After winning in Portugal (above) Cavigioli sits on top of the 2WD category standings with 10 points, a lead he currently shares with the Istanbul Rally winner, Yagiz Avci (Fiat Punto S1600).

Italian driver Marco Cavigioli, the current joint leader of the IRC 2WD Cup championship standings, will have a new Fiat Grande Punto diesel in time for the next round of the series, the Ypres Rally, and for the rest of the season. The new car has been designed to the latest R3D FIA regulations, which are similar to the R3 rules for petrol cars (such as the Honda Civic Type R R3) but are specifically designed for diesel machinery.  

With the new diesel Punto, Cavigioli will be aiming to maintain healthy Fiat’s lead of the IRC 2WD Cup – but there is sure to be strong opposition. Bolstering Fiat’s assault on the category in Ypres will be Alessio Pisi, who won last year’s Trofeo Oro Diesel in Italy at the wheel of a Fiat Grande Punto Multijet. He will use the same car as he used to win the trophy, which is slightly less powerful than the full R3D-specification Punto used by Cavigioli.

After winning in Portugal Cavigioli sits on top of the 2WD category standings with 10 points, a lead he currently shares with the Istanbul Rally winner, Yagiz Avci (Fiat Punto S1600). With Avci having led home a Fiat 1-2-3-4 finish in Turkey coupled to Cavigoli's win on the second round, the Italian brand now has amassed 28 points in the manufacturers' championship, giving it a massive 24 point advantage over Honda, who have 4 points.

However tough competition to Fiat is expected to be posed by the arrival of Alessandro Bettaga (son of rally legend Atillio) driving a Honda Civic Type R R3. The all-new Civic, which is built to the latest FIA regulations, will make its debut on the Ypres Rally Belgium from June 27-28, and will then compete on six more rallies in the IRC series. The car will be run by Italian team Procar, which already has previous experience of the IRC. It was originally built by JAS Motorsport in Italy – Honda’s long-time competitions partner – which will give Procar technical support throughout the season. Bettega has packed a lot of experience into a comparatively short space of time, and recently finished second overall in the Junior World Rally Championship classification at his native Rally d’Italia-Sardinia.