20/09/2026
🔝🇮🇹🌎💚 Rally del Lazio MS Munaretto Motorsport Italia WRC Team ACI Team Italia Lancia Corse Pablito Machi Pablo MACHI 🇦🇷🏁🌎✨🌟☀️Rally di Roma Capitale 🔝🇮🇹🌎💚
Avbelj roars again in the Sparco CIAR at an amazing Rally del Lazio
The Slovenian driver navigated by Andrejka, driving a Skoda, wins a dramatic penultimate round of the Italian championship. Nucita-Messina finish second and win the Promotion CIR championship. Crugnola-Beltrame crash out on the Power Stage, while Daprà-Guglielmetti take third place and are now one step away from the title. A clean sweep for Varesco-Goss in the CIAR Junior. Di Pietro-Dresti confirm themselves as kings of the Rally4 class. Italian championship celebrations for Moricci-Garavaldi in Rally3 and Ceccato-Tiraboschi in the Over55 category.
Bostjan Avbelj has returned to shine on the Italian championship stage, winning the penultimate round of the Italian Absolute Rally Championship (CIBostjan Avbelj has returned to shine on the Italian championship stage, winning the penultimate round of the Sparco Italian Absolute Rally Championship alongside Damjian Andrejka, in a dramatic Rally del Lazio Cassino. It is his second victory of the season—following the one at the Rally Due Valli, a result still sub judice—bringing the Slovenian driver back into the spotlight behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia RS prepared by MS Munaretto and shod with Pirelli tires. He dominated by winning four of the eleven special stages held on the asphalt roads around Cassino in the Frosinone area.
Two vibrant days of racing animated by crucial incidents marked the battle for the overall title. The first came midway through Friday when a severe storm hit the "Terelle" stage, complicating plans for the championship's frontrunners. The most dramatic moment, however, arrived on the "Itri" Power Stage, where Andrea Crugnola and Luca Beltrame retired following a crash while running in second overall. "Game Out," as the multiple champion from Varesse driving a Lancia described it; an unexpected turn of events that shook up the end of the rally and definitively dashed his chances of competing for the championship crown.
Second place thus went to Andrea Nucita and Maurizio Messina, who celebrated securing the Italian Rally Promotion Championship with one round to spare—their fourth career national title following the Junior in 2012, the Coppa Italia Final in 2020, and the Two-Wheel Drive in 2021. It is yet another confirmation of the talent from Messina in the Hankook-shod Skoda Fabia RS, also prepared by MS Munaretto, who had managed to take the lead during Friday's downpour by setting the fastest time on the "Terelle" stage. Later, in the finale with Crugnola out, he managed to defend second place from a late charge by championship leader Roberto Daprà, who finished just 1 second behind him.
The third step of the podium carries a bittersweet taste for the ACI Team Italia driver, who now has only Avbelj as his direct opponent for the overall title. Co-driven once again by Luca Guglielmetti in a Delta Rally Skoda, Daprà paid dearly for a spin in the Friday rain that cost him 30 seconds and forced him into a recovery drive. His only remaining objective was the Power Stage, which the driver from Trentino managed to win, adding three crucial points to his tally. Behind him, 2 points went to Avbelj and 1 point to Nucita.
Following the Rally del Lazio, factoring in the score "drop" rule, 15 points at Sanremo could be enough for Daprà to be crowned champion.
Unpredictable weather and extremely selective stages created a mix that continuously shuffled the classification standings in this sixth edition of the Rally del Lazio, organized by M33 and World Events Racing. Consequently, the gaps within the top ten overall were the widest of the season, highlighting the endurance test the competing crews had to endure. Those who reached the finish line pulled off extraordinary results, such as former Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen. With fourth overall—and second in the Promozione category—the Finnish driver secured his best finish since competing in the Italian Championship, once again alongside Patric Ohman in a Gino Auto Citroën C3 running on Dunlop tires.
