Giandomenico Basso, the 2006 FIA European and Intercontinental Rally Champion, has written his name into the roll of honour of 1000 Miglia Rally for the third time, the rally which this year is the third round of the Italian Rally Championship (CIR). From Thursday evening, which began with a superspecial on the Castrezzato Circuit, until the chequered flag fell he led from the front, posting fastest time on 8 of the 15 stages, and always keeping his closest challenger, Luca Rossetti (Peugeot 207 S2000) comfortably at bay. The ten points he earned for the win - his first of the year - helps to vault Basso into the lead of the 2007 CIR after three events. Third went to the reigning CIR champion Paolo Andreucci (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), the former Fiat factory driver simply unable to challenge the supremacy of the nimble Super2000 machines on the fast asphalt surfaces of this rally, his challenge rather coming from behind, with Luca Cantamessa (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) his biggest rival for the final podium step.

At the beginning of the rally had Andreucci suffered some problems but he was keen to improve his driving skills and car knowledge in order to get better future results. Cantamessa was fourth overall, in front Andrea Dallavilla (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX). After him came Piero Longhi and Andrea Aghini (both driving the Subaru Impreza STi), while the top ten was completed by three more Lancer Evo IX machines, driven by Sandro Sottile, Andrea Perego and Fabio Gianfico. In the two-wheel-drive category the pre-event favourite, Simon Jean-Joseph (Citroen C2 S1600) retired with electrical problems, and so the winner in S1600 was Ivan Paire (Renault Clio S1600), even though he suffered with tyres problems during the event. The Rally 1000 Miglia was also the first round of the new "Italian Trophy GT Rally" series and the Finnish driver Toni Gardemeister won this category in a Nissan 350Z ahead of Calabrini (Porsche Cayman S) and Patuzzo (Porsche 911 GT3); while the "Memorial Nicola Busseni" gave everybody a really fantastic show.

However this was Giandomenico Basso's weekend, no one else got a look-in, the Italian star controlling the rally from the front right from the start to the finish. He got his challenge underway by winning the opening 4.590 km superspecial by 2.3 seconds to immediately take the provisional rally lead. On Friday morning he posted his fastest time on the first three stages, increasing his lead to 17.4 seconds by the end of SS4. A second and third fastest time on SS5 and SS6 was followed by another three quickest stage times on SS7, SS8 and SS9, allowing him to arrive at overnight parc ferme with seven wins on the nine stages of Leg 1, and with a 37.7 second cushion over Rossetti. Andreucci was third, 54.6 off the lead, and just ahead of Longhi (+58.3) while the rest of the top ten was more than a minute adrift of Basso. This rally was also the opening round of the 2007 FIA European Rally Championship and a trio of Grande Punto Abarth S2000 machines were in action, tackling this prestigious international series.
 

Volkan Işık, unfamiliar with the fast asphalt surfaces of this event, driving the Fiat Motorsporlari entry, had worked his way steadily up the overall leaderboard to 13th (+3:41.9) by the end of day one; Pole Michal Solowow was in 23rd (+5:58.0) while the Grifone-run machine of Corrado Fontana had dropped out of the rally on SS5 while he was lying in 18th place.

Basso though was sounding a note of caution as he lined up on Saturday morning for the final run of 6 stages which made up Leg 2. "We think it’s difficult to start first today, as the road will be slippery, there will be not the possibility to make a correct choice of tyres and understand the real set-up of the car. It’s important not to makes mistakes." However Basso was comfortably able to control the final day, posting one fastest time (SS12) as well as a 2nd (SS10), 3rd (SS11), 4th (SS13), 5th (SS5) and a 6th (SS14) as he finished with a 37.9 second cushion over second placed Rossetti. So after 15 long and difficult stages over three days, the 31st edition of the Rally 1000 Miglia finished with the arrival of the cars in the beautiful Piazza Santa Maria in Montichiari, the event being characterised by hot sunshine and thousands of rally enthusiasts who lined the stages.

Ten points for the win coupled to the 8 he earned for second last time out means Basso now takes the lead of the CIR after three rounds, making up for the disappointing zero points haul he had on the first round. Just behind him are Andreucci and Cantamessa, who tie on 16 points, while Rossetti is a further point adrift. In the ERC classification Solowow finished in 19th place overall to pick up 8 useful points while Işık, who retired on SS11 when he hit a pole while lying in fourteenth place overall, but a strong second in the ERC classification, was still was able to pick up 2 useful ERC points.

31st Rally 1000 Miglia - Final Classification: 1. Basso/Dotta (Grande Punto Abarth) in 3 hr 13’25”4; 2. Rossetti/Chiarcossi (Peugeot 207) + 37”9; 3. Andreucci/Andreussi (Mitsubishi Lancer) + 1’25”0; 4. Cantamessa/Capolongo (Mitsubishi Lancer) + 1’34”2; 5. Dallavilla-Rocco (Mitsubishi Lancer) + 1’43”0; 6. Longhi/Imerito (Subaru Impreza) + 1’52”4; 7. Aghini/Cerrai (Subaru Impreza) + 2’58”5; 8. Sottile/Nari (Mitsubishi Lancer) + 4’15”3; 9. Perego/De Luis (Mitsubishi Lancer) + 4’28”8: 10. Gianfico-Tolino (Mitsubishi Lancer + 6’44”9.

Italian Rally Championship (after 3 rounds): 1. Giandomenico Basso (Grande Punto Abarth) 18 points; 2. Paolo Andreucci (Mitsubishi) 16; 3. Luca Cantamessa (Mitsubishi) 16; 4. Luca Rossetti (Peugeot) 15; 5. Piero Longhi (Subaru) 13.

FIA European Rally Championship (after 1 round): 1. Iliev (Mitsubishi) 10 points; 2. Solowow (Grande Punto Abarth) 8; 3. Travaglia (Mitsubishi) 3; 4. Işık (Grande Punto Abarth) 2; 5. Jean-Joseph (Citroen) and Fontana (Grande Punto Abarth) 1.