The prank of the Piedmont Region Rally is now behind us and Andrea Crugnola has every intention of making up for it. The reigning Italian rally champion opened the Targa Florio Rally in the best possible way. third appointment of the CIAR, signing the best time in the first three special tests today and closing the first stage as leader of the event.
Crugnola, at the wheel of his Citroen C3 Rally2, immediately made things clear: whoever wants to try to win the Sicilian event will have to deal with him. The three victories obtained in the first three special stages of the rally are a clear demonstration of intent, but he will also have to be able to complete a race that started exactly like the one held in Piedmont a few weeks ago, but which ended in the worst possible way after an unchallenged dominion.
Furthermore, the FPF team native from Varese will have to be very careful with the usual fast Giandomenico Basso. The driver from Vicenza, at the wheel of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, is fresh from the victory in Piedmont and, although he has not won any 2024 stage in Sicily, he is still very close to the leader of the event. Between the two there are just 3″1.
If the fight for first place is limited to the top 2, namely Crugnola and Basso, the fight for third place is more open and involves at least three drivers. We are talking about Paolo Andreucci, Simone Campedelli and Giacomo Scattolon.
The 11-time Italian rally champion is currently third at the wheel of the second Citroen C3 Rally2 in the standings, but already 10″3 behind Crugnola. Behind him, however, both Campedelli and Scattolon are tied, with a delay of just 6 tenths behind him.
In short, it promises to be an electrifying Saturday full of tension, because the number of tests will be higher than today and the protagonists will all be of a high level.
Behind the top 5 there is also a great fight for sixth place, with Bostjan Avbelj (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) who has a 1″7 margin over Rudy Michelini and Marco Signor (both on Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), who are also tied merit. Andrea Nucita closes the ranking with the first Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in the ranking and Alessandro Re with his Volkswagen Polo GTi R5.
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