The re-launch of the Abarth brand name has been big news in Geneva, and at the heart of the compact, enclosed display is the Grande Punto Abarth S2000, which won three rally titles in its maiden season of competition last year, and which is now set to carry the baton forward with an even more ambitious programme during 2007. Resplendent in the new red-and-white colours of the revitalised Abarth brand, and featuring a large number one logo and bulging alloy wheels, the potent Super2000 rally machine is a real crowd puller this week.

The Grande Punto Abarth S2000 burst dramatically onto the rally scene last year, when it swept to an imperious debut win on the Italian Rally Championship (CIR) counting Rally del Ciocco in the hands of factory development driver Paolo Andreucci, the Italian going on to win the series title overall as well as handing the car its first gravel surface wins with back-to-back triumphs on the closing two CIR calendar events. At the same time Giandomenico Basso, also driving the Super2000 machine, claimed the FIA European Rally Championship and the inaugural Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

For 2007, the Abarth team has mapped out a dual programme strategy which will see it focus on defending its IRC and CIR titles, with a major shuffle being made in driver line-ups, necessitated as Andreucci has recently switched from Fiat to the works Mitsubishi Italia team this year. Basso has now been given responsibility for the Italian series, while gravel specialist Andrea Navarra, who played a supporting role to Andreucci in the CIR last year, is taking the lead role in the IRC assault. Umberto Scandola, who ran several IRC rounds in the Super2000 Grande Punto last year, is being retained by the Abarth team and will share a second car in the IRC with another promising youngster, Anton Alén, the son of Finnish rally legend Markku.
 

In Geneva last week Fiat motorsports' boss Claudio Berro explained the reasoning behind the new line-up to Italiaspeed. "This is a strategic decision, Giandomenico is a very fast driver on the tarmac and the Italian championship is 80 percent on the tarmac, and the the challenge in the Italian championship is against our former driver Paolo Andreucci," said Berro. "The challenge will be very strong, and Giandomenico Basso is a champion who is very strong in this car."

After the inaugural running of the Eurosport television channel-backed IRC last year, which had just one round outside Europe (the Zulu Rally in South Africa), the series in 2007 will go global, and a string of car manufacturers' are currently building cars to conform to the new Super2000 regulations.

"The IRC is on tarmac and gravel, more a long distance race," says Berro. "It's a nice championship for Andrea Navarra who is a strong driver, plus we will have two young drivers, one is Scandola and the other is Alén. The IRC is a fantastic series for super2000 and GpN, we go in different markets, we go to Kenya now, in Asia, in Russia, in China and in Europe. It's not too expensive a championship, with big coverage from Eurosport television, and a nice challenge for Super2000," adds Berro.

Last year the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 also made its first FIA World Rally Championship appearance, on the Rally of Turkey, but there are no plans to contest any further WRC rounds this year, with the 'international' focus being focused on the IRC. "The world championship is for world rally cars and at the moment we don't have a world rally cars," adds Berro.