Giandomenico Basso is confident that a pre Monte Carlo test will kick start a successful season for his Abarth team in 2009; the Italian clinched two wins at the end of this year’s season and is determined to hit the ground running in 2009

While Abarth missed out on the Intercontinental and Italian titles this year, honour has been upheld by Josef Béreš who claimed the Slovakian Rally Championship crown at the wheel of a JM Engineering Grande Punto Abarth S2000

With exactly a month to go until the reborn Abarth marque faces its biggest rally challenge to date, winning the 77th Rallye Monte Carlo, the Italian team is busy testing its comprehensively revised car in the French Alps

Reigning European and Italian Rally Champion Luca Rossetti has signed for Abarth and he will begin his career with the Italian sports brand as part of a victory-targeting four car Super2000 entry on next month's Rallye Monte Carlo

Fiat Grande Punto JTD pilot Marco Cavigioli in the has won the inaugural IRC 2WD Cup by finishing third in the two-wheel drive class on the China Rally; the Italian driver did not put a foot wrong throughout the event to seal the title

Italian Fiat Grande Punto JTD driver Marco Cavigioli is well on course to claim the inaugural Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2WD Cup title after claiming second place in the class after day one of the China Rally was completed today

Photo Gallery: Intercontinental Rally Challenge Rd 10, China Rally - Marco Cavigioli (Fiat Grande Punto JTD)

Jaromír Tarabus will be flying the flag for the Abarth brand when he takes to the ceremonial start ramp of the Wales Rally GB, the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, which gets underway in Cardiff this evening

Marco Cavigioli, driving a Fiat Grande Punto Diesel, heads into the China Rally this weekend just three points behind his compatriot and rival Alessandro Bettega in the standings in the inaugural Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2WD Cup

Lancia's fabulous Integrale, arguably the most famous and successful rally machine of all time, will be at the heart of an amazing line up of World Rally Championship winners in action at the Rally Show 2009 at Chatsworth House

Abarth will kick off its bid to win the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge title on 21st January when factory drivers Giandomenico Basso and Anton Alén roll down the start ramp in Monaco as the 77th Monte Carlo Rally gets underway

Brazilian Marfiso Menezes, with his mother Jane Menezes, alongside, today began their participation in the final round of the 2008 South American Rally Championship, the XV Rally del Atlântico in Uruguay, with one hand on the title

Photo Gallery: Abarth From 0 to 100, Torino Esposizioni (VI) Grande Punto Abarth S2000

Abarth are currently developing an evolution version of the Super2000 category Grande Punto Abarth rally machine as they bid to bounce back next year and wrest the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title away from Peugeot's hands

Sir Paul Vestey has entered a Ferrari 275 GTB/C in this month's Classic Adelaide Rally; with the roads set to reverberate to the same 12-cylinder roar that accompanied the car to a GT class win at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours

One of Australia’s hottest young rally drivers, Steve Glenney, is aiming to upset the established stars when he makes his Classic Adelaide debut in an exotic World Rally Championship-inspired Lancia Delta Integrale this month

Having just wrapped up the Brazilian Rally Championship title, a distinguished place has been reserved for the winning Fiat Palio Rally inside the Adventure Space on the Fiat stand at the Salão Internacional do Automóvel in São Paulo

Photo Gallery: 25th Salão Internacional do Automovel, São Paulo - Fiat Palio Rally

The battle for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2WD Cup title is set to go to the wire as Fiat Grande Punto JTD driver Marco Cavigioli reveals he will travel to China in a bid overturn his points deficit and seal the championship

Reiter Engineering experienced something completely different with the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 during the 3-City Rally; racecar of Peter Kox and Albert von Thurn und Taxis was modified within the space of just one week for the rally event