Following Anton Alen's sensational first victory for the Abarth team at the weekend, the Italian team now swaps the Russia Rally's rough gravel for smooth, ultra-fast asphalt as they head for the next Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) round, the 48th Rali Vinho da Maderia, from 2-4 August.

The Rali Vinho Maderia is one of the most popular events on the European motor sports' calendar and when the rally rolls into town each summer, life on the Atlantic island comes to a halt. The island's public are very passionate about a sport that has long been engrained into local tradition and takes place on some of the most beautiful and most-demanding asphalt roads seen during the year. The fast and tortuous mountainous routes are characterised by jaw-dropping views and stunning wild flowers, making it every photographer’s favourite.

The Abarth & Co. team will arrive on the island not only looking to defend the IRC drivers' title lead of Andrea Navarra, but also as the new joint leaders of the IRC manufacturers' race, as well as defending its winning record on the Rali Vinho da Maderia: last year Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta claimed the victory in the Italian Super2000 machine on this event as they successfully raced their way to the IRC and FIA European Rally Championship titles.

With Basso concentrating on the Italian Rally Championship for Abarth this year, it falls to Navarra and youngster Umberto Scandola to retain the prestigious Madeira crown for the Italian rally team. Navarra arrives on the island with a very consistent record so far this year, he has finished in the top four of the IRC classification on every event so far this year and now has 29 points.
 

This is 7 more points than his closest rival, Spaniard Enrique Garcia Ojeda, who will be treating the Madeira rally as a 'home' event in his Super2000 Peugeot 207. Ojeda's French team mate Nicolas Vouilloz is next up in the classification on 16 points, one better than Anton Alen who leapt up the leaderboard thanks to his impressive win in Russia. Navarra though is a gravel specialist and on this all-asphalt event he will be looking for another solid top-five finish.

In the second factory Grande Punto Abarth Alen will give way to Umberto Scandola for this rally, these two youngsters splitting IRC driving duties between themselves this year, with Alen focusing on gravel and Scandola on asphalt. Scandola will be looking to build on the 4 points he has collected so far, points he picked up on the Ypres Rally. He also took part in the season-opening Safari Rally in a Grande Punto Abarth but retired while lying in a strong second place behind his team mate Navarra. Scandola gained further experience when he took part in the Rally del Salento, the fifth round of the 2007 Italian Rally Championship, last month driving a Grande Punto Abarth S2000 entered by Trico Motor Sport and finishing in sixth place. He will also be able draw on experience of the island's fast roads as he took part in the Rally Vinho da Madeira last year in the Super2000 Grande Punto Abarth.

In the IRC manufacturers' cup Abarth has now moved into the joint lead of the championship, on equal points with Peugeot, thanks to the 15 the former scored in Russia compared to the 14 the latter racked up. It couldn't be tighter, and both have 48 points after four events with the title fight likely to go right down to the wire. Mitsubishi are in a distant third place with 32 points.

The Abarth team are confident that they can battle for victory on the Atlantic island rally: "We have two very fast drivers who give us the hope of achieving a good result. We will fight for the victory," says Abarth team manager Nic Gullino, who also praises the rally: "The Madeira Wine Rally is, by far, one of the best rallies in Europe. It has a good route, a good organisation, very warm fans and attracts the media, television and written press as well."