After a
promising showing in the heat and dust of Sardinia, the
two factory Fiat Puntos were dramatically struck down on
the rally's penultimate stage. Transmission failure
accounted for the cars of both Mirco Baldacci and Luca
Cecchettini, but not before they had once again
demonstrated the Super 1600 category rally car's
potential.
The first leg of the FIA WRC Italy-Sardinia Rally kicked
off last Friday, April 29. The island-based event was
the fifth event of the FIA World Rally Championship, and
the third encounter valid for the FIA Junior World Rally
Championship, in which two official Fiat Punto Abarths,
driven by Mirco Baldacci-Giovanni Bernacchini and Luca
Cecchettini-Massimo Daddoveri, were competing.
The two Fiat Abarth crews were immediately held up by
punctures during the first timed stage of the day, and
by the end of the opening leg, after six special stages,
they were in eighth and ninth places respectively. The
provisional leader of the Junior race after day one was
Katajamaki of Finland in a Suzuki. The punctures forced
the two Fiat drivers to change tyres during the 29km
long opening special stage, and this cost Baldacci back
four minutes, while Cecchettini lost six minutes.
The second leg of the rally took place on Saturday,
April 30, and included five timed stages. The crews
departed from Olbia at 8.00am and by the time they
returned to the town, just before 7.00pm, Mirco Baldacci
had turned in a strong performance to claw his way up to
a provisional fourth place in the JWRC category.
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On his way to this leaderboard position the driver from San
Marino had overcome discomfort problems caused by a mild
attack of food poisoning overnight, and, by maintaining a
steady pace and a high speed, he had been able to make up
four places.
Luca Cecchettini was less fortunate, and broke a drive shaft
during the final stage of the day, while the overnight JWRC
lead was claimed by Spanish driver, Sordo, in a Citroen, who
was provisionally two and a half minutes ahead of the second
placed Katajamaki.
Cecchettini was handed a five minute penalty for his dramas
on the final stage of Saturday, and as the Fiat crews headed
into the last day, Sunday, both were looking to consolidate
their JWRC championship points scoring positions. However
disaster was to strike both the factory Fiat crews as
Baldacci, who held onto his fourth place comfortably
throughout the closing day, and Cecchettini, slightly
further back in point-scoring eighth place, were both to be
struck out of the event on the penultimate stage of the
final day with transmission woes.
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