The Italian Absolute Rally Championship returns as a protagonist with the second event of the 2024 season, the Piedmont Region Rally, and started today with the first three of the 10 special tests that make up the event.
The reigning champion crew formed by Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto at the wheel of a Citroen C3 Rally2 of the FPF Sport team immediately took the lead by winning the first two tests today and losing to Giandomenico Basso in SS3 by just 4 tenths of a second.
A start in which all the main candidates for victory are all close together. Suffice it to say that from Crugnola, provisional leader of the event, to Bostjian Avbelj – seventh in the standings – there are less than 10 seconds. To be precise 9″3,
The fight for the first three positions was even tighter and tighter, with Crugnola, Basso and an excellent Andrea Nucita on the Hyundai i20 Rally2 closing in just 2.5 seconds.
Crugnola started off strong to try to set the record straight and try to concede an encore after the beautiful victory he took home at the Ciocco and Valle del Serchio Rally last March 16th on the asphalts of Tuscany, but it is clear that Giandomenico Basso, always navigated by Lorenzo Granai, is much more in tune with the new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
The Venetian had already taken the podium at Ciocco with a positive second place, but now he seems to have what it takes to put Crugnola under pressure until the end of the event. The unknown is represented by Nucita: will the Sicilian be able to play the role of third wheel and manage to play for the victory as an outsider?
Today the answer is yes, but tomorrow the day will resume with a much more dangerous Stéphane Lefebvre. Today the French expert – who we remember as an official with Citroen in the WRC and with several starts in the WRC2 – was slowed down by some pop-off problems.
The Top 5 is completed by Marco Signor navigated by Daniele Michi. The two, on Skoda Fabia Rally2, managed to finish ahead of Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton (Skoda Fabia) by 1″1, but it is clear that the rider from Romagna will at least aspire to a position in the Top 5, if not to get back into the fight for the podium.
Of note are the premature KOs of Mattia Scandola, Federico Gangi, Alessandro Ciardi and Michael Rendina on SS3, while on SS2 Luca Bottarelli was slowed down by a puncture and hit an anti-cut.
We would also like to remind you that all the tests of this edition of the Piedmont Region Rally are and will be opened by Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen at the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 of the Hyundai Motorsport team which competes in the WRC. The Norwegian crew is not competing, but is participating as a ghost car to prepare for the Croatian Rally, the fourth round of the World Championship and the first on asphalt which will be held next week.
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