The legendary race will take place on the 18th and 19th of October, bringing the season to a close with a full grid of cars and drivers. From the already crowned champions Crugnola-Ometto to their rivals Campedelli-Canton and Basso-Granai, all the big names in the top series will be present to put on a show. All eyes will be on the battle for the still-vacant Junior, Two-Wheel Drive, and R1 titles. The season finale will also feature the Toyota and Suzuki trophies.
Sanremo (IM), Wednesday, October 15th, 2024 – The City of Flowers is all set to provide a spectacular season finale for the Italian Absolute Rally Championship (CIAR). The seventh and final round of the ACI Sport series will take place on October 18th and 19th on the asphalt roads of the 71st Rallye Sanremo. Organized by the Automobile Club Ponente Ligure, the event will bring together the best crews and cars in the national series to compete on the historic roads that have shaped the history of rallying.
A total of 113 competitors will be vying for victory in the modern car category, which also serves as the fourth and final round of the 2nd Zone Rally Cup. Additionally, participants in historic rally and regularity events will join, bringing the total number of cars to approximately 250. While the overall title has already been secured by Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto at the previous Rally 1000 Miglia, they will be present at the start. The Rallye Sanremo will decide the still-open Junior, Two-Wheel Drive, and R1 titles, as well as various ACI Sport Cups, with a coefficient of 1.5 applied to the final points.
The event will cover a total distance of 496.24 km, including 10 special stages on asphalt, totaling 116.24 km. Sanremo will serve as the heart of the event, hosting the headquarters, service park at the old station, and the start and finish ceremonies on Corso Imperatrice, under the shadow of the Casino.
The engines will roar from Friday morning with free practice followed by qualifying at 10:00 AM on a 2.6 km section near Montalto Ligure, which will also host the first stage. The official start of the race is scheduled for 3:00 PM, preceding the short power stage "Montalto-Molini" at 3:43 PM, which will award 2, 1.5, and 1 points to the top three finishers. This stage will be broadcast live on ACI Sport TV (channel 228 Sky, channel 52 Freeview, acisport.it, and Facebook @ACISportTV or @CIRally) and on RAI Sport (channel 58 DT, raiplay).
Three more stages will follow on the first day, including the "Ghimbegna-San Romolo" which will be run twice, with the second pass at night (10.51 km - SS2 5:46 PM, SS4 9:03 PM), interspersed with the "San Romolo-Perinaldo" (7.73 km at 6:05 PM). On Saturday, the outcome will be decided with two loops on three different stages: a repeat of the "Montalto-Monili" (SS5 8:15 AM, SS8 1:07 PM), the longer "Carpasio-Rezzo" (21.02 km - SS6 8:43 AM, SS9 1:35 PM), and finally the "Calderara-Testico" (10.72 km). The final podium ceremony is scheduled for 4:40 PM in Sanremo.
OVERALL AND PROMOTION, A BIG SHOW AHEAD| The Rallye Sanremo will be the stage to celebrate the championship and showcase the fourth "scudetto" on the Citroen C3 Rally2 of FPF Sport for Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Ometto. However, even with the title already secured - his third consecutive one - it is expected that the Varese-based driver will aim for his sixth victory of the season, as Sanremo is one of the few races missing from his palmares.
The battle for second place in the championship remains up in the air, which, in addition to the satisfaction of the placement, comes with a larger share of the prize money offered by ACI Sport in the CIAR Sparco. Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton will continue to compete against Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai for the runner-up position. They are separated by a handful of points in the standings, net of any possible discarded result, as per the regulations that consider the best six results. On the eve of the race, the Romagna-based driver on the StepFive Skoda Fabia RS holds a slight advantage, but regardless of the standings, he will want to take the satisfaction of his first championship victory, after a season that has seen him on the podium at every round. The Treviso-based driver, on the other hand, is seeking confirmation in Sanremo with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, the only one capable of winning (in Piedmont) besides Crugnola. Basso also won in Sanremo last year and is second in terms of victories (4) in the history of the Ligurian race, first in terms of podiums (7).
