15.10.2004 The season-long challenge from the giant-killers, Paolo Andreucci and Giandomenico Basso, to retain the Italian Rally Championship title for Fiat evaporated early on the San Remo Rally

The season-long challenge from Paolo Andreucci and Giