Rome, Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 – The moment for the Rally di Roma Capitale has arrived, and the Sparco Italian Rally Championship is about to experience a crucial stage of its season. A scorching weekend is expected around the Eternal City, which is now ready to host the fifth and third-to-last round of the national top series, offering excitement along with the fifth round of the FIA European Rally Championship, from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28. A total of 114 crews from 22 different nationalities will liven up the twelfth edition of the event organized by Motorsport Italia, which also counts as the fifth challenge of the 8th Zone ACI Sport Rally Cup. This is a must-attend rally because it will influence the end of the season for the Sparco CIAR, due to the 1.5 scoring coefficient that will be applied to all the Italian rankings: Absolute, Promotion, Junior, Two-Wheel Drive, and R1. It will be spectacular, considering the level of the drivers, with a new showdown between the best Italian specialists and the big names from Europe. Iconic, as it will also offer unique sports moments and images that will be seen around the world, with cars parading through the streets of the city centre and then racing under the Colosseum.

The XII Rally di Roma Capitale will start in the city and then move to the Frosinone area, involving around 40 municipalities and localities thanks to a route of 422.06 km in total, featuring 13 special stages totalling 189.52 km of timed sections, on fast and tricky asphalt roads, with constant changes in surface and pace that will test even the most experienced drivers. It will be a global media event as well, with constant live coverage of the rally.tv platform, along with television coverage from RAI, Sky, and ACI Sport TV, presenting the highlights of the race on satellite channel 228, FreeView channel 52, on acisport.it, and on Facebook pages @ACISportTV and @CIRally.

THE PROGRAM | Everything will kick off on Friday morning with the free practice sessions preceding the "Qualifying Stage" scheduled for 10:31 on the classic 4km "Fumone" stage, which will also host the shakedown for non-priority crews from 11:45. In the evening, crews will have the privilege of passing by the iconic landmarks of the capital during the "Roma Parade," starting from the Bocca della Verità at 19:00. This will be followed by the unmissable and unique SSS1 "Colosseum," which, with its 1.30 km city circuit, will provide a spectacular show under the Flavian Amphitheatre, with free public access. Additionally, the Colosseum stage will play a crucial role as a Power Stage for the Sparco CIAR, awarding 2, 1.5, and 1 point to the top three drivers in the championship. On Saturday, six special stages are scheduled, with two passes over the "Alatri" stages (6.95 km – SS2 at 8:14, SS5 at 14:40), the long "Santopadre-Fontana Liri" (28.74 km – SS3 at 9:41, SS6 at 16:07), and "Guarcino – Altipiani" (11.58 km – SS4 at 11:41, SS7 at 18:07). A similar distance is planned for Sunday, with two more runs on the three different stages: "Fiuggi" (5.9 km – SS8 at 7:50, SS11 at 13:12), the longest stage of the rally and the entire championship "Santopadre-Subiaco" (32.30 km – SS9 at 8:53, SS12 at 14:15), and the concluding new stage "Monastero-Jenne" (8.63 km – SS10 at 10:05, SS13 at 16:05). Fiuggi will host both the Headquarters and Service Park, as well as the final ceremony and podium at 17:15.

ITALY VS THE REST OF THE WORLD | Before the summer break, Rome will kick off the final push for the Italian titles, ahead of the last two rounds, 1000 Miglia and Sanremo, scheduled between September and October. And even though many international drivers, such as New Zealand's FIA ERC leader Hayden Paddon in the Hyundai i20, France's Mathieu Franceschi in the Skoda Fabia RS, Norway's Mads Ostberg in the Citroen C3, or Latvia's Martins Sesks in the Toyota GR Yaris, will not impact the national championship standings, it is expected that local drivers will not shy away from the challenge. They will fight until the end for the victory. In five of the eight previous editions, Italians have emerged victorious, with some of them again contending for the Absolute title. Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Ometto in the Citroen C3 Rally2 from FPF Sport, shod with Pirelli tyres, will certainly be the reference for everyone following their success in the previous edition and the leadership in the CIAR Sparco reclaimed with their latest Italian victory at Due Valli, their third in four rounds. Simone Campedelli with Tania Canton, currently second in the championship, 10.5 points behind the leader, is also ready, seeking his first major win in the Italian championship since his last victory seven years ago. The Cesena driver will also showcase a special livery for his Skoda Fabia RS prepared by StepFive Motorsport, also fitted with Pirelli tyres, painted pink for the occasion in support of gender equality and women's empowerment. Giandomenico Basso is also expected to seek redemption, having slipped to third in the CIAR Sparco standings with 45 points, alongside Lorenzo Granai, in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 shod with Pirelli tyres, recently repaired by T-Racing after a crash and retirement in the Verona stage. The Treviso driver has often been a key player in Rome, where he has 7 podiums in 8 appearances, including 2 overall wins (’19 and ’21).

