Last weekend the Abarth 124 Rally Selenia International Challenge enjoyed strong performances on two prestigious rallies, the Rally Targa Florio in Italy and Spain’s Rally Islas Canarias, with the Italian R-GT machine proving once again it can again mix it up at the top end of the leaderboard.
The 102nd Rally Targa Florio, the third event of the 2018 Italian Rally Championship (CIR), took place in Italy last weekend. Italians Cristopher Lucchesi and Marco Pollicino won the R-GT category at the wheel of their Bernini Rally-entered Abarth 124 Rally as well as coming an impressive eighteenth overall.
There were however again only two entries in the R-GT class and when their rivals Andrea Modanesi and Michele Salvatore Castelli from the Eurospeed Societa' Sportiva Di” team retired their 124 Rally just before the halfway stage, on SS7, Lucchesi and Pollicino were left with a clear to run to the finish to record their third win in three rallies for the young Italians.
The 16-stage rally was a tough event and the variable weather was a challenge for even the most expert drivers. "It was my first Targa Florio and I can confirm say that it was as tough as it is famed to be," said Lucchesi after crossing the finish line. "I was very happy with the behaviour of my 124 Rally."
“I used the controls on the steering wheel to adjust traction delivery and engine power quickly and continuously making the car perfect for my driving style and extremely efficient in the extremely variable conditions,” he explained.
There was also a category win last weekend for SMC Junior Motorsport's Alberto Monarri and Rodrigo Sanjuán in the 42nd Rally Islas Canarias, which is famously one of the toughest challenges of the Spanish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Although they had no class competition, the Spanish duo got stuck in and finished in a strong twenty-second place overall out of forty-four finishers.
The event also counted as the second round of the 2018 FIA European Rally Championship so a top-notch field was in action.
After winning earlier this season in Sierra Morena, Monarri, who was entered on the Rally Islas Canarias under the “Abarth España” banner, thus took his second R-GT category win of the year and now he has the Rally Villa De Adeje, which takes place this coming weekend in Tenerife, in his sights.
"We showed to be competitive also on a race as long and tough as this," Monarri said afterwards. "We dominated the GT category without problems and the future of the championship appears very promising."
Finally, last weekend local crew Florin Tincescu and Alina Pop came home sixteenth overall on the Transilvania Rally and were classified an impressive fifth in the Romanian Rally Championship rankings with their Bernini Rally-entered Abarth 124 Rally.
Tincescu missed out on success in the R-GT category by less than a minute to the other car entered in the class, a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, but was still very satisfied at the end of the rally which took place in difficult conditions. "The duel with my fellow countryman Alexandru Pitigoi in the R-GT category propelled us both up in the overall rankings. My fifth spot speaks volumes.
He was also very happy with the performance of the 124 Rally. "I am extremely pleased with the car that in such a competitive championship [it] has proven to be one to beat," Tincescu said. "We are looking forward to the next event for a new challenge.”
Meanwhile Abarth was also in action on the racetracks last weekend. In the ADAC F4 Championship powered by Abarth on the Hockenheim racing track, German driver Lirim Zendeli consolidated his lead of the classification by winning two of the three races.
The third win of the weekend was claimed by Austrian driver Mick Wishofer. The next round with the Tatuus one-seaters propelled by Abarth T-Jet engines will be on 19-20 May at the Lausitzring Circuit in Germany.
