Sanremo, Wednesday 12th October 2022 – Engines on for the last kilometres of the Campionato Italiano Rally Auto Storiche 2022, that will see on stage again the crews of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship. An international event that will have as a background the tarmac of Western Liguria, which will host the 37° Sanremo Rally Storico. For the first time in its history, this rally will be the last round of the Italian Championship. The rally organised by Automobile Club Ponente Ligure and supported by the Comune di Sanremo and Regione Liguria is scheduled for October 14th and 15th. The competition will be flanked by the regularity race of the 36^ Coppa dei Fiori and by the Michelin Historic Rally Cup.

The crews entered in Sanremo Storico will be 92 (69 for the Italian Championship), with 15 countries represented ready to compete along the 142,53 timed stages. There will be 11 special stages to face between Friday and Saturday, at the end of which the winners of overall, Category, Class and Group standings will be awarded.

CATEGORY 4 | It’s looking very open in Category 4 where there will be again Sergio Emanuele Farris and Giuseppe Pirisinu. The crew aboard Porsche 911 SC finished in the third place the Rally Elba Storico last September, a result thanks to which they gained the leadership in Category 4 standings ahead of Ermanno Sordi and Maurizio Barone. Attention paid to the couple of the Team Bassano Sordi-Barone in the Porsche 911 SCRS, that will be present in Sanremo for a final rush attempt. At the start also Matteo Luise in the Fiat Ritmo 130 Abarth, joined by Melissa Ferro (Team Bassano), actually 3rd in Category standings. They finished the last year Sanremo Rally Storico on the third step of the podium. Here the driver from Adria will try to improve his positions in the standings after his unlucky rally at Elba Island. Enrico Canetti returns in the Opel Corsa GSI joined by Luigi Cavagnetto: his last appearence in CIRAS dates back to Rally Lana Storico last June. There will be also the Ford Sierra Cosworth 4X4 of Valter Pierangioli, joined by Lucia Zambiasi, and the Porsche 911 SC of Maurizio Pagella and Francesco Zambelli. Among the prominent names appears that of Enrico Brazzoli who won in Sanremo in 2010 and will be aboard a Porsche together with Manuel Fenoli.

CATEGORY 3 | The final of the Category 3 is also to be decided. Here Beniamino Lo Presti will compete for the first position at the wheel of the Porsche 911 SC of the A.s.d. Scuderia Oltrepò, joined by Nicolò Gonella - also competing for the overall standing, currently with 16 points behind Lombardo - and Tiziano Nerobutto joined by his daughter Francesca in the Opel Ascona 400 of Team Bassano. The absence of the protagonists Natale Mannino and Giacomo Giannone in the Porsche 911 of team RO Racing stands out among the trio of opponents. Also the Volkswagen Golf GTI of Giuseppe Massimo Giudicelli joined by Simone Marchi, as well as the Ford Escort RS of Enrico Volpato flanked by Flavio Zanella.

CATEGORY 2 | Different situation in Category 2, where Angelo Lombardo and Roberto Consiglio won the Category Italian title 2022 with a race to spare. So, this time the Sicilian crew in the Porsche 911 Carrera RS of RO Racing will compete for winning the overall standings. Lucio Da Zanche's Porsche provided by Pentacar also will give him a hard time. The driver from Valtellina will continue in the ranks of Category 2 and for the occasion will return to being joined by Daniele De Luis, in the race that saw him on the top step of the podium four times, the last one just last year. Lorenzo Delladio will also be at the start for the last race of the Championship with Claudia Musti in the Porsche of the Manghen Team who will tread the streets of Western Liguria for the first time. Also involved in Category 2 this weekend the Italian champions of Category 1 2021 Nicola Salin and Paolo Protta in the Porsche 911 RS, and Pietro Corredig, flanked by Sonia Borghese in the BMW 2002 TII and competing for the European Championship, and the crew of Luca Prina Mello joined by Simone Bottega aboard other BMW.

CATEGORY 1 | Game closed also in Category 1, in which Giuliano Palmieri, absent this race weekend, has already signed the victory at Elba. On the other hand, the BMW 2002 TI of Marcello Giuseppe Pollara joined by Pier Giorgio Daffara is ready for the "Sanremo", while the crew of Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo in the Porsche 911 S will be in the running for both the Italian and European validities.

37° SANREMO RALLY STORICO PROGRAM | The 37th edition of the Sanremo Rally Storico will take place in two legs. It will start on Thursday 13th October with the usual technical checks that will take place from 10:00 to 17:00 in Piazzale Aldolfo Rava. The shakedown will then start from 15:00 in San Romolo. The Leg 1 of the rally will start at 8:30 on Friday 14th October, which anticipates the 10,74 kilometres of “Colle d’Oggia” (SS1 9:33 – SS4 14:33), and then continue with the “Passo Teglia” (SS2 9:58 – SS5 14:58) and the “Langan” (SS3 10:40 – SS6 15:40). Leg 2, scheduled for Saturday 15th October, will start with the SS7 “Vignai” (SS7 9:11 – SS10 12:38), followed by “Bignone” (SS8 9:46), “Coldirodi” (SS9 10:07) and finally “Orlando Dallava” (SS11 13:13). The Finish is expected in Corso Imperatrice in Sanremo at 14:23, where the winners will then be awarded.

 

CIR AUTO STORICHE | TOP 3 AFTER ROUND 7

Trofeo Nazionale Conduttori Rally (Overall): 1. Lombardo (Porsche 911 Carrera RS) pt. 177; Lo Presti (Porsche 911 SC) pt. 161; Palmieri (Porsche 911 S) pt. 139

Cat. 1: 1. Palmieri (Porsche 911 S) pt. 139; 2. Pardi (Lancia Fulvia Coupé) pt. 89; 3. Parisi (Porsche 911 S) pt. 82

Cat. 2: 1. Lombardo (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 177; 2. Delladio (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 92; Galletti (Porsche Carrera RS) pt. 73

Cat. 3: 1. Lo Presti (Porsche 911 SC) pt. 161; 2. Mannino (Porsche 911) pt. 132; 3. Nerobutto (Opel Ascona 400) pt. 128

Cat. 4: 1. Farris (Porsche 911 SC) pt. 102; 2. Sordi (Porsche 911 SCRS) pt. 98; 3. Luise (Fiat Ritmo 130 Abarth) pt. 91

CIR AUTO STORICHE 2022 CALENDAR: 12-13 March 12° Historic Rally delle Vallate Aretine | 9-10 April 5° Rally Storico Costa Smeralda | 78 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 | 14-15 October 37° Rally Sanremo Storico.

In 2021 it was the Porsche 911 of Lucio Da Zanche with Daniele De Luis to win the Sanremo race for the overall and Category 4, followed by Musti-Biglieri (Porsche 911) leading Category 2 and Matteo Luise joined by Fabrizio Handel in the Subaru Legacy. The crew in the Audi Quattro of 'Zippo'-Piceno won in Category 3, while Parisi-D'Angelo aboard the Porsche 911 S won in Category 1.

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.

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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