|
|
Rally Costa Smeralda 2003
Final reportOn the fearful tracks of the Rally Costa Smeralda, the Fiat brand shines after 23 years. Thanks to the positions of Paolo Andreucci and Giandomenico Basso, the Fiat constructor wins early the Constructors Italian Rally Championship. The last Fiat success was registered in 1980, when Vudafieri won the title with Fiat 131 Racing. Everybody didn't expect such result from the ninth round of the Italian Rally Championship: the gravel stages of Sassari's province were the ideal ground for all wheel drive production cars and the rally response confirmed that forecast, but the Fiat Punto Super1600 drivers were able to bring their own cars to the finish line with enough pace to get precious points for the national series. Gianluigi Galli, at the wheel of the Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII gr.N, after a full season with the Fiat Punto Rally Super1600 in the Junior World Rally Championship, rocked the leaderboard with times almost at the same pace of the best WRC drivers. The performance of the Livigno based driver was so strong that anybody bets on him for the third vacant seat in the official Mitsubishi WRC team, which is going to return in the World series with Lancer Evo VIII WRC, after a sabbatic year. The key of the event, however, has been determined by an unlucky episode occurred to the Subaru Impreza STi gr.N driven by Piero Longhi, the real challenger for the Italian crown: during the last stage of the first leg the car suffered a failure of a suspension arm, which forced him to retire and leaving important 20 points in the dust: the misfact will probably line up the end of the rush for the Italian Rally Championship, although the Turinese driver has still the mathematical chance to surpass the Fiat drivers with the last round of the series. If you look at the final standings of Costa Smeralda, you will see the WRC drivers mixed up with the gr.N drivers: gravel tracks dictate the rule that the all wheels traction performs superiorly than Super1600 tracks, but the chaotic and exciting rally season 2003 needs you read the final places considering that only some drivers take points for the Italian series. That lecture of the scoreboard gives Paolo Andreucci and Giandomenico Basso respectively 8 and 4 points and let them to conquer the title for their brand. Fiat, through its satellite development team N Technology, developed the best Super1600 technology for them and let them win any round of the series, while Renato Travaglia's Peugeot 206 Super1600 and other drivers at the wheel of Renault Clio, Citroën Saxo, and Opel Corsa performed quite poorly. Only one verdict is still unveiled, but it seems clear it will be a question between the two Fiat drivers, Giandomenico Basso and Paolo Andreucci, who will try to attack the current Cavaso sul Tomba's driver on the last round of the series, the Rally Adriatico due to the central weekend in October. Final classification of Rally Costa Smeralda
Drivers Italian Rally Championship after Rally Costa Smeralda (9th round/10 rounds)
Constructors Italian Rally Championship after Rally Costa Smeralda (9th round/10 rounds)
PicturesComing soon!
|