Abarth has announced its 2011 race and rally programme and although its name is set to be seen on stateside tracks next year the news that Scorpion fans want to hear, that of the S2000 rally programme, isn't mentioned

With one day still to go in Switzerland Luca Rossetti has collected enough points to seal the European Rally Championship title meaning that the Abarth Grande Punto has become one of a handful of cars to win this trophy three times

Luca Rossetti will be in action today on the 51st Rallye International du Valais looking to wrap up the FIA European Rally Championship title and provide Abarth with some silverware for a trophy cabinet that remains empty this season

On 'home' turf in San Marino the machines that have claimed the pages of rally history from Lancia, the ultimate rally brand, as well as its Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Autobianchi sisters, strutted their stuff at Rally Legend 2010

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: From Lancia's Stratos, 037 Rally, Delta S4 and Integrale to Alfa Romeo's Alfetta GTV, Fiat's 131 Abarth and Autobianchi's A112, Italian rally metal that has defined the sport was in action at Rally Legend (III)

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: From Lancia's Stratos, 037 Rally, Delta S4 and Integrale to Alfa Romeo's Alfetta GTV, Fiat's 131 Abarth and Autobianchi's A112, Italian rally metal that has defined the sport was in action at Rally Legend (II)

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: From Lancia's Stratos, 037 Rally, Delta S4 and Integrale to Alfa Romeo's Alfetta GTV, Fiat's 131 Abarth and Autobianchi's A112, Italian rally metal that has defined the sport was in action at Rally Legend (I)

If one car could sum up Lancia's DNA it would be the amazing ECV1 and two and a half decades after it s appearance shocked the world this rally 'laboratory' prototype finally hit the stages in anger over the weekend in San Marino

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: There was only one machine the massive crowds at Rally Legend 2010 came to marvel at: Lancia's iconic 600 bhp 'Triflux' twin-turbo ECV1 which took to the stages in the hands of Miki Biasion

Almost a quarter of a century after its creation, the Lancia ECV1, which shattered even the huge technological advances being made at the climax of the Group B era, will finally make its rallying debut at the weekend

There was agony for Giandomenico Basso in Sanremo today as differential problems ended his fighting chance of victory while team mate Luca Rossetti slipped down the order with a puncture on the penultimate stage

Giandomencio Basso goes into the today's final day in Sanremo with a lead of 5.2 seconds in his Abarth Grande Punto S2000 after the battle for victory was sensationally turned on its head on the final 44-kilometre Ronde stage

Abarth is to expand its factory lineup to three cars, hoping to pose a serious challenge for victory in Sanremo, as it ramps up the fight to secure a clean sweep of this year’s Italian Rally Championship drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles

Both Abarth drivers finished on the podium of the Rally del Friuli e delle Alpi Orientali when it returned to Udine last night although it wasn't the result the Scorpion was looking for as rival Paolo Andreucci occupied the top step

Next Friday just over one hundred cars will set off on the fourth edition of the Peking to Paris Rally and just as in the legendary first edition in 1907, the first and oldest car off the start ramp in China will be a 1907 Itala

Abarth's bid for a fourth win in five years on the Rali Vinho da Madeira evaporated on the penultimate stage of the rally's first leg yesterday afternoon as Luca Rossetti's Grande Punto S2000 was destroyed in a major crash

ItaliaspeedTV: On the year of the Fiat Panda's 30th anniversary three Italians travelled on a 9000 km journey through six Africa countries in 22 days and using 700 litres of fuel before the car was auctioned for charity in Cameroon

Three Italians, fused with the spirit of adventure and discovery, took part in the "Africa Rally" a 22 day long rally challenge that took them on a 9000 km trip from London to Cameroon crammed into a 1987 Fiat Panda 4x4

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: Three Italians and one Italian car took part in the "Africa Rally", an adventure that saw them travelling through Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and Nigeria before reaching the finish line in Cameroon (II)

Luca Rossetti will start the Rali Vinho da Madeira in an Abarth Grande Punto in two days time as the Italian aims to keep his European title points advantage intact and deliver the Scorpion a fourth win on the island in five years

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: Three Italians and one Italian car took part in the "Africa Rally", an adventure that saw them travelling through Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and Nigeria before reaching the finish line in Cameroon (I)

Fiat UK's Marylebone dealership, based in the capital’s Wigmore Street, has sponsored a team of two intrepid adventurers who are driving a three-year-old Fiat Doblò people carrier 10,000 miles to Mongolia, for charity

Abarth driver Luca Rossetti turned in a masterful display over the Turkish gravel at the weekend to claim maximum European points on the Bosphorus Rally and extend his advantage in the title chase to a massive 89 points

Two year's after Luca Rossetti hit Turkey's tough, fast gravel roads for the first time and came away with a debut victory the Italian Abarth star will be back and looking to extend his European title lead after skipping the last round

Third and fourth for the Scorpion's Luca Rossetti and Giandomenico Basso on the Rally di San Marino wasn't the most favourable result and sees the former lose his lead in the Italian Championship standings, albeit by one point

Roberto Vescovi and Giancarla Guzzi made it three wins from the opening three rounds of the inaugural Trofeo Abarth 500 Rally, the brand new grassroots series contested by the Abarth 500 R3T, on the Rally del Salento at the weekend