Among the Italians trying to stand out are also Brescia's Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi, who are competing this year in both the CIAR Sparco and the FIA ERC. The MRF Tyres pair in the Skoda Fabia RS from Delta Rally will be looking for revenge after a previous Roman edition ended with a puncture that spoiled an excellent performance. Paolo Andreucci from Garfagnana, with Rudy Briani in the Citroen C3, will also be present as a key driver for the Asian brand, seeking satisfaction in one of the few races missing from his resume. Returning from the recent Rally Latvia in the World Championship, where he finished sixth in WRC2, the outgoing ERC4 Champion Roberto Daprà will reappear in the European series. The Trentino driver from the National Team will return to Rome a year after his category win, again paired with Luca Guglielmetti in the Skoda Fabia RS from Delta Rally, with particular ambitions for the Italian championship.

PROMOTION, EVERYONE AGAINST SIGNOR | Rome represents a crucial and potentially decisive crossroads for the Italian Rally Promotion Championship, where, after Verona, Marco Signor and Daniele Michi, in the Skoda Fabia RS, continue to lead with 65 points following their third victory of the season. Setting aside superstitions, the driver from Caerano San Marco will have his first match point to secure the title with a win. The final CIRP standings will be based on the best 5 results from the first 6 participations. Therefore, Giacomo Scattolon from Pavia, who is currently second in the CIRP (21 points behind), along with Gabriele Zanni in the Citroen C3, needs to recover from the retirement at Due Valli quickly. They will also face the Slovenian drivers Bostjan Avbelj (third with 36.5 points) and Damijan Andrejka, also in Skoda. Among the Promotion crews, we will also see Alessandro Re from Como with Marco Vozzo in the Volkswagen Polo and Ivan Ferrarotti from Reggio Emilia with Massimo Bizzocchi in the Skoda Evo, both of whom were absent at Due Valli. The Ligurian Francesco Aragno with Giancarla Guzzi in the Skoda Evo, as well as Nicola Sartor from Belluno with Lorenzo Mattucci and Fabrizio Guerra from Valtellina with Manuel Fenoli, will be present. Reggio Emilia's Antonio Rusce will again compete in the latest RS evolution of the Bohemian model, this time navigated by Giulia Paganoni. Local drivers Liberato Sulpizio from Frusinate, always paired with Alessio Angeli in the Hyundai i20, and Fabio Angelucci from Rome with Massimo Cambria in the Citroen C3 will also try to make the most of their home advantage.

The challenge in the CIAR Sparco Women's category will also continue with Arianna Doriguzzi and Elena Sica in the Skoda defending their lead from the attacks of Rachele Somaschini with Nicola Arena in the Citroen C3, and Sara Carra with Federica Mauri in the Skoda, both returning to the Italian championship after a round's absence.