The same applies to Alex Ferrari, fifth alongside co-driver Nicola Angilletta in a FPF Sport Citroën C3 and on the Promozione podium. Right behind him was outsider Rio Ogata, a young Japanese driver in the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Next Generation project, who finished sixth among the top CIAR Sparco contenders on his debut on Italian roads, co-driven by Mikael Korhonen in a Renault Clio RS Rally3. Seventh place went to the French Toyota Gazoo Racing Italy crew of Benjamin Boulenc and Chloé Barozzi, who suffered a harmless spin on the final stage.
Entering the overall top ten and confirming themselves as two rising talents in national rallying were Gabriel Di Pietro and co-driver Andrea Dresti in a Peugeot 208—who arrived in Cassino already crowned Italian Two-Wheel Drive Champions, but also won this round—along with Nicolò Ardizzone and Alessandro Scartabelli in a Lancia Ypsilon, who finished ninth overall and second in the Rally4 class. The top ten overall was completed by the other Japanese-Finnish Toyota crew, Yanaguida-Mannisenmaki.
Celebrations erupted at the Power Stage stop for two experienced drivers of this national season: Vittorio Ceccato, who paired with Stefano Tiraboschi to celebrate winning the Over 55 title, and Paolo Moricci with Paolo Garavaldi, who secured the points needed to claim the Italian Rally3 Championship.AR) Sparco alongside Damjian Andrejka, in a dramatic Rally del Lazio Cassino. It is his second victory of the season—following the one at the Rally Due Valli, a result still sub judice—bringing the Slovenian driver back into the spotlight behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia RS prepared by MS Munaretto and shod with Pirelli tires. He dominated by winning four of the eleven special stages held on the asphalt roads around Cassino in the Frosinone area.
Two vibrant days of racing animated by crucial incidents marked the battle for the overall title. The first came midway through Friday when a severe storm hit the "Terelle" stage, complicating plans for the championship's frontrunners. The most dramatic moment, however, arrived on the "Itri" Power Stage, where Andrea Crugnola and Luca Beltrame retired following a crash while running in second overall. "Game Out," as the multiple champion from Varesse driving a Lancia described it; an unexpected turn of events that shook up the end of the rally and definitively dashed his chances of competing for the championship crown.
Second place thus went to Andrea Nucita and Maurizio Messina, who celebrated securing the Italian Rally Promotion Championship (CIR Promozione) with one round to spare—their fourth career national title following the Junior in 2012, the Coppa Italia Final in 2020, and the Two-Wheel Drive in 2021. It is yet another confirmation of the talent from Messina in the Hankook-shod Skoda Fabia RS, also prepared by MS Munaretto, who had managed to take the lead during Friday's downpour by setting the fastest time on the "Terelle" stage. Later, in the finale with Crugnola out, he managed to defend second place from a late charge by championship leader Roberto Daprà, who finished just 1 second behind him.
The third step of the podium carries a bittersweet taste for the ACI Team Italia driver, who now has only Avbelj as his direct opponent for the overall title. Co-driven once again by Luca Guglielmetti in a Delta Rally Skoda, Daprà paid dearly for a spin in the Friday rain that cost him 30 seconds and forced him into a recovery drive. His only remaining objective was the Power Stage, which the driver from Trentino managed to win, adding three crucial points to his tally. Behind him, 2 points went to Avbelj and 1 point to Nucita.
Following the Rally del Lazio, factoring in the score "drop" rule, 15 points at Sanremo could be enough for Daprà to be crowned champion.
Unpredictable weather and extremely selective stages created a mix that continuously shuffled the classification standings in this sixth edition of the Rally del Lazio, organized by M33 and World Events Racing. Consequently, the gaps within the top ten overall were the widest of the season, highlighting the endurance test the competing crews had to endure. Those who reached the finish line pulled off extraordinary results, such as former Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen. With fourth overall—and second in the Promozione category—the Finnish driver secured his best finish since competing in the Italian Championship, once again alongside Patric Ohman in a Gino Auto Citroën C3 running on Dunlop tires.
