ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Rd 10/Italian Rally Championship, Rd 9 - 51st Rallye Sanremo

Abarth is introducing its latest racing gem in Sanremo: the new Abarth 500 R3T will lend its name to a promotional rally trophy in 2010, due to join the two track championships planned for the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse

Former WRC star Francois Duval has been drafted into the Abarth squad in place of Giandomenico Basso to support Luca Rossetti's Italian title bid in a three car factory challenge on the next round of the IRC, the 51st Rally Sanremo

With his Intercontinental rally Challenge title hopes ending in Spain last weekend Abarth has freed up Giandomenico Basso to focus on the FIA European Rally Championship title and contest the next round in Greece in a week's time

After nine tough stages along a route that took the competitors through Russia, Kazahstan and Turkmenistan, the Iveco Trakker of Team de Rooy finished the inaugural Silk Way Rally in Ashgabad in a highly impressive second place

Luca Rossetti lost more points to his Italian title rival Paolo Andreucci on the 28th Rally Costa Smeralda at the weekend after a puncture ended his chances of victory and he came second, a result sees the crown slipping further from his grasp

Abarth’s challenge to win the 46th Rally Principe de Asturias swiftly evaporated on the second stage of the final leg after Giandomenico Basso spun, and lacking any reverse gear or spectators to help, he lost more than five minutes

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Rd 9 - Rally Principe de Asturias

Giandomenico Basso goes into the final day of the Rally Principe de Asturias with a slender lead at the front after a fast and furious final few stages that saw the factory Abarth driver wrest the advantage away from the Skoda drivers

As the survivors are thunder through today's eighth stage of the Silkway Rally, an event that is traversing Russia, Kazahstan and Turkmenistan, Gerard de Rooy is an impressive second overall in Team de Rooy's new Iveco Trakker

Giandomenico Basso will be seeking back-to-back wins when he leads out the Abarth charge on the Rally Principe de Asturias tomorrow morning with a strong run set to push him back to the front of the European Championship standings

Anton Alén has been drafted into the Abarth's Italian Rally Championship squad to support Luca Rossetti's slipping bid to win the with the Finnish star set to appear in one of a trio of factory entries on the Rally Costa Smeralda next weekend

Despite dominating the opening day of the Rally del Friuli e delle Alpi Orientali factory Abarth driver Luca Rossetti slid backwards on day two to finish behind both his title rivals and concede more ground in the Italian championship points race

Altomar and Oswaldo Amorim driving a Fiat Palio emerged as the winners of the N2 category of the second round of the Campeonato Mineiro de Rally de Velocidade an event which also counted towards the popular Trofeo Fiat de Rally

Abarth's quest for a respectable result in the Czech Republic faded on the fourth stage of the second leg yesterday after Luca Rossetti lost more than three minutes with another puncture sending the Italian sliding down the leaderboard

There was better news yesterday for Fiat in the IRC 2WD Cup on the 39th Barum Rally Zlín as Jiří Skoupil swatted away a horde of more fancied Honda and Peugeot runners to record a memorable victory for the venerable Fiat Punto S1600

While the Abarth factory challenge on the Barum Czech Rally Zlín faded this afternoon as Luca Rossetti slipped down the order, Italian honour was capably upheld as Aleš Máčala won the event's "Star Rally" in a stunning Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Abarth's challenge on the Barum Czech Rally Zlín crumbled in treacherous conditions as Giandomenico Basso crashed out while a spin and a puncture dropped team mate Luca Rossetti down the order to eighth going into today's final leg

Abarth factory drivers Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti will start today's opening leg of the 39th Barum Czech Rally Zlín in positive mood after setting the third and fourth fastest times during last night's city centre superspecial stage