Luca Rossetti will be
in action today as the 51st Rallye International du
Valais gets underway looking to wrap up the 2010 FIA European
Rally Championship title and finally provide Abarth with some
silverware for a trophy cabinet that has remained
stubbornly barren this season. Rossetti won the prestigious European
title in 2008 (driving a Peugeot) and goes into this
final event of the season with a commanding lead in the
points standing despite skipping the four most recent
rounds of the series. Last year his Scorpion team mate
Giandomenico Basso clinched the European title for
Abarth so Rossetti will be looking to keep the trophy in
Turin.
Having elected to miss
out on the
last four rounds, Rossetti remains on 149 points with
Czech driver Antonín Tlusťák (Skoda Fabia S2000), who
has scored on each of the last four rounds, climbing up
to 117 points, leaving him 32 adrift of the Abarth
pilot. Tlusťák is now the only driver who can catch
Rossetti. A maximum of 46 points will be on offer in
Switzerland meaning that Rossetti needs to target
picking up the points dished out at the end of each leg
to ensure he seals the title.
With his usual
co-driver, Matteo Chiarcossi, alongside, Luca Rossetti
will drive an Abarth Grande Punto S2000 prepared by the
Italian Procar Team, and he will be competing for the
second time in his career on this rally. A confident
Rossetti said: "We are at the last round of the European
Championship. We took part in the strictly necessary
events, due to the many sports commitments in Italy. I
am currently first in the championship, of course I
would like to repeat the success of 2008, it would be a
great satisfaction not only for me and Matteo, but for
all those who have worked with me and supported me to
get here. I hope to get a good result and score the
points I need to become once again European Rally
Champion."
A total of 117
drivers have entered the 51st Rallye International du
Valais, the eleventh and last round of the 2010 FIA
European Championship, with ten pilots being at the
wheel of Super 2000 cars. As well as Rossetti and
Tlusťák, Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000) and Pole Michal
Solowow (Ford Fiesta S2000) will be out to target the
runners-up spot occupied going into this round by the
Czech driver as the are both on equal, 15 points adrift.
The Rally du Valais will have a total length of about
783 km of which 280 km for the 18 Special Stages.
