The Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will compete in the IRC driven by Giandomenico Basso, with his navigator Mitia Dotta, the pair starting as favourites to repeat their 2006 title win. Last year Giandomenico Basso won the Italian Drivers’ title, helping Abarth to take the manufacturers’ title. Last year he also won the Madeira Rally (Portugal), which is valid for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Finnish driver Anton Alén, will team up with Timo Alanne to contest the 10 races IRC championship. After the cancellation of the Safari Rally because of the current political unrest in Kenya, the pair will get their title challenge underway on April 4 with the Istanbul Rally in Turkey. Anton Alén, the son of the celebrated driver Markku Alen, who was an official Fiat Abarth driver from 1974 to 1989, joined the Abarth Team last year and immediately showed his skill at the wheel, winning the Russian Rally, valid for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, with authority Thanks to the collaboration of Metis and Api-IP, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will be competing again in the Italian Rally Championship with two cars driven by fast drivers Andrea Navarra and Renato Travaglia (above). The highly experienced Renato Travaglia is a former double FIA European Rally Champion. He will contest the Italian Championship this year, and will be looking for a second title in his home series. Having taken part in the Italian Rally Championship in 2006 at the wheel of a factory Grande Punto S2000, Andrea Navarra will be back in the series this year, and looking to put a difficult 2007 behind him. Andrea Navarra contested the IRC for the Abarth factory last year. After opening his account with maximum points on the Safari Rally in March his year went steadily downhill and he dropped out of title contention.

During the 2008 season Abarth will compete in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge thanks to the sponsorship of Selenia, an important lubricant manufacturer that recently became part of the international Petronas group, and has also entered into a partnership agreement with Abarth to develop high performance lubricants dedicated to the legendary scorpion.

The Brembo and Sabelt brands will also partner Abarth in this rally season: the former is world leader in the production of braking systems, while the latter is leader in the field of racing safety harnesses. Sabelt and Brembo signed an agreement a few months ago as main partners for the development and marketing of kits and accessories through a new company, Brembo Performance Spa. The new company will develop the product concepts, working in co-design with Fiat, guaranteeing their industrialisation in its own manufacturing plants and managing customer logistics right down to delivery of the products to dealers and authorised workshops.

The two official Grande Punto Abarth S2000s that will compete in the IRC will be driven by Giandomenico Basso, with his navigator Mitia Dotta, and by Finnish driver Anton Alén, teamed up with Timo Alanne. There will be 10 races in the championship, after the cancellation of the Safari Rally because of the current political unrest in Kenya, and it will start on April 4 with the Istanbul Rally in Turkey.

This will be followed by races in Portugal (May 9-10), Belgium, with the Ypres 24 Hours (June 27-28), Russia (July 11-12), the Portuguese island of Madeira (August 1-2), the Czech Republic with the Barum Rally (August 22-23), Spain (September 12-13), Italy with the San Remo Rally (September 25-27), Switzerland with the Valais Rally (October 24-25) and the concluding event in China (November 7-9).

Basso, 34 years old, started his career in Fiat single-make trophies, winning the Fiat Cinquecento Trophy in 1998 and the Fiat Punto Abarth Trophy in 2003, results that opened the way to a professional career. In 2006, he won the European Championship and the International Rally Challenge with the Fiat Grande Punto, and last year he won the Italian Drivers’ title, helping Abarth to take the manufacturers’ title. Last year Basso also won the Madeira Rally (Portugal), which is valid for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Anton Alén, the son of the celebrated driver Markku Alén, who was an official Fiat Abarth driver from 1974 to 1989, joined the Abarth Team last year and immediately showed his skill at the wheel, winning the Russian Rally, valid for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, with authority. A case of a passion and a great talent that have been passed down from father to son.

The Grande Punto Abarth Super 2000 swept the board in its first two seasons (2006 and 2007), winning the first edition of the International Rally Challenge, the 2006 European Championship, two Italian Drivers’ titles (in 2006 and 2007), one Italian Manufacturers’ title (2007), and Italian S2000 Championship (in 2006, when this category was excluded from the overall title), the Spanish Championship and the Madeira Regional Championship (Portugal).

The Grande Punto Abarth S2000 and its official drivers have won a total of 21 races in two years in the IRC, Eurorally and Italian championships. There were also 13 victories in 2007 by private drivers, many of which in testing, prestigious events, such as the Antibes Rally (won by Renato Travaglia) and the Condroz Rally in Belgium, won by Francois Duval. And we should also mention the excellent second place of Turkish driver Volkan Isik in the 2007 European Championship.

Thanks to the collaboration of Metis and Api-IP, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will be competing again in the Italian Rally Championship with two cars driven by fast drivers Andrea Navarra and Renato Travaglia. Finally, Umberto Scandola is a pilot from the Abarth Team that will carry out development tests as well as several prestigious international competitions.