Other major players in this CIAR Sparco will also be present at the final challenge, including the new Promotion Champions Marco Signor and Daniele Michi, making their debut in the national championship with the Toyota GR Yaris, always prepared by StepFive, with which they made their debut and won in Bassano at the Italian Rally Trophy stage. In the case of the CIRP, the runner-up has already been indicated before the race with the publication of the entry list. Bostjan Avbelj, the winner of the series in 2023, is arithmetically second in the Promotion category considering the absence of Giacomo Scattolon, who is third. The Slovenian driver will return to Sanremo after his excellent second place overall last season, again navigated by his compatriot Damijan Andrejka on a Skoda Fabia RS from MS Munaretto. Last year, they were joined on the podium by the Belluno-based driver Nicola Sartor and Lorenzo Mattucci, who will try to repeat the performance with the Skoda in the Evo version despite the more numerous competition.
The multiple-time winner Paolo Andreucci, the record holder with 6 victories and 25 appearances in this race, has climbed the Sanremo podium more times than anyone else. The Garfagnana-based driver will once again be paired with Rudy Briani in the Skoda RS. Among the top crews in the national championship, the stock of two young Italian drivers who have had an excellent parallel season on the international stage has risen exponentially. The Brescia-based driver Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi, who are seventh in the championship, arrive in great shape after their first career victory in the European Rally Championship at the Rally Silesia in Poland. The MRF Tyres crew on the Delta Rally Skoda RS has already won the ACI Sport Under25 Cup. Having concluded the season in the World Championship in the best possible way, the Trentino driver Roberto Daprà of ACI Team Italia will make his first appearance in Sanremo in a four-wheel drive car, like Mabellini, and will try to repeat his success, again paired with Luca Guglielmetti in another new-generation Czech car, after his first victory in the CIR Promotion celebrated at the 1000 Miglia. Among the crews competing in the CIRP, the Reggio Emilia-based driver Ivan Ferrarotti with Massimo Bizzocchi and the Brescia-based "Pedro" with Stefano Tiraboschi will be back in action, driving Skodas in the Evo and RS versions respectively.
WOMEN’S CUP | The battle among the female competitors in the CIAR Sparco is more interesting than ever. Three young and highly competitive crews will face off on the asphalt roads of Sanremo to claim the ACI Sport Women's Cup. Leading the charge will be Milanese driver Rachele Somaschini, paired with Giulia Zanchetta in a Citroen C3. A second-place finish could be enough for her to secure the title. However, her rivals will be forced to win the race. Both driving Skoda Evos, Arianna Doriguzzi and Elena Sica arrive in Sanremo in second place in the standings but with one result still to be discarded, just like Somaschini. Meanwhile, the Salento-based Sara Carra and Federica Mauri, in third place, can rely on four effective results.
ZONE CUP | The Savona driver Francesco Aragno, partnered with Giancarla Guzzi in an MS Munaretto Skoda Evo, will be competing on home turf. He will also be using this race as preparation for the upcoming Italian Cup Final, for which he has already qualified. This event will take place in Liguria, around Genoa, at the Rally Lanterna on November 9th and 10th.
The Liguria and Piedmont Zone still needs to determine its qualifiers, among which experienced drivers like Elwis Chentre, Jacopo Araldo, and the young Federico Gangi, all driving Skodas, are hoping to secure a place. These drivers have accumulated 10 points.
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: DORETTO DEFENDING, DEI CECI ATTACKING, ZANIN HOPING | The final verdict on the Italian Junior Rally Championship, one of the still-unresolved titles, is eagerly awaited in Sanremo. This championship offers a significant prize fund established by ACI Sport, as well as the opportunity to participate in an international series in 2025 as a member of the national team.
The junior championship, the flagship of the ACI Team Italia Youth Project, will field 8 crews for the final round. These crews are coming in well-prepared after two days of testing and training during the Junior Academy, supported by the Federal School, Motorsport Italia, and Pirelli.
At the top of the Renault Clio Rally class is Matteo Doretto (81 points), with Marco Frigo as his co-driver since the beginning of the year. A third-place finish could be enough for the Pordenone-based driver to clinch the championship. His main rival in the title race is Caserta-based Francesco Dei Ceci (63.5 points), second in the standings with Nicolò Lazzarini, who will be aiming for nothing less than victory. Treviso-based Marco Zanin (51.5 points) and Fabio Pizzol, in third place, also have a slim chance, needing a win and a series of favourable outcomes to claim the title.