ITALIAN JUNIOR | The talents of ACI Team Italia will look to shine on the Roman stage in the fourth round of the Italian Junior Rally Championship. The 10 crews in the junior series underwent preparatory tests on Monday and Tuesday during the second stage of the Junior Academy ACI Sport, organized by the ACI Sport Federal School with Motorsport Italia and Pirelli. They provided professional instructors and Renault Clio Rally5 cars during practical and theoretical lessons to best prepare them for this significant challenge. The challenging route, the increased coefficient (1.5), and the international context make this Rally of Rome an unmissable opportunity for those aiming for the Junior title. Leading the championship is Matteo Doretto from Pordenone (46.5 points) with Marco Frigo, who will need to keep his rivals at bay. Among these are Mattia Ricciu from Gallura (31 points) with Marco Corda, buoyed by his recent win on the San Marino gravel, followed by Marco Zanin from Treviso (29.5 points) with Fabio Pizzol and Francesco Dei Ceci from Caserta (27.5 points) with Nicolò Lazzarini, the fourth driver in the championship. Further behind, tied for fifth place with 18 points each, are Andrea Boatti from Pavia with Rosario Siragusano and Igor Iani from Ossola with Samuele Pellegrino. Making their debut on the Roman roads are Matteo Greco from Cuneo with Edoardo Brovelli, Lorenzo Lorallini from Bologna with Veronica Modolo, Asia Vidor from Piedmont with Jasmine Manfredi, and Alessandro Mazzocchi from Piacenza with Silvia Gallotti.

PISANI, FIRST CHANCE | In the CIAR Two-Wheel Drive category, all eyes will once again be on the leading pair, Gianandrea Pisani and Massimo Moriconi, who have dominated in the Peugeot 208 Rally4. The driver from Pietrasanta will have the chance to secure the title with two races to spare, a mission for which even a second-place finish in Rome might be enough after four consecutive victories in the first four races. Among the top competitors are Christopher Lucchesi from Lucca with Enrico Bracchi, second with 43 points, and Giorgio Cogni from Piacenza with Simone Brachi, third with 36 points, both in Peugeots. Also driving French cars are Denis Vigliaturo from Verona with Ermanno Corradini and Stefano Strabello with Fabio Grimaldi, as well as Emanuele Fiore from Liguria with Martina Musiari. Also participating in the home race is Michael Rendina, son of Max Rendina, the creator and organizer of the Rally of Rome Capital, driving the Renault Clio Rally4 with Fabiano Cipriani.

In the ERC4 category, competing for the European title, stands out the ACI Team Italia driver Davide Pesavento. The Vicenza driver is participating in the FIA ERC this year with the support of the Federation after winning the Italian Junior title in 2023. He will tackle this round for the first time with Nicolò Gonella as his co-driver, still in the Peugeot 208.

THIRD ROUND FOR THE YARIS TROPHY | As always, there will be numerous GR Yaris R1T4x4s, fourteen in total, competing in the third round of the GR Yaris Rally Cup alongside the CIAR Sparco. The trophy, organized by Toyota Italia and developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing Italy, still sees Thomas Paperini in the lead, but opponents are promising a tough fight starting with Simone Di Giovanni from Rome, highly anticipated in his home race, followed by Tommaso Paleari and Fabrizio Andolfi, third and fourth in the standings, who appeared quite in form at the previous Due Valli event.

 

SPARCO CIAR CLASSIFICATION: 1. Crugnola-Ometto 60,5pt; 2. Campedelli-Canton 50pt; 3. Basso-Granai 45pt; 4. Signor-Michi 36pt; 5. Scattolon-Zanni 24pt; 6. Nucita-Pollet 19,5pt; 7. Avbelj 18,5pt; 8. Mabellini-Lenzi 12; 9. Andreucci 11,5pt; 10. Re 11pt.

 

ITALIAN RALLY JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Doretto 46,5 pt; 2. Ricciu 31pt; 3. Zanin 29,5 pt; 4. Dei Ceci 27,5pt; 5. Boatti, Iani 18pt.

 

CIAR 2WD CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Pisani 67,5pt; 2. Lucchesi 43pt; 3. Cogni 36pt; 4. Vigliaturo 28pt; 5. Campanaro 25pt. 

CIR PROMOTION CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Signor 65pt; 2. Scattolon 46pt; 3. Avbelj 36,5pt; 4. Re 26 pt; 5. Sartor 24pt

SPARCO CIAR 2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: 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 without regulatory value –

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