21.03.2004 PAOLO ANDREUCCI GIVES THE NEW FIAT PUNTO ABARTH RALLY A STUNNING OVERALL WIN ON THE RALLY OF CIOCCO

As predicted on the eve of the second round of the Italian Rally Championship, the Rally of Ciocco and Serchio's Valley, the twisty Garfagnana's roads brought the victory to local hero Paolo Andreucci, co-driven as usual by Anna Andreussi, in the Fiat Punto Abarth.

The pair eventually finished with an advantage of 28.1 seconds over Piero Longhi and Danilo Fappani in a Subaru Impreza STi and 33.2 over the Power Car Team's Renault Clio Super 1600 driven by Andrea Dallavilla.

The Tuscan, the reigning Italian Rally champion, despite the big time advantage, worked hard to take victory on an event which was far from easy.

On the stages of Friday's first leg, Emanuele Dati, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII run by Ralliart Italy, dominated by a large margin, though his all wheel drive Lancer was not so favoured on the tarmac roads of Lucca's province.

After Dati left the road and retired on the eighth of nine stages of the first half of the event, Andreucci claimed the top position just before nightfall ready to launch his assault on the first stages of Saturday and cement his advantage.

Second position went to Piero Longhi's Subaru Impreza STi, who was making up for his bad luck on the opening round, the Tutta Terra Toscana, where he retired after rolling out in a spectacular way. Great revenge also for Andrea Dallavilla, who was able to put his Renault Clio Super1600 of Power Car Team just ahead of all the Super 1600 crews on the stages.

Just off the podium positions, youngster Luca Rossetti was highly convincing in his Citroen Saxo Super1600, and also Andrea Navarra, clearly in trouble at his first rally on tarmac with Aimont Racing's GpN Subaru Impreza STi, after being the undisputed leader of the last years Italian gravel
events. With the points from his provisional fifth position, the Cesena based driver was preserving the Championship leadership jointly with Paolo Andreucci.

In the second half of the top ten standings, was Giandomenico Basso, at the wheel of Trico Motor Sport's Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600, who was out of  luck after a puncture on the second stage in the first leg and for the same reason in the second stage of the second leg, where he had to stop and change the wheel in order to complete the 23 km of the longest Renaio stage. The Treviso driver battled back to post seven fastest times on the events the seventeen stages and several second times, but it was not enough to get onto the podium.

Rounding out the top ten were Luca Cantamessa, with the second works Mitsubishi Lancer, Daniele Ceccoli with the same Japanese car, and  two more Fiat Puntos driven by Matteo Gamba, and Grifone's Alessandro Bettega.

Results of Rally of Ciocco and Serchio's Valley:

1. Andreucci-Andreussi (Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600) in 2h44'30"9
2. Longhi-Fappani (Subaru Impreza STi) a 28"1
3. Dallavilla-Canton (Renault Clio Super1600) a 33"2
4. Rossetti-De Luis (Citroën Saxo Super1600) a 1'09"2
5. Navarra-Fedeli (Subaru Impreza STi) a 1'51"3
6. Basso-Dotta (Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600) a 2'35"
7. Cantamessa-Capolongo (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII) a 2'59"9
8. Ceccoli-Cicognini (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII) a 4'32"9
9. Gamba-Guglielmini (Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600) a 5'46"6
10.Bettega-Scattolin (Fiat Punto Abarth Super1600) a 6'32"

Provisional drivers classification of Italian Rally Championship 2004 (CIR 2004):

1. Navarra, Andreucci p.28
3. Fiorio, Dallavilla, Longhi, p.15
6. Dati p.12
7. Rossetti, Eugeni p.10
9. Basso, p.8
10.Travaglia p.6
11.Cantamessa,Sottile p.4
13.Ceccoli p.3
14.Gamba p.2
15.Bizzarri p.1

Provisional makers classification of Italian Rally Championship 2004 (CIR 2004):

1. Subaru p.35
2. Fiat p.28
3. Mitsubishi p.16
4. Renault p.15
5. Citroen p.10
6. Peugeot p.6

by Marco Tenuti ( www.puntopower.com )