However, the potential for other juniors to make a significant impact cannot be underestimated. This includes the Sardinians Mattia Ricciu and Marco Corda, who won on the San Marino dirt road; the Bolognese Lorenzo Lorallini and Veronica Modolo, who were in contention for the podium before retiring in Brescia; and the rookies, the young driver from Tortona, Asia Vidori, with Jasmine Manfredi, the Piacenza-based Alessandro Mazzocchi with Silvia Gallotti, and Matteo Greco from Alba, returning after his unfortunate retirement in Rome, once again with Edoardo Brovelli on the notes.
2WD: PISANI AMING FOR THE REPEAT BIS, COGNI AND LUCCHESI GO FOR IT | The situation for the Two-Wheel Drive title is similar to that of the CIAR Junior. There are three crews in contention, all driving Peugeot 208 Rally4s, separated by just 9.5 points in the standings. To evaluate the various possible outcomes, we must consider the regulations, which stipulate that the best 5 results from the 6 total participations will be counted.
Even in this case, a podium finish will be enough for the Versilia-based driver Gianandrea Pisani to confirm himself as Champion. He is currently second with Massimo Moriconi, with 67.5 points, but has already discarded one result due to his retirement in Rome. His rivals, on the other hand, must focus solely on winning. Leading the standings with just a 3-point advantage are the Piacenza-based driver Giorgio Cogni and Simone Brachi, who, in the best-case scenario, will be forced to discard one already acquired result (12 points). The potential disadvantage for the Lucca-based driver Christopher Lucchesi, third with 61 points, is less significant (3 points). He is still seeking his first victory of the season with Enrico Bracchi.
Also present with French Rally4s are the Veronese Denis Vigliaturo with Ermanno Corradini, the Ossola-based Gabriel Di Pietro with Andrea Dresti (winners of the 1000 Miglia), Emanuele Fiore who is expected at his home race with Andrea Casalini, and the Reggio Emilia-based Alex Ferrari with Matteo Nobili, who is returning to the CIAR Sparco after his last appearance at the Due Valli. Completing the group is the Roman Michael Rendina with Martina Musiari, the exception on a Renault Clio Rally4.
GR YARIS RALLY CUP | The City of Flowers will also host the grand finale of the GR Yaris Rally Cup. This one-make trophy, promoted by Toyota Italia with Toyota Gazoo Racing Italy, will feature seven crews at the start. Leading the fleet of R1T4x4 class cars will be the Pistoia-based driver Thomas Paperini, who, together with Andrea Gabelloni, has already secured the cup but will still honour the series in this final round. He will be challenged by his usual rivals, such as the Versilia-based driver Mattia Vita, the leader in the Promotion category of the trophy, as well as Tommaso Paleari and the local driver Fabrizio Andolfi.
CIAR SPARCO CLASSIFICATION: 1. Crugnola-Ometto 101,5pt; 2. Campedelli-Canton 80; 3. Basso-Granai 65pt; 4. Signor-Michi 42pt; 5. Avbelj 38,5pt; 6. Scattolon-Zanni 30,5pt; 7. Mabellini-Lenzi 28,5 pt; 8. Nucita-Pollet 22,5pt; 9. Re 13pt; 10. Daprà 12,5pt.
CIAR JUNIOR CLASSIFICATION: 1. Doretto 81 pt; 2. Dei Ceci 61,5 pt; 3. Zanin 50,5pt; 4. Ricciu 39pt; 5. Boatti 30 pt.
CIAR 2WD CLASSIFICATION: 1. Cogni-Brachi 70,5 pt; 2. Pisani-Moriconi 67,5 pt; 3. Lucchesi 61 pt; 4. Vigliaturo 43 pt; 5. Strabello 39.5 pt.
CIR PROMOTION CLASSIFICATION: 1. Signor 80pt (already crowned Champion); 2. Avbelj 72,5pt; 3. Scattolon 67pt; 4. Daprà 42pt; 5. Sartor 39pt.
CIAR SPARCO 2024 CALENDAR: March 15-16 | Rally il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio; April 12-13 | Rally Regione Piemonte; May 10-11 | Rally Targa Florio (coeff. 1,5); May 26-29 | Rally Due Valli; July 26-28 | Rally di Roma Capitale (coeff. 1,5); September 13-14 | Rally 1000 Miglia; October 18-19 | Rally Sanremo (coeff. 1,5).
- Press release with no regulatory value –
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