Capoliveri (LI), 20th September 2022 – The Campionato Italiano Rally Auto Storiche 2022 is starting towards its end with the first of the two events valid for the FIA European Historic Rally Championship. As a backdrop to the next-to-end round of the Italian Series will be the beautiful landscape of the Elba Island, which will host the XXXIV Rallye Elba Storico. An international rally organised by AC Livorno, with the support of the Regione Toscana, and which will be flanked, in addition to the crews competing in the European Championship, also by the competitors entered in the A112 Abarth Yokohama Trophy. There will be also the validity for the Trofeo Memorial Nino Fornaca and the Michelin Historic Rally Cup, as well as the XXXIV edition of the Rally Elba Graffiti and the IX Regularity Sport.

ENTRY LIST | There will be 108 crews (between Italian and European Championship) to join the historic rally. 14 nations are represented: Italy, Finland, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia and Spain. 108 crews are ready to compete in the respective Categories, Groups and Classes along ten special stages. 135.25 km that will be covered in the two legs scheduled for Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September. Among these crews, some from the Italian Championship will compete for the European classification.

CATEGORY 4 | Sergio Emanuele Farris will be at the wheel of his Porsche 911, joined again by the co-driver Giuseppe Pirisinu After the third place overall (1st in Category 4) achieved at Rally Alpi Orientali Historic, he will try to catch up Matteo Luise, currently in the 1st in the Category standing.

Matteo Luise will be competing in his Fiat Ritmo 130 Abarth, joined as always by Melissa Ferro.

Focus on the Porsche 911 SCRS of Ermanno Sordi and Maurizio Barone, and on the local driver Andrea Volpi (Lancia Delta Integrale), joined by Michele Maffoni with whom, last year, he finished on the top step of the podium of Category 4. At Elba there will be also the duo on Lancia Delta Integrale Francesco Giovanni Bettini and Luca Acri.

At the Start also the Porsche 911 SC of Maurizio Pagella and Francesco Zambelli, looking for a successful result after the disappointment of Rally Alpi Orientali Historic, while the Tuscan Valter Pierangioli and Francesco Magrini will return aboard their Ford Sierra Cosworth 4X4 after the Rally Lana Storico last June.

CATEGORY 3 | The fight in the Category 3 will see once again the Porsche 911 SC of Natale Mannino and Giacomo Giannone and the other 911 SC of Beniamino Lo Presti and Nicolò Gonella, respectively first and second at Cividale del Friuli on 3rd September.

Tiziano Nerobutto returns in his Opel Ascona 400 joined by Francesca Nerobutto, absent in the previous race due to an injury that stopped him.

The Volkswagen Polo GTI of Giuseppe Massimo Giudicelli and Andrea Calandroni is also ready to return to the stage, after the participation in the Biella rally.

CATEGORY 2 | Many competitors also in Category 2. The Porsche 911 Carrera RS of Angelo Lombardo and Roberto Consiglio (1st in the standings) are looking for their sixth successful achievement of 2022. The RO Racing crew, once again, will challenge the other Porsche, provided by Pentacar, of Lucio Da Zanche (at their second rally of the season after a year of stop from racing), joined by Paolo Lizzi, and the 911 RS of Lorenzo Delladio and Claudia Musti.

Alberto Salvini, joined by Davide Tagliaferri in the Porsche 911 RS, after his participation in the Rally Storico Campagnolo at the end of May, is also at the Start of the Rallye Elba Storico. The overall winner in the last three editions in a row (2019-2020-2021) is among the main favored of this 34th edition.

Also present the crew formed by Sergio Galletti and Mirco Gabrielli aboard the other Porsche 911 RS. Spotlight on Pietro Corredig's BMW 2002 TI, joined by Sonia Borghese. The duo from Friuli-Venezia Giulia scored the fifth best time in the home race at Cividale del Friuli.

CATEGORY 1 | Giuliano Palmieri in the Porsche 911, joined by Lucia Zambiasi, will try to secure the 1st place in the Category standing, extending the distance from his opponent Antonio Parisi, who will be ready to return to Elba at the wheel of the other 911 S with Giuseppe D’Angelo. The duo of Rododendri Historic Rally will be racing for the European validity.

