Abarth will plunge into the action of 50th Sanremo Rally with a 6-car factory supported line-up as they seek to etch their name into a record book that has been dominated over the last half century by the Italian brands. In the 49-year history of the Sanremo Rally, Italian cars have recorded an astonishing 24 victories, including Sandro Munari's win with the Lancia Stratos in 1976, and the domination of the brutal Martini Delta S4s a decade later.

The eighth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) is the legendary Sanremo Rally this weekend, a well-known fixture on the international calendar that celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2008. Based in the glamorous coastal resort of Sanremo, the all-asphalt event uses a number of classic stages that climb high into the Maritime Alps.

Abarth will plunge into the action with a 6-car factory line-up as they seek to etch the Scorpion name into a hallowed record book that has been dominated over the last half century by the famous Italian carmaking brands. Lancia, which built its powerful modern-day image on crushing all rivals on the most demanding rally stages across the globe, has an astounding 19 wins to its name. Fiat add a further 5 wins whilst even Alfa Romeo squeezed its name onto the roll of honour with a solitary victory.

As befits its iconic status, Sanremo utilises a somewhat different format to the other IRC events. The rally gets underway at 17:00 on Thursday afternoon (25 September) with four thrilling stages split into two loops. The final stage of Thursday – Ronde – is held entirely in the dark and is the longest of the entire IRC calendar, at a mammoth 59.99 kilometres, before the competitors return to parc ferme after midnight. The rally resumes on Friday with four more stages during the day and concludes with the final four stages on Saturday before the finish podium at 15:00. In total, there are 258.51 kilometres of competitive action over the three days.

The mountain roads around Sanremo take in a wide variety of speeds, corners and surfaces. The well-known stages can be bumpy, with old asphalt frequently giving way to a newer surface. This makes grip levels notoriously inconsistent. The roads are narrow in places and often extremely slippery, particularly under braking. The route also contains several hairpin bends, requiring judicious use of the handbrake. Most of the stages are reasonably long, meaning that it is important for the drivers to establish a good rhythm straight away. It is definitely an event where experience counts.

With Europe now in the grip of autumn, weather conditions are always a factor on the Sanremo Rally each year. There can be mist and fog in the mornings and evenings, as well as rain at high altitude. The falling autumn leaves tend to cover the mountain roads in slippery vegetation: an unexpected hazard that has caught out more than one driver in the past. This makes tyre choice extremely difficult, so victory in Sanremo usually contains a strong tactical element. All the greats of the sport have won this event in the past, with names such as Sandro Munari, Markku Alen, Colin McRae and Tommi Makinen all appearing on the roll of honour.

The scenery of the Ligurian coast is stunning, with the rally route running through several villages that cling onto mountainsides overlooking the sea. The event always attracts huge crowds of enthusiastic spectators, who even decorate the roads with the names of their heroes.