14-18 October: almost a week of sunshine, rally at Sanremo

Registration opens today, Wednesday 16 September, for all rally events in Western Liguria and will close on Friday 9 October. From Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 October, the action will really get underway, and the ‘City of Flowers’ will be at the heart of a thrilling contest involving the crews taking part in the 73rd edition of the Sanremo Rallye – which counts towards the Italian and European championships – the 41st Sanremo Historic Rally, also counting towards the Italian and European championships, the 40th Coppa dei Fiori regularity rally, and the 1st Sanremo Electric Rally, a brand-new addition to the motorsport calendar. Once again this year, on Saturday afternoon, 17 October, the crews of the Sanremo Rallye will compete on the Porto Sole toboggan run in what promises to be an adrenaline-fuelled and spectacular event.

SANREMO (IM), 16 settembre – Sanremo, the city of sun and flowers, becomes the European and Italian capital of rallying once a year, with its races attracting the best national and continental drivers to the Riviera dei Fiori. The highlight of the five-day event in Sanremo will, as always, be the Rallye Sanremo, now in its 73rd edition, which will take place on the roads of western Liguria on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, and will be the final round of the Italian Rally Championship – Sparco (CIAR-Sparco), as well as counting as the thirteenth round (and second Italian round) of the European Rally Trophy (ERT), which will conclude two rounds later in Germany. Following the drivers in the main event on Sunday 18 October, the crews of the 27th Rally delle Palme will set off; this event, which starts and finishes in Bordighera, counts towards the Coppa Rally di Zona, and will see them bring their season to a close in Sanremo, having competed in six other rounds in the provinces of Asti, Verbania, Genoa and Novara.

For over four decades, historic rally cars have also been gathering in Sanremo for a round of the Italian Historic Rally Championship (CIRAS), which also counts towards the European Historic and Classic Car Championship (FIA European Historic Rally Championship – EHRC), and they will do so again this year with the 41st edition of the Sanremo Historic Rally, which will see its competitive action take place on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 October. The Sanremo Rally is the eighth and final round of both the CIRAS and the continental championship.

When it comes to electric car rallies too, Sanremo is once again proving itself a pioneer in the discipline, with the 1st Sanremo Rally Electric – a single-make speed rally reserved for crews competing in the ADAC-Opel Mokka Cup. From Friday 16th to Sunday 18th, the German manufacturer’s electric cars will battle it out against the clock on the roads of western Liguria.

Five great days of motorsport are therefore in store for Sanremo and the surrounding area, featuring five races that will crown the Italian rally champion (CIAR-Sparco) and all but finalise the ERT standings with the 71st Rallye Sanremo; the Rally Palme will also determine the regional finalists for the Coppa Rally di Zona. The 42nd Sanremo Historic Rally will determine the final standings for both the Italian CIRAS and the European EHRC, whilst the 40th Coppa dei Fiori will be the last chance for competitors to make a bid for the CIRAR Italian title. The 1st Sanremo Electric Rally will mark the beginning of electric car racing. In the future, this date could be seen as a milestone for alternative-energy racing..

The races in the ‘City of Flowers’ are not just a long period of competition for the teams, but also provide an opportunity to see drivers and cars of great historical and sporting value, as well as their mechanics at work, up close. It all begins on Wednesday 14 October, when the first teams arrive on the Sanremo seafront.