72nd Rallye Sanremo. Trophy cups and sparkling wine celebrate the winners at Pian di Nave

Much of the attention of the public and professionals was monopolised by the thrilling battle between Giandomenico Basso and Andrea Crugnola. However, the challenges for the Italian Rally-Junior Championship, Lancia Trophy, Toyota GR Yaris Rally Cup, Suzuki Rally Cup and Michelin Trophy Italy were just as adrenaline-fuelled. The best driver from Liguria was Fabio Andolfi, third overall, while the best driver from Sanremo was Antonio Annovi, 22nd overall and first in his class.

SANREMO (IM), 19 ottobre – Dozens, perhaps a hundred trophies raised to the sky by the winners of classes and categories, litres and litres of sparkling wine sprayed on the podium to celebrate the joy of success and wash away the tension. The 72nd Rallye Sanremo ended its double day in the middle of the afternoon on the Pian di Nave platform amid smiling faces and wet overalls. The best Ligurian driver at the finish line was Fabio Andolfi, who shared the Skoda Fabia RS with Swiss driver Marco Menchini, finishing third overall and setting the fastest time in five of the twelve special stages. The title of best driver in Sanremo went to Antonio Annovi (in his eleventh appearance at the Sanremo tricolore) together with Tatiana Santini, the absolute dominator of the R3 class with his Renault Clio, which he drove to twenty-second place overall.

CIAR Junior, All in the name of Dalla Piccola. One might almost say it was a one-man show. Sebastian Dalla Piccola, a rookie in the world of rallying, clinched his first victory of the season and the Italian Junior Rally Champion title in one fell swoop. He did so in the most emphatic way possible, winning all the special stages in his Renault Clio Rally5 alongside Fabio Andrian and finishing 33rd overall with a clear 22-second lead over Mattia Ricciu and Giovanni Mazzone. The Sardinian inherited second place from Giacomo Marchioro-Daniele Conti, who arrived in Sanremo at the top of the standings but dropped out of the race on the morning stage from San Romolo to Perinaldo.

Two Wheel Drive, Challenge between Pesavento and Pisani. Having already reached the maximum of six entries allowed by the regulations, the challenge between Davide Pesavento, with Alessandro Michelet, and Gianandrea Pisani, flanked by Nicola Biagi, had a platonic flavour, even if it was a real challenge. The Venetian immediately took the lead and maintained it for most of the race, leaving his opponent in command in only one stage. However, the points for the victory in Sanremo went to Simone Di Giovanni and Andrea Colapietro who, after a rather spectacular crash during the Porto Sole show trial, began a push to make up the gap on Edoardo De Antoni and Martina Musiari, who held their position until the start of the afternoon round of trials, finishing nineteenth overall and fourth in the Two-Wheel Drive category, one position behind Di Giovanni, from whom they are separated by 28 seconds.

Lancia Ypsilon Trophy. The race in western Liguria closed the season of Lancia’s official return to rallying, which took to the Italian roads with a trophy that garnered the enthusiasm of competitors and fans alike. In Sanremo, the main title, the master, was already in the hands of Gianandrea Pisani, who nevertheless lined up at the start of the Ligurian race. The Junior classification remained open, with Gabriel Di Pietro, with Andrea Dresti as his co-driver, facing Nicolò Ardizzone, flanked by Valentina Pasini. The young driver from Biella imposed his rule on Di Pietro at Porto Sole, but in the following race at Carpasio, Ardizzone put the Ypsilon on his hat, allowing the driver from Upper Piedmont to manage the situation without taking risks, finishing the race twenty-third overall and sixth among the Ypsilons, mathematically beating Davide Pesavento-Alessandro Michelet in the standings. Even more dramatic was the outcome of the Expert category, which saw the main protagonists gradually withdraw. Starting with Emanuele Fiore and Andrea Casalini, who did not even finish the Porto Sole stage. Denis Vigliaturo then took the lead with Ermanno Corradini, who led the pack for two special stages before touching and sadly ending the Cesio Caravonica. It seemed that it was to be the turn of Poland’s Dariusz Polonski, flanked by his compatriot Lukasz Sitek, who was leading comfortably until the ninth special stage, when a digression forced him to retire. Mauro Porzia, guided on the special stages by Genaro, finished fifty-second overall and climbed onto the top step of the podium. The best Lancia Ypsilon at the finish line was that of Pesavento-Michelet, who won by just 4.7 seconds over the twin car of Gianandrea Pisani-Nicola Biagi.

Benjamin Boulenc confirms his position at the top of the Toyota Yaris GR Cup. Final success in the Yaris GR Cup Trophy for Frenchman Benjamin Boulenc with Chloe Barozzi Gauze, who arrived in Sanremo as the series leaders. Boulenc took the lead in the Yaris Cup on SS 2, despite pressure from Tommaso Paleari with Harsahana Ratnayake in the passenger seat and Fabrizio Andolfi Jr-Riccardo Imerito until the fourth special stage, when the Frenchman touched and broke a suspension arm. From that moment on, Boulenc focused on finishing third in the category, which still gave him the title without making any further mistakes. The battle between Paleari and Andolfi became more intense, with the former, after a less than brilliant start, beginning a comeback that saw him overtake his opponent on the second pass on Vignai, who also made contact on the following Ghimbegna stage, which did not compromise his position in the race. Fabrizio Andolfi Jr and Riccardo Imerito won the race, while Benjamin Boulenc and Chloe Barozzi Gauze repeated their Toyota Promotion title. The Under 25 challenge ended practically before it began, with Maira Zanotti-Alyssa Anziliero crashing out at Shake Down, paving the way for Giovanni Dello Russo-Christian Vizzaccaro, who finished 27th overall and fourth in Yaris..

Suzuki Rally Cup, Varesco confirm at the top. Quiet thrilling the Suzuki Rally Cup that before the start had three drivers comprised in five points, all with equal possibilities of winning. The first dramatic turn of events came during the Porto Sole show, won by Jean Claude Vallino with Sandro Sanesi on the pace notes, when Varesco, leader of the Swift Cup, completed half a lap too much and was penalized for having extended the course. Already in the following special stage at Carpasio, however, the Sicilians Giorgio Fichera and Lorenzo Barbera took the lead, having led the standings in a Garibaldian manner until the second Sunday passage on Vignai, when they punctured, losing a full nine minutes to Vallino, winner of the special stage. At the same point where Fichera punctured, Varesco also punctured, but decided to continue without stopping, continuing for seven kilometers with the tire increasingly deflating. At that point Vallino took the lead in the Suzuki Rally Cup, but the game was not over yet because the last Power Stage, the one in Ghimbegna, was still to come, which could have changed everything, and so it was.. “It was truly an impossible mission, especially since they found me with a different tire than the other three and the car with an incorrect set-up,” commented Varesco from Trentino, who nevertheless believed in it all the way, setting the fastest time on the special stage and collecting the handful of points that allowed him to finish the Hamamatsu manufacturer’s series with a four-point advantage over Jean Claude Vallino, who was left with the consolation of having won the Junior and Italian R1 titles, repeating his success in 2024.

Michelin Italy Élite Trophy, Pesavento wins the race and the title. With a gallop that developed throughout the race, Davide Pesavento and Alessandro Michelet turned the tide in the Michelin Italy Élite Trophy, which before the Ligurian race had Tuscan Gianandrea Pisani in the lead, partnered by Nicola Biagi. The pre-race outlook was that whoever won in Sanremo would win the Clermont Ferrand Manufacturer’s Cup. And so it was.

Of the 85 crews that started yesterday’s special stages, 66 happily made it to the final platform at Pian di Nave.