Palermo, 27 May 2015. The 99th Targa Florio – fourth round of the Italian Rally Championship and Italian Historic Rally with validity for the National Rally Trophy 6th Zone (Sicily) with coefficient 2,5 – is ready to switch engines on. . The Sicilian rally organized by A.C. Palermo in collaboration in collaboration with Automobile Club d'Italia, is scheduled from tomorrow Thursday 28 May to the 30th. The starting ceremony will take place at the Teatro Massimo of Palermo (piazza Verdi) at local 20.00hrs. The first day is going to start in the morning with technical and sporting scrutineering and the shakedown for the cars entered in CIR and TRN: the test that will allow drivers to test the cars in race configuration from 8.30 to 12 on a special devised around Campofelice di Roccella, that will house the headquarters of the event and the finish line of the Targa Florio on Saturday 30 May at 13.30. A lot of men and vehicles will be employed by organizers: 300 marshals will be on duty, 100 radio units and vehicles of all types, including tow trucks and advanced rescue vehicles. A total of 6 extrication teams will also be present.
Following the start from Palermo, the first round is going to be the "Città di Collesano" at 21.31 with the start of the first historic car, while the first of modern cars will set off at 22.09. The Spectacle Super Stage of 1,35 km being finished, all cars will be regrouped for the night at the Targa Florio Village set up in Campofelice di Roccella as the second day of timed stages will start on Friday morning. The entry list features 84 crews, including all the big names of the Italian Rally Championship and the best drivers of the National Rally Trophy and those of the Italian Historic Rally Championship that sees a lot of Sicilian drivers.
In the Italian Rally Championship, Paolo Andreucci (8 times winner of the Targa) and Anna Andreussi will be awaited on Peugeot 208 T16 R5, Umberto Scandola and Guido D'Amore will be on the Skoda Fabia S2000, Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai on Ford Fiesta R5 LDI, while the French driver of Ford Racing Italia Sebastian Chardonnet and co-driver Thibault De La Hyave on Ford Fiesta R5, Alessandro Perico and Mauro Turati on Peugeot 208 T16. A strong lot of Sicilian drivers will also partake in the event, starting from the driver from Cerda Salvatore (Totò) Riolo on Skoda Fabia Super 2000, Marco Runfola on Peugeot 208 T16, Filippo Vara also on Peugeot and Matteo Vintaloro on Citroen DS3 R5. In the Italian Historic cars the former F.1 driver Erik Comas will be awaited at the wheel of the Lancia Stratos HF, who will challenge several Sicilian drivers among which the former Italian Champion Marco Savioli, Natale Mannino and Domenico Guagliardo, all on Porsche 911. In the National Rally Trophy, Alessio Profeta and Ivan Vercelli, Giuseppe Arena and Gaetano Caputo, Pierluigi Trupiano and Donato Turra, Giuseppe Messina and Giovanni Barbaro will all compete on Renault Clio, in class S1600 or R3C.
Media coverage of the Targa Florio will also be quite important. Among the several initiatives, the 99th Targa Florio will enjoy live web streaming on the website www.acisportitalia.it starting from the first stage of Collesano on Thursday from 22.00 to 23.00. On Friday the streaming will cover SS4 from Campella for "Cefalù 1" from 11.00 to 11.40, and then again "Cefalù 2” from Campella from 14.55 to 15.35 and then at the end of leg one from Piazza Duomo of Cefalù from 18.20 to 19.00. On Saturday, SS12 "Gratteri 2" will be covered from 10.20 to 10.50 while the grand finale of Campofelice di Roccella will go live from 13.20 to 14.25 for the finish line and prize ceremony.
All information on the race, Rally Guide and the Unique Number of the 99th Targa Florio are available on www.targa-florio.it and www.acisportitalia.it