Giandomenico Basso, driving the factory-run Fiat Grande Punto Rally S2000, has won the 2006 FIA European Rally Championship title with three rounds still remaining after he stormed to a decisive win in the Rally Vinho da Madeira which finished yesterday. At the same time, Basso has also opened out a decisive lead in the inaugural International Rally Challenge.

The success marks Fiat’s third overall victory on the famous event, following Luís Neto (Fiat 125S) in 1972 and Adartico Vudafieri (Fiat 131 Abarth) in 1980. Further, Basso’s victory in Madeira means that the Turinese carmaker has now clinched its fourth FIA European Rally Championship crown, following on from the exploits of Raffaele Pinto (Fiat 124 Sport Spyder) in 1972, Maurizio Verini (Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye) in 1975, and Vudafieri (Fiat 131 Abarth) in 1981. For Basso, after the heartache he suffered in last year’s series, it is a richly deserved reward. His four wins from six events, all with usual co-driver Mitia Dotta alongside, were all secured against tough national and international opposition, including experienced drivers with local knowledge, behind the wheel of 2006-specification Japanese Group N machinery.

The Grande Punto Rally, the first car to be developed to the FIA’s new restricted-cost Super2000 formula, has proven to be a tough, durable and very quick rallycar in only its first year of competition. With its first title in the bag less than five months after it first burst spectacularly onto on the competitive rally scene during the opening round of the 2006 Italian Rally Championship, the Rally del Ciocco, it has also secured the honour of being the first Super2000 car to win an international title.

This year’s Rally Vinho da Madeira, as usual held entirely on asphalt, formed the third round of the brand new International Rally Challenge (IRC) which is promoted by SRW Events and closely supported by the Eurosport satellite TV channel.  Basso didn’t contest the opening round, the Zulu Rally South Africa, but his victory on the second event in the series, the Ypres Rally (which was also part of his FIA European Rally Championship programme), saw him as the joint leader coming to Madeira, which also counted for both championships. With 10 points, putting him level with Alistair McRae (winner of the Zulu Rally), the Portuguese island rally would give the Italian Fiat driver the chance to open out a clear lead in the IRC, as well as the chance to seal the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). That said, nothing could be taken for granted, as memories of his cruel misfortune on this event last year (struck down by electrical problems on the final stage whilst heading for victory) were ever-present.

Basso was joined in the factory Fiat team once again by Umberto Scandola and Luigi Pirollo. The Italian duo have been concentrating on the IRC, but had yet to get off the points mark after retiring on both the Zulu and Ypres events. Tough opposition on the 19-stage, two-leg event was set to come from last year’s Madeira Rally winner and ERC Champion Renato Travaglia, who would be behind the wheel of a Peugeot 206 S1600, whilst fellow Italian driver Marco Cavigioli (Renault Clio S1600) was also looking for a strong result. Martinique’s Simon Jean-Joseph, another ERC challenger last year, was also in a Renault Clio S1600, as was Spaniard Enrique García Ojeda, and top Madeira driver Vítor Sá. Another local star, Aécio Anjo, lined up in a Citroën Saxo Kit Car, while the prestigious event had attracted a swage of Portugal’s best drivers: Miguel Campos (Subaru Impreza WRX), José Pedro Fontes (Renault Clio S1600), Vítor Lopes (Citroën C2 S1600), Fernando Peres (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), Bruno Magalhães (Peugeot 206 S1600) and Armindo Araújo (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX).

After a steady eighth place on Thursday evening’s opening superspecial stage, Basso stormed into the lead of the event proper on the first stage of nine that made up Friday’s first leg.  In fact the Fiat driver was never challenged as he swept to fastest time on the first six stages of the day, the Fiat perfectly suited to the island’s fast, twisting asphalt stages. By the end of day 1, which changeable conditions had turned into a tricky contest, the Fiat driver had won seven out of the nine stages, with a total time of 1 hour 40:03.5, establishing a comfortable lead of 1:06.7 over his nearest rival, the Portuguese Armindo Araújo, who led Group N in his Mitsubishi and had claimed the remaining two stage wins. “Things are well,” said Basso. “This first day was good. The car is doing well, I’m happy.”

The day had not been so fortunate for some others, amongst them Travaglia, who suffered a puncture on SS8 and found himself well down the field in 12th at the end of the day, nearly four minutes off the lead.  In third place, trailing Basso and Araújo, was Fernando Peres. The Portuguese had started the day with second place on the first stage, but was then overtaken by Simon Jean-Joseph and Vítor Sá, both in Renault Clio S1600s.
 