Drivers’ profiles - Abarth IRC team 2008

Giandomenico Basso (born on September 15, 1973 in Montebelluna, Treviso)

1993 Debut
1995 Fiat Cinquecento Trophy - 5th overall
1996 Fiat Cinquecento Trophy - 5th overall
1997 Fiat Cinquecento Trophy - 1st overall
1998 Fiat Cinquecento Kit Car Trophy - 1st overall
2000 Fiat Punto Trophy - 2nd overall
2001 Super 1600 World Championship - 5th overall in a Fiat Punto
2001 Fiat Punto Trophy - 2nd overall
2002 Junior World Rally Championship - 5th overall in a Fiat Punto
2003 Italian Rally Championship - 2nd overall in a Fiat Punto
Fiat Abarth Trophy - 1st overall
2004 Italian Rally Championship - 4th overall in a Fiat Punto Abarth
2005 European Rally Championship - 2nd overall in a Fiat Punto Abarth
2006 International Rally Challenge - 1st overall in a Fiat Grande Punto
European Championship - 1st overall in a Fiat Grande Punto
2007 Italian Championship - 1st overall in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000
FIA Europe Cup South West - 1st overall in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000

Anton Alén (born on June 3, 1983 in Helsinki, Finland)

2004 Debut
2005 Italian Championship
2006 Production Car World Championship, Italian Championship and Terra Trophy
2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge - 6th overall in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000
Russian Rally - 1st overall in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000

Intercontinental Rally Challenge calendar

4-6/04 TR Istanbul Rally - dirt
9-10/05 P Rally of Portugal - dirt
27-28/06 B Ypres 24 Hours - asphalt
11-12/07 RUS Rally of Russia - dirt
1-2/08 P Rallye Vinho da Madeira - asphalt
22-23/08 CZ Barum Rally asphalt
12-13/09 SPA Principe de Asturias Rally - asphalt
25-27/09 I San Remo Rally - asphalt
24-25/10 CH Rally du Valais - asphalt
7-9/11 PRC China Rally - dirt

Drivers’ profiles – Abarth CIR team

Andrea Navarra (born on February 25, 1971 in Cesena)

1989 Debut
1992 Fiat Uno Turbo Trophy - 3rd overall
1993 Italian Rally Terra Trophy - 2nd overall
1998 European Rally Championship - 1st overall
Italian Rally Championship - 3rd overall
1999 Italian Rally Championship - 6th overall
2000 Fiat Punto Kit Trophy - 2nd overall
2001 Fiat Punto Kit Trophy - 1st overall
Italian Rally Terra Trophy - 4th overall
2002 Italian Rally Terra Challenge - 1st overall
2003 Italian Rally Terra Challenge - 1st overall
2004 Italian Rally Championship - 1st overall
2005 Italian Rally Championship - 2nd overall
2006 Italian Rally Championship - 3rd overall in a Fiat Grande Punto
2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge - 3rd overall in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000
Safari Rally - 1st IRC in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000

Renato Travaglia (born on October 26 1965 in Cavedine, Trento)

1987 Debut
1993 Italian Group N Championship - 1st overall
1994 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 2nd overall
1995 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 1st overall
1996 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 1st overall
1997 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 1st overall
1998 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 1st overall
1999 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 1st overall
2000 Italian 2WD Rally Championship - 1st overall
2001 Italian Rally Championship - 2nd overall
2002 European Rally Championship - 1st overall
Italian Rally Championship - 1st overall
2003 Italian Rally Championship - 3rd overall
2005 European Rally Championship - 1st overall
2006 Italian Rally Championship - 4th overall
2007 European Rally Championship - 3rd overall

Italian Rally Championship calendar

6-8/03 Il Ciocco Rally - asphalt
28-30/03 San Marino Rally - dirt
17-19/04 Mille Miglia Rally - asphalt
23-25/05 Targa Florio Rally - asphalt
13-15/06 Salento Rally - asphalt
18-20/07 San Crispino Rally - dirt
29-31/08 Alpi Orientali Rally - asphalt
12-14/09 Costa Smeralda Rally - dirt
25-27/09 San Remo Rally - asphalt
24-26/10 Como Rally - asphalt

Driver’s profile – Team Abarth

Umberto Scandola (born on December 5, 1984 in Verona)

2003 Debut
2004 AciCsai Rally - 1st overall
2005 Italian Rally Championship - 1st Under 25
2006 International Rally Challenge
San Remo Rally - 6th overall in a Fiat Grande Punto
2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge - 7th overall in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000
Rally du Valais - 3rd in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000

Trophy

Abarth cars have featured in promotional trophies since 1977, and this tradition will be upheld in 2008 by the Grande Punto API-IP ORO DIESEL Trophy, a championship reserved for the Fiat Grande Punto R3D, now in its second year The trophy comprises 6 races: the Mille Miglia Rally (April 17-19), the Targa Florio Rally (May 22-24), the Marca Trevigiana Rally (June 6-7), the Oltrepo Pavese Rally (July 25-26), the Alpi Orientali Rally (August 28-30) and the San Remo Rally (September 25-27).

The star is the Fiat Grande Punto Multijet Sport, powered by a 1900 cc diesel engine that delivers 180 bhp with an Abarth tuning kit. It is a racing car proper, fitted with a 6-speed sequential gearbox, a special ‘Assetto’ kit, front brakes with 4 pistons and all the necessary safety equipment such as a roll-bar, seat-belts, anatomic seats and fire prevention system. The Fiat Grande Punto that competes in the Trophy respects Group R technical regulations.

The basic car can be purchased from the Fiat Italian sales network with a 25% discount (for people who enter the Oro Diesel trophy), and is equipped with a kit marketed directly by Abarth & C. Spa, which transforms it into a fast, entertaining rally car. The prize money is an extremely attractive Euro 150,000, divided into race prizes and final prizes. The final winner is also offered the chance to compete in a race at the wheel of an official Grande Punto Abarth S2000.