Rally San Martino di Castrozza 2004

• Event preview
• Event report
• Event report from Fiat, N Technology

Event preview

After almost one month of break , Italian Rally Championship will restart  with the 24th edition of San Martino di Castrozza e Primiero (seventh round of the 2004 season) on Thursday 8th July 2004. This Rally is valid also for FIA European Rally Cup.

Six Fiat Punto Abarth Rally (Super 1600) will be at the start. First of all Paolo Andreucci (winner of Rally del Ciocco e Valle Del Serchio) and Giandomenico Basso (winner of Rally Mille Miglia), then the four drivers taking part to the Trofeo Fiat Punto Abarth Rally.: Matteo Gamba (leading Overall and Under 27 Classification), Stefano Bizzarri, Nicola Caldani and Alessandro bottega (on his home-town roads).

Andreucci - with Anna Andreussi as co-driver - is now third in the Championship Classification, after Navarra and Longhi (Subaru) and first in the Super 1600 Classification in front of Dallavilla (Renault).  Basso ­ with Mitia Dotta ­ as co-driver is sixth in the Overall and third in the Super 1600.

Fiat is second in the Manufacturers Classification after Subaru and in front of Mitsubishi.
The Rally ­ on tarmac - will foresee 15 special stages shared in 2 legs for a total of 752,79 km (226,42 Km of special stages).

Event report

Last weekend's seventh round of the Italian Rally Championship, the Rally of San Martino and Primiero, was marked by a dominant victory from Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta in an N-Technology built, Trico Motor Sport-run, Fiat Punto Abarth.

The Veneto driver had promised a fierce battle before the event: "I need absolutely to get as many points as possible, if I want to keep some chance for the Italian championship".

He maintained his promise, winning the rally, despite the conditions turning against the two wheel drive runners on the second leg. He grabbed the lead on the first stage, a 1.32km-long spectator-friendly superspecial stage run around the high altitude, luxury Alpine town of San Martino di Castrozza.

Going to sleep on Thursday night with just 0.4 seconds in hand over Paolo Andreucci in another official N Technology Fiat Punto Abarth, Giandomenico Basso left the rest of the crews trailing in his wake during the opening stages of the first leg the next morning.

Basso posted fastest times from the second to the sixth stage, with a remarkable advantage of 10 seconds and 16 seconds after the first and second running of the Val dei Mocheni-Bersntol stage.

These results let him park his Fiat Punto in the Parc Ferme for the overnight rest from Friday to Saturday with 1 minute 27 seconds in hand over his closest contender, a slightly surprised Andrea Navarra at the wheel of a GpN Subaru Impreza, and Renato Travaglia's Peugeot 206, the first of Basso's Super 1600 rivals, a further 27 seconds adrift.

The first leg was not so positive for the 2003 Italian Rally champion, Paolo Andreucci , after the Tuscan driver suffered a puncture on the second stage and his co-driver Anna Andreussi, miscalculated a time check by one minute, an mistake that set them back them an equivalent time penalty. They eventually completed the first leg as seventh crew, 2 minutes 38 seconds off the lead.

While first leg had featured warm and sunny weather, which let the Super1600 crews express their two wheel power ideally on dry tarmac, the second leg would offer a completely different scenario.

While crossing the high Alpine passes at 2,000 metres above sea level, the temperatures cooled to around 5°C, and the drivers faced trouble with the stages becoming slippery after storm clouds deposited torrential rain over virtually the entire leg.

Basso, relying on the time cushion he had built up the day before, drove carefully, without taking too many risks along the way. Renato Travaglia tried unsuccessfully to attack Andrea Navarra's second place, winning the last two stages, but it wasn't enough to overtake the Cesenate driver.However, Andreucci, with less too lose, was able to gain two positions, moving him up to the fourth place by the finish, after posting quick times all day, including two stage victories.

The event saw the Italian debut of the Citroen C2 Super1600, entered by the Vieffecorse team and driven by Luca Rossetti. The new car put in a strong performance and looks like it is going to be an interesting adversary on the tarmac to the dominant Fiat Punto Rally. Luca Rossetti however suffered an unpleasant incident, when his car went off road and injuring a marshal. After offering assistance to the marshal and being stationary for more than half an hour, the Citroen crew completed the rally in 34th position.

Over the closing stages spectators were treated to the appearance of an exceptional guest star, Miki Biasion, the Lancia-driving World Rally Drivers Champion of 1987 and 1988. The Italian hero drove as a special safety car, at the wheel of the mythic Lancia Delta S4, a 600bhp monster which featured all wheel drive and both a turbocharger and a supercharger, a car abolished at the end of 1986 after winning almost everything in its short rallying career.

The report from Fiat, N Technology

The 24th edition of Rally San Martino di Castrozza e di Primiero ­ seventh round of Italian Rally Championship ­ finished with the win of Fiat Punto Abarth Rally (Super 1600) driven by Giandomenico Basso (with Mitia Dotta as co-driver).  Second place for Subaru (Navarra) and third for Peugeot (Travaglia). Another Fiat Punto Abarth Rally at the fourth place with Paolo Andreucci, Italian reigning champion.
At four event to the end of the season, Fiat drivers are now third with Andreucci and fourth with Basso in the Italian Rally Championship Drivers' Classification. In the Manufactures' Classification Fiat is second between Subaru (first) and Mitsubishi (third).

Basso led the Rally from the start to the end, winning seven out of nine special stages of the first leg to build a big advantage towards his competitors. 
The first leg was dominated by sunny day, which let the Super1600 cars express their best power on dry tarmac, whilst the second leg started in a completely different scenario. While crossing high Alpine passes at 2,000 meter over sea level with cool temperature at +5C degrees, all the drivers faced troublesome and sliding stages with stormy clouds and heavy rain along the whole lasting leg.

Basso drove all the day carefully, assuring and sustaining his leadership, without taking too many risks along all the stages.
Young driver Alessandro Bettega won the Trofeo Fiat Punto Abarth Classification and he was able also to gain the final sixth place between Super 1600 cars. Matteo Gamba ­ retired in this Rally ­ is always leading both the Overall both the Under 27 Classifications.

Next Rally will be Rally delle Alpi Orientali, on 28th ­ 29th August 2004.

1. Navarra (Subaru Impreza STi) p.89
2. Longhi (Subaru Impreza STi) p.77
3. Andreucci (Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600) p.72
4. Basso (Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600) p.54
5. Dallavilla (Renault Clio Super1600) p.49
6. Cantamessa (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII) p.45
7. Travaglia (Peugeot 206 Super1600) p.40
8. Dati (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII) p.28
9. Fiorio (Subaru Impreza STi) p.25
10. Rossetti (Citroen Saxo Super1600) p.22

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• San Martino di Castrozza 2003
• San Martino di Castrozza 2002