However, power steering problems for Jean-Joseph, and electrical problems for the Madeiran champion (both also on SS8), pushed them down the overnight leaderboard into 10th and 13th places respectively. Thus Peres found himself 44.5 seconds behind Armindo Araújo as the cars headed into overnight parc fermé, and holding onto the final podium slot.  In fourth position was Bruno Magalhães in his Peugeot 206 S1600, trailing Peres by 6.4 seconds, followed by the highest-placed Madeiran pilot, Filipe Freitas, in a Renault Clio S1600, a further 40.9 seconds in arrears. Then came Umberto Scandola in the second Fiat Punto S2000 in sixth place, already 2:38.7 behind his team-mate. Scandola had started day 1 from 22nd place after a careful run on the Thursday night superspecial stage, but had steadily climbed up the leaderboard, anxious to bring the car safely to the finish line on Saturday afternoon and chalk up his first points in the IRC. The first stage of the day (SS2) had seen him up to 13th place overall; by SS3 he was up to 11th, and SS4 saw him breaking into the top ten. A slow time on SS5 dropped him back to 12th, although he quickly took another place back on the next test. SS8 saw him leap up to seventh place as he took advantage of the misfortunes that befell Jean-Joseph and Sá, whilst on the final stage of the day (SS10) he climbed a further position to end the day in sixth, leaving the Fiat team satisfied with his performance.

Meanwhile, Portuguese star Miguel Campos, driving a Group N Subaru Impreza, was in seventh place overnight, only 1.2 seconds ahead of Spaniard Enrique García Ojeda in his Peugeot. Closing out the top ten was another Portuguese Citroën driver, Vítor Lopes, in a Citroën C2 S1600, 6.2 seconds behind, and finally Simon Jean-Joseph, who was now only 2.4 seconds behind the Citroën driver. French rally star Gilles Panizzi, driving a Clio S1600, suffered many mechanical problems on the first leg and lay just outside the top ten in 11th place, 3:09.8 behind the rally leader.

Day two saw Basso again unchallenged at the front, the Italian beginning the day by winning the opening two stages (SS11 and SS12) and keeping his advantage over Araújo at well over a minute. In fact the overnight top three remained unchanged throughout the final nine-stage leg 2, as Fernando Peres maintained his third place to the finish, although Basso was easily able to fend off the best efforts of the two Mitsubishi drivers. Basso also won SS14 and SS16 as he settled into cruise mode, on his way to claiming another maximum points haul. For the record, the Italian was second-quickest on SS15, fourth on SS17 and SS18, fifth on SS13, and tenth on the final stage of the day (SS19). After a thoroughly convincing performance, the Fiat pilot won the event easily, with 11 fastest times out of a total schedule of 19 stages. “I am very happy, we won the race and we won the championship,” said a delighted Basso. “I am really very happy. The car was perfect and the team did a great job.”

Behind the Mitsubishis of Araújo and Peres, two Super 1600 cars rounded out the top five overall which had also remained unchanged overnight: Bruno Magalhães (Peugeot 206) who was tailed home by the highest-placed Madeiran pilot, Filipe Freitas (Renault Clio). However, Scandola, in the second Grande Punto Rally, retired after an accident on SS18. Having started the final day in sixth place, he moved up to fifth on the first stage of the day (SS11), holding onto that position until he retired. Finally, in a cruel twist of fate, García Ojeda was struck down by electrical problems just prior to the final stage and was forced to retire, in a recurrence of Basso’s luck from last year’s event.

The next round of the ERC is the 36th Barum Rally Zlín in the Czech Republic (August 25-28). This event was won last year by Renato Travaglia in a Renault Clio S1600, ahead of Basso in the factory Punto S1600, who fought back to second following an accident on the first leg. The fourth and final round of the IRC, meanwhile, is the Rallye Sanremo (September 15-17). Until 2003, this famed asphalt event formed part of the World Championship calendar, but following its substitution with the gravel Rally d’Italia Sardinia, it currently occupies the ninth slot in the Italian championship calendar.

47th Rally Vinho da Madeira – Final Classification: 1. Basso/Dotta (Fiat Grande Punto) 3 hrs 07:23.4; 2. Araújo/Ramalho (Mitsubishi) + 1:14.8; 3. Peres/Silva (Mitsubishi Lancer) + 2:51.6; 4. Magalhães/Grave (Peugeot 206) + 3:07.1; 5. Jean-Joseph/Boyère (Renault Clio) + 3:30.6; 6. Panizzi/Panizzi (Renault Clio) + 3:52.5; 7. Freitas/Figueiroa (Renault Clio) + 4:02.2; 8. Travaglia/Granai (Peugeot 206) + 4:04.8; 9. Sá/Freitas (Renault Clio) + 4:12.6; 10. Campos/Magalhães (Subaru Impreza) + 4:22.3.
 

FIA European Rally Championship – Drivers’ standings (after 6 rounds): 1. Basso (Fiat) 45 points; 2. Iliev (Mitsubishi) and Sołowow (Mitsubishi) 11; 4. Andreucci (Fiat) and Kuzaj (Subaru) 10; 6. Cantamessa (Subaru), Işık (Fiat), Svedlund (Mitsubishi), Princen (Renault) and Araújo (Mitsubishi) 8.
 

International Rally Challenge – Drivers’ standings (after 3 rounds): 1. Basso (Fiat) 20 points; 2. A. McRae (Mitsubishi) 10; 3. Kuun (Volkswagen), Princen (Renault) and Araújo (Mitsubishi) 8; 6. Lourens (Toyota), Cols (Mitsubishi) and Peres (Mitsubishi) 6; 9. Head (Mitsubishi), Loix (Citroën) and Magalhães (Peugeot) 5 points.