The Italian driver dominates the fifth round of the FIA European Rally Championship and the Sparco Absolute Italian Rally Championship with a strong performance. Also on the podium were Simone Campedelli and Efrèn Llarena. Marco Signor is Italian Promotion Champion. ‘Dedo’ wins in the regional race.
Fiuggi, July 28th 2024 – Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto repeated themselves by winning for the second year in a row the Rally di Roma Capitale, the fifth round of the FIA European Rally Championship and the Sparco Italian Absolute Rally Championship. The event, organised by Motorsport Italia and Max Rendina, took place this past weekend between Rome, Fiuggi, Frusinate and Ciociaria.
The Italian champion crew, in a Citroën C3 Rally2, drove a race of great substance, showing determination and resilience. After an extremely positive first half, Crugnola and Ometto lost the lead in the second half of Saturday’s race, only to regain it by a whisker and then build up enough of an advantage to close the race with a 20.4-second margin. This is the second time in the recent history of the Rally di Roma Capitale that a driver has won two consecutive times.
“It wasn’t an easy race to manage psychologically, but when the time came we pushed hard and made an important break. It was crucial for us to finish in front for a matter of points, so I congratulate my opponents, my team and the organisers for a very tough race. Thanks to my partners and to Pietro who was perfect and fundamental in handling all the pressure,” commented Crugnola.
In second place was another Italian crew, that of Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton, in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Campedelli, winner in Rome in 2017, brought to the race a special livery dedicated to the inclusion of women in motorsport and ran a very good race that also allowed him to win a special.
Third place went to the rediscovered Efrèn Llarena and Sara Fernàndez, in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. The Spaniards, European champions 2022, thus realised their best result at the Rally di Roma Capitale, currently also their first podium of the 2024 season, which also saw them win the first passage on the ‘Fiuggi’ stage. In total, out of the 13 timed stretches, Crugnola won seven, leaving one each to Campedelli and Llarena, one to Bostjan Avbelj, two to Simone Tempestini and one to Francesco Aragno, the unexpected first leader of the race after the show stage at the Colosseum, the most eagerly awaited, most spectacular and exciting moment.
The event provided a truly unprecedented spectacle, with many spectators at the Colosseum on Friday for the spectacular start, along the route and at the finish in Fiuggi. “Bringing the rally to the Colosseum, I believe, was once again a feat, thanks to all my staff and the cooperation of the institutions, first and foremost the Assessore Grandi Eventi, Sport, Turismo e Moda di Roma Capitale Alessandro Onorato. The Romans responded, the Lazio Region is full of fans, so I am very very happy. Congratulations to Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto for this success, but thanks also to Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton for this very Italian podium that makes us proud as sportsmen. Thanks to the institutions who believed in the project, to my Federation ACI Sport and to those who support us. We are takinga step forward every year, today we are the European Championship and we will see what the future holds,” said Max Rendina at the finish line.
Completing the top ten were Simone Tempestini and Sergio Itu (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) who, after leading during the first stage, finished fourth; Mathieu Franceschi and Andy Malfoy (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) fifth after a consistent race that allowed them to nibble a few points off Hayden Paddon in the European standings. It was the New Zealander himself, navigated by John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), who finished sixth, ahead of Bostjan Avbelj and Damjan Andrejka (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), who were more positive at the start of the race. Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai were eight in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Ninth place for Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), tenth for Simon Wagner e Jara Hain, on a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Thanks to the fourteenth place overall, third in the Italian Rally Promotion Championship, Marco Signor and Daniele Michi on Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 became champions 2024 in the Promotion classification, with two races to go. An important result for the driver from Treviso, who was thus able to celebrate on the Fiuggi platform.
In RC3 class the success went largely to the Czech Filip Kohn, navigated by the British driver Tom Woodburn, on a Ford Fiesta Rally3, while in RC4 the tricolour flag waved with the spectacular affirmation of Giorgio Cogni and Simone Brachi (Peugeot 208 Rally2), who also conquered the Italian Rally 2-Wheel Drive Championship ranking.
In RC5 great performance for Matteo Doretto and Marco Frigo (Renault Clio Rally5) who also won the round of the Italian Absolute Rally Junior Championship, the one-make championship reserved to the Under 27 of which Motorsport Italia is technical partner. To Thomas Paperini and Andrea Gabelloni, in a Toyota GR Yaris, the success in the Cup dedicated to the Japanese sedan and in the National class.
At the back of the European and Italian race was also the round valid for the 8th Zone Italian Cup, which ran six special stages. The winner was an old acquaintance of the Rally di Roma Capitale, ‘Dedo’ De Dominicis, navigated by Massimo Daddoveri, in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. ‘Dedo’ had been the winner in 2013 of the first Rally di Roma Capitale organised by Max Rendina and 11 years later he repeated himself, albeit in the Zone race. Second place went to Stefano Liburdi and Valerio Silvaggi in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 32.1 seconds behind, and third to Emanuele Giannetti and Marco Lepore in a Škoda Fabia R5 46.9 seconds behind.
ABSOLUTE RALLY DI ROMA CAPITALE 2024 CLASSIFICATION: 1. Crugnola-Ometto (Citroen C3) in 1:53’10.9; 2. Campedelli-Canton (Skoda Fabia RS) a 22.2; 3. Llarena-Fernandez (Skoda Fabia RS) a 27.8; 4. Tempestini-Itu (Skoda Fabia RS) a 32.0; 5. Franceschi-Malfoy (Skoda Fabia RS) a 32.0; 6. Paddon-Kennard (Hyundai i20 N) a 38.1; 7. Avbelj-Andrejka (Skoda Fabia RS) a 59.9; 8. Basso-Granai (Toyota GR Yaris) a 1’14.8; 9. Mabellini-Lenzi (Skoda Fabia RS) a 1’20.1; 10. Wagner-Hain (Skoda Fabia RS) a 1’28.6
