In a move that has been rumoured for some months now, Paolo Andreucci, who has won six national titles in five years for the Fiat marque, has left the Turinese firm to join Mitsubishi Ralliart Italia, taking his regular co-driver since 2001, Anna Andreussi, with him. Andreucci is the reigning Italian Rally Champion, having steered the new Super2000 Fiat Grande Punto Rally right from the project’s inception to the Italian title in 2006, after a season which saw him give the new car its debut victory and take seven outright wins out of eleven rounds. 

Reportedly offered a very lucrative contract to switch, Andreucci thus moves to Mitsubishi’s works Italian rally team, Mitsubishi Ralliart Italia, for 2007. The proven outfit is expected to give him a strong chance of retaining his Italian title; it boasts the experience of Mario Stagni as the team’s General Director, as well as Mario Fornaris as Technical Director. Fornaris was the Technical Director of the World Rally Championship Mitsubishi rally team from 2003 to 2005. 

Born on April 21, 1965, Andreucci made his debut in the Italian Rally Championship (CIR) in 1987, on the Rally del Ciocco, at the wheel of a Renault 5 GT Turbo. He shot to prominence by winning the CIR drivers’ title outright in 2001 piloting a Ford Focus WRC; however, he really drew attention when he switched to Fiat at the end of the season and steered the Procar-entered Fiat Punto S1600, firstly to the Italian S1600 title in 2002, and then to an amazing overall title in 2003, after turning in a string of giant-killing performances with the Super1600 car against the more powerful four-wheel-drive Group N machines, taking full advantage of the agile little car’s ability on dry tarmac surfaces.  In the process he also won the S1600 Cup, the latter a feat he repeated once more in 2004, and then again in 2005 when he mixed his successful S1600 title defence with leading the project development of the brand new Super2000 machine. His four year winning streak cemented a highly successful association with the works-assisted Procar team. 

Last year Andreucci and Andreussi gave the exciting new Super2000 category Fiat Grande Punto Rally its international rally debut on the opening round of the CIR, the Rally del Ciocco, the pair storming straight to outright victory and climbing straight to the top of the series standings. It was a position he would hold onto at the end of the season as he fended off the stiff opposition on his way to the drivers’ title.
 

In claiming the title he followed up his Ciocco win with victories on the Rally del Friuli e delle Alpi Orientali, 1000 Miglia, Sanremo Rally, Targa Florio, Costa Smeralda and San Crispino; and towards the end of the year he gave the Grande Punto Rally its first gravel victories on the final two events of the season.

Andreucci also has three full FIA World Rally Championship finishes to his name, the best being a points-paying 8th place that he claimed on the 1989 Rally of Portugal driving a Jolly Club entered Group N Lancia Delta HF Integrale. His other two results were 10th place on the 2004 Sardinia Rally (in the Procar prepared and run Fiat Punto S1600), and a decade earlier, 13th position on the 1994 Sanremo Rally (Renault Clio Williams). 

Fiat have recently stated that they are fully committed to retaining their CIR titles this year, and with both of last year’s Grande Punto Rally drivers no longer in the series (Andreucci’s 2006 team mate Andrea Navarra will contest the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this year in a two-car factory effort led by the reigning IRC champion Giandomenico Basso), a ‘star’ name driver is expected to be signed to lead the title defence, with the young and still inexperienced Umberto Scandola providing support in a second car.