The same applies to Alex Ferrari, fifth alongside co-driver Nicola Angilletta in a FPF Sport Citroën C3 and on the Promozione podium. Right behind him was outsider Rio Ogata, a young Japanese driver in the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Next Generation project, who finished sixth among the top CIAR Sparco contenders on his debut on Italian roads, co-driven by Mikael Korhonen in a Renault Clio RS Rally3. Seventh place went to the French Toyota Gazoo Racing Italy crew of Benjamin Boulenc and Chloé Barozzi, who suffered a harmless spin on the final stage.
Entering the overall top ten and confirming themselves as two rising talents in national rallying were Gabriel Di Pietro and co-driver Andrea Dresti in a Peugeot 208—who arrived in Cassino already crowned Italian Two-Wheel Drive Champions, but also won this round—along with Nicolò Ardizzone and Alessandro Scartabelli in a Lancia Ypsilon, who finished ninth overall and second in the Rally4 class. The top ten overall was completed by the other Japanese-Finnish Toyota crew, Yanaguida-Mannisenmaki.
Celebrations erupted at the Power Stage stop for two experienced drivers of this national season: Vittorio Ceccato, who paired with Stefano Tiraboschi to celebrate winning the Over 55 title, and Paolo Moricci with Paolo Garavaldi, who secured the points needed to claim the Italian Rally3 Championship.
Meanwhile, in the Italian Absolute Rally Junior Championship, Lorenzo Varesco and Isabel Goss secured a hat-trick, proving to be the fastest and most consistent among the ACI Team Italia talents. Driving one of the six Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF cars prepared by Motorsport Italia and shod with Pirelli tires, the driver from Trentino won 8 out of 11 stages, including the final Power Stage, soaring to the top of the standings and pulling 51 seconds ahead of everyone else.
It was a race of highs and lows, however, for Geronimo Nerobutto and Matteo Zaramella, who finished second in the rally and recorded the second-fastest time—just 6 tenths behind—on the Power Stage. The driver from Borgo Valsugana made up ground in the closing stages to overtake Matteo Scalet and Alessandro Cervi, who finished third overall, 1 minute and 3 seconds behind Varesco.
Smiles returned in the Suzuki Rally Cup for Jean Claude Vallino, who, driving a Swift Sport Hybrid shared with Sandro Sanesi, took home victory in the fifth round of the one-make series. The young driver from Val Pellice closed the gap in the standings on championship leader Roberto Pellè, who finished second alongside Luca Franceschini, 29.5 seconds behind Vallino. The Suzuki podium was rounded out by the family crew of Stefano and Maurizio Vitali, finishing over 3 minutes off the lead.
RALLY DEL LAZIO CLASSIFICATION: 1. Avbelj-Andrejka (Skoda Fabia RS) in 1:32'53.9; 2. Nucita-Messina (Skoda Fabia RS) at 50.0; 3. Dapra'-Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia) at 51.1; 4. Kovalainen-Ohman (Citroen C3) at 4'28.4; 5. Ferrari-Angilletta (Citroen C3) at 4'49.0; 6. Ogata-Korhonen (Renault Clio RS) at 5'13.8; 7. Boulenc-Barozzi Gauze (Toyota Yaris RS) at 6'07.2; 8. Di Pietro-Dresti (Peugeot 208) at 7'33.0; 9. Ardizzone-Scartabelli (Lancia Ypsilon) at 7'45.6; 10. Yanaguida-Mannisenmaki (Renault Clio RS) at 8'50.0;
19th Sept #2026
SPARCO CIAR CLASSIFICATION: Daprà 97pt; 2. Avbelj 76pt; 3. Crugnola 69pt; 4. Nucita 48pt; 5. Campedelli 33pt;