At the Start there will be also the Lancia Fulvia HF 1.3 of Massimo Giuliani, joined by Claudia Sora, and that of Fabrizio Pardi and Anna Canale, who at Elba will try to confirm the 3rd place in the standings.

A112 Trophy | Spotlight also on the challenge involving the cars entered in the A112 Abarth Yokohama Trophy, whose last race was the Rally Lana Storico in Biella. The crew Dall’Avo-Piras is looking for a new successful result after the disappointment in the Biella rally, while Droandi-Fornasiero are only one point behind the first place. Focus on the race of Gentile-Torricelli, competing for the final victory also thanks to the 3rd place signed in Biella.

 

XXXIV RALLYE ELBA STORICO PROGRAM | The thirty-fourth edition of the Rallye Elba Storico will have two legs and will begin on Thursday 22nd September with technical inspections. The Start will take place in front of the Palazzo Comunale in Capoliveri from 20:00. It will then follow the first special stage, "Capoliveri", at 21:20 and then the crews will return for the night Regroupment. The first leg will continue throughout Friday with the stages of "Monumento" (SS2 9:55; SS4 13:55 – 12.52 km), "Colle Palombaia" (SS3 10:30 – 16.31 km) and "Due Mari" (SS5 14:30 – 22.34 km).

The second leg will start at 9:50 am on Saturday 24th September with the sixth special stage "Innamorata", with its 6.63 kilometers to be covered twice (SS8 at 14:00), "Volterraio-Cavo" (SS7 10:40 – 26.94 km), "Volterraio" (SS9 14:50 – 5.68 km) and "Bagnaia-Cavo" (SS10 15:08 – 18.44 km). The Finish is scheduled for 16:20 in the historic center of Capoliveri.

In the 2021 edition, Alberto Salvini won the overall and in the Category 2, joined by Davide Tagliaferri in the Porsche 911 RS. Second place overall for the Lancia Delta Integrale of Andrea Volpi and Michele Maffoni (Category 4). Third place overall for the Porsche 911 Carrera RS of Marco Bertinotti and Andrea Rondi (Category 2). Mauro Lombardo won with Rosario Merendino in the Porsche 911 SC in the Category 1, while the Porsche 911 S of Nicola Salin and Paolo Protta won in the Category 1.

 

CIR AUTO STORICHE | TOP 3 AFTER ROUND 6

National Drivers Standing (Overall): 1. Lombardo (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 147; 2. Lo Presti (Porsche 911 SC) pt. 139; 3. Palmieri (Porsche 911 S) pt. 113

Cat. 1: 1. Palmieri (Porsche 911 S) pt. 113; 2. Parisi (Porsche 911 S) pt. 81; 3. Pardi (Lancia Fulvia Coupé) pt. 71

Cat. 2: 1. Lombardo (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 147; 2. Delladio (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 74; Galletti (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 72

Cat. 3: 1. Lo Presti (Porsche 911 SC) pt. 139; 2. Mannino (Porsche 911) pt. 102; 3. Nerobutto (Opel Ascona 400) pt. 102

Cat. 4: 1. Luise (Fiat Ritmo 130 Abarth) pt. 90; 2. Farris (Porsche 911 SC) pt. 84; 3. Sordi (Porsche 911 SCRS) pt. 74

 

 

CIR AUTO STORICHE 2022 CALENDAR: 12-13 March, 12° Historic Rally delle Vallate Aretine | 9-10 April, 5° Rally Storico Costa Smeralda | 7-8 May, Targa Florio Historic Rally 2022 | 28-29 May, 17° Rally Storico Campagnolo | 18-19 June, 11° Rally Lana Storico | 2-3 September, 26° Rally Alpi Orientali Historic | 23-24 September, XXXIV Rally Elba Storico | 15-16 October, 37° Rally Sanremo Storico.

 

[Photo: Rallye Elba Storico 2021 podium]

 

 

More information on CIRAS and its competitions can be found on the page dedicated to the Italian Championship through the several social channels of the Italian Championship [Facebook: Rally Auto Storiche] and on the website acisport.it.           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News, insights, standings and photos on the official ACI Sport website www.acisport.it/CIRAS

Facebook - @acisportofficial - @ciras.cirts

YouTube – ACI Sport TV