23.10.2004 The N-Technology development team will make their second FIA World Rally Championship APPEARANCE when they enter a Fiat Punto Abarth for Giandomenico Basso on next weekend's Rally Catalunya

The N-Technology development team will make their second FIA World Rally Championship appearance in less than a month when they enter a Fiat Punto Abarth on next weekend's Rally Catalunya.

On the last round of the WRC the Fiat logo was proudly carried by its most successful crew in recent years, the reigning Italian Rally Champion's, Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi.

The pair were entered by N-Technology, who gave a Punto Abarth to the top-line Procar team to run of their behalf. This car incorporated the results of intensive development work that has taken place over the current Italian Rally Championship season, as well as feedback gather from the young drivers contesting the JWRC at the wheel of the Super 1600 car.

N-Technology's aim in taking part was to evaluate the current status of the Fiat Punto Abarth's development by pitching it straight up against the Super 1600 class benchmark: the ultra-rapid hordes of Suzuki Ignis cars run by Monster Team Europe, and on gravel, not the car's strongest surface.

As usual Andreucci was in giant killing mode, and he hauled the little car to a top-ten overall finishing position, squeezing onto a leaderboard dominated by the four wheel drive, factory-entered WRC machines from Ford, Subaru, Peugeot and Citroen.

Now, just a few weeks later, Catalunya will see the second participation in the FIA World Rally Championship for the N.Technology entered team.

This time however, the Super 1600 Fiat Punto Abarth Rally, will be driven by Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta, who will face the wide, flowing tarmac roads of the Spanish event.

The Rally Catalunya - Costa Brava will based in Lloret de Mar, and as well as being the 15th round of FIA World Rally Championship, it is also the 7th event of FIA Junior World Rally Championship. Three legs and twenty special stages, will see 384.08km of competitively timed special stages out of a total distance of 1,721.19km.

Giandomenico Basso is blisteringly quick, so expect fireworks. A late tilt at the Italian Rally Championship overall title this year only ended earlier this month on the San Remo Rally when he plunged off the road while holding onto a commanding rally lead. However, the battle for the Italian Super 1600 title will be decided between Basso and Andreucci, on the one round of the series remaining.