A strong performance from the two factory Abarth drivers, Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti, on the Rally del Salento saw both finishing in the top-four, allowing the Scorpion to sit astride the CIR drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: Italian Rally Championship Rd 3, 44th Rally del Salento

Luca Rossetti turned in a masterful performance on his first visit to the Rajd Polski, steering clear of trouble in the Abarth Grande Punto S2000 to earn a visit to the FIA European Rally Championship podium and extend his title advantage

Luca Rossetti ended the first leg off the 67th Rajd Polski this evening holding onto an important fourth place in the FIA European Rally Championship standings after spending today sweeping the road for the following competitors

Having built up a commanding advantage in the FIA European Rally Championship after the opening two rallies, Luca Rossetti now heads for round three, the 67th Rajd Polski, next weekend looking to further increase his leadership

Abarth's Luca Rossetti swept to victory on the 17th Rally dell’Adriatico after fending off a charge from former Scorpion factory driver Umberto Scandola and in the process wresting the lead of the Italian Rally Championship after two rounds

Luca Rossetti has taken important step forward in his quest to win the FIA European Rally Championship, dominating the 37th Croatia Rally over the weekend to open out a big advantage at the top of the points table after two rounds

Abarth factory pilot, former FIA European Rally Champion and current leader of the series, Luca Rossetti will be on the start line for the second round of the the championship, the Croatia Rally, when it gets underway next Thursday

After six gruelling days of hard competition Jason White safely came through the final leg to add a second Targa Tasmania victory to his collection and in the process giving the Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo racer a first ever rally win

Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo driver Jason White is poised to win his second Targa Tasmania tarmac rally crown after building up a commanding one minute and nine second lead heading into today's final leg of the six-day classic

Jason White has continued his dominance of Targa Tasmania by further extending his lead on Leg 3 of the tarmac rally; the Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo "Strada" driver increasing his lead to one minute after his main rival crashed out

Local hero Jason White in his Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo "Strada" produced another day of blistering speed to build up a commanding lead over the eight stages that made up yesterday's second leg of the Targa Tasmania

Pre-event favourite Jason White in his Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo "Strada" produced a superb drive in horrendous wet and windy conditions on yesterday's opening leg to take a strong lead into today's second leg of Targa Tasmania

Jason White in his new street-legal Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo racer has got off to a blistering start in the Targa Tasmania in the prologue today firmly making the point to his rivals that he is determined to back up his January victory

Roberto Vescovi and co-driver Giancarla Guzzi became the first crew to take a win in the inaugural Trofeo Abarth 500 Rally-Selenia reserved for the new Abarth 500 R3T as the series kicked off on the 34th Rally 1000 Miglia at the weekend

Giandomenico Basso suffered on the final day of the 34th Rally 1000 Miglia and the Abarth factory driver tumbled away from the fight for victory although he was able to salvage fifth place while team mate Luca Rossetti stepped up to second

The two factory Abarth Grande Puntos of Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti go into today's second and final leg, comprising of seven stages, of the 34th Rally 1000 Miglia in second and third positions overall with everything to play

The 34th edition of Rally 1000 Miglia started last night with the classic SSS1 "South Garda Karting" at Lonato and Abarth factory pilot Giandomenico Basso went fastest and is set to lead the event into the opening leg of six stages today

Jason White is showing the best possible form to chase a Lamborghini victory on the Targa Tasmania in April as he leads the inaugural Australian Tarmac Challenge with two wins out of the two events so far in his Gallardo Superleggera rally car

Although Abarth has backed away from the demanding challenge of the IRC this year, rally fans will be delighted that Luca Rossetti and Giandomenico Basso will chasing the Italian title in the potent Abarth Grande Punto S2000

Abarth has announced the calendar for the two new grassroots rally championships which will be fought out on the Italian stages this year using the Abarth 500 R3T: the Trofeo Abarth 500 Rally Selenia and the Challenge Abarth – BFGoodrich

After two difficult days in the snow and ice in the South of France, Toni Gardemeister has retired his Astra-run Abarth Grande Punto from the 78th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, round one of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, this morning

Toni Gardemeister's efforts on the Rallye Monte Carlo took a further knock yesterday as he lost a chunk of time with a puncture on stage five and two spins on stage nine which drop him down to tenth place overall going into today's final leg

Toni Gardemeister's Monte Carlo challenge crumbled on the opening day as the Abarth driver lost time by running dry weather tyres on the rain-hit opening stages and when he overshot a left-hander on the second run and clouted a stone wall

Toni Gardemeister has immediately registered his intent to challenge for outright victory by winning the the prologue stage of the 78th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo at the wheel of his private Astra-run Abarth Grande Punto S2000

Finnish rally star Toni Gardemeister will be back behind the wheel of a privately-entered Abarth Grande Punto S2000 and chasing victory when the world's most prestigious rally, the 78th Rallye Monte Carlo gets underway in a week's time

The FIA World Rally Championship is 30 years old this year, and the first place to see this anniversary celebrated in Europe will be at Autosport International being where naturally Lancia, the world's most famous rally brand, will take centre stage

While the BMW and VW factory teams throw millions and millions of dollars to get to the front of the Dakar Rally, at the back of the huge caravan of vehicles a completely-standard Fiat Siena is now plodding its way over the 9,000 kilometer route

Abarth is currently making a decision on whether to continue in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge next year, having recently replaced outgoing Team Principal Nic Gullino with Gabrielle Palmitesta, with a decision expected within the next few days