seconds over Fabio Farina and Gabriele Zanni, who finished second in both the rally's total distance of 189 km and the championship standings. Taking advantage of Moreno Cambiaghi's puncture, navigated by Giulia Paganoni, Nicola Cazzaro, paired with Sergio Raccuia, secured a delightful podium position, finishing 3 minutes and 15 seconds behind the newly crowned champion Pisani, also driving a Peugeot 208.

HERE COMES PEDERZANI, FIRST VICTORY IN THE JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP | The first Italian joy on the streets of Rome for Riccardo Pederzani, who won the third round of the Italian Junior Rally Championship. The driver from Varese, navigated by Edoardo Brovelli, found the speed to outdo his fellow ACI Team Italia competitors, all driving Renault Clio Rally5 cars managed by Motorsport Italia and equipped with Pirelli tires. Starting cautiously, he patiently built his way to victory, maintaining a consistent pace that allowed him to grab the top position on SS8 "Fiuggi," which he then vigorously defended until the end. Second among the young talents was Salvatore Pio Scannella from Sicily, paired with Francesco Galipò, finishing 18 seconds behind Pederzani and also claiming the power stage victory, having won the spectacular opening stage "Colosseo ACI Roma." Amid the puncture roulette in the closing stages, the driver from Caserta, Francesco Dei Ceci, navigated by Nicolò Lazzarini, managed to secure an important third place on the podium, crossing the finish line with a 53-second gap from the winner.

RALLY DI ROMA CAPITALE FINAL STANDINGS: 1. Crugnola-Ometto (Citroen C3) in 1:52'35.293; 2. Basso-Granai (Skoda Fabia RS) at 23.062; 3. Paddon-Kennard (Hyundai i20 N) at 53.767; 4. Llarena-Fernandez (Skoda Fabia RS) at 1'54.503; 5. Avbelj-Andrejka (Skoda Fabia EVO) at 2'04.049; 6. Wagner-Winter (Skoda Fabia RS) at 2'06.108; 7. Csomos-Ban (Skoda Fabia EVO) at 2'12.323; 8. Bonato-Boulloud (Citroen C3) at 2'12.352; 9. Grzyb-Wrobel (Skoda Fabia EVO) at 2'13.400; 10. Mares-Bucha (Skoda Fabia EVO) at 3'47.072;

SPARCO CIR CLASSIFICATION: 1. Crugnola 141pt; 2. Basso 62pt; 3. Andolfi 61pt; 4. De Tommaso 36pt; 5. Avbelj 34pt; 6. Bottarelli, Ferrarotti 27pt; 8. Scattolon 14,5pt; 9. Aragno 7,5pt; 10. Rusce 6,5pt

CIR PROMOTION CLASSIFICATION: 1. Bottarelli 66pt; 2. Ferrarotti 65,5pt; 3. Avbelj 62pt; 4. Mazzocchi 36pt; 5. Scattolon 35pt; 6. Rusce 32pt; 7. Aragno 26pt;

CIR 2WD CLASSIFICATION: 1. Pisani 97,5pt; 2. Farina 61pt; 3. Cambiaghi 39,5pt; 4. Lucchesi 33pt; 5. Cogni 28,5pt

CIAR JUNIOR CLASSIFICATION: 1. Pesavento, Pederzani 54pt; 3. Scannella 41,5 pt; 4. Iani 39pt; 5. Dei Ceci 32pt; 6. Nerobutto 27,5pt; 7. Doretto 26pt; 8. Zanin 10pt.

CALENDAR OF THE SPARCO ITALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2023: March 10 -11 | Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio; April 14 -15 | #RA Rally Regione Piemonte; May 5-6 | Targa Florio Rally (coeff. 1,5); June 16-17 | San Marino Rally (coeff. 1,5); July 28-30 | Rally di Roma Capitale (coeff. 1,5); September 8-9 | Rally 1000 Miglia; September 29-30 | Rallye Sanremo; December 1-3 | ACI Rally Monza (coeff. 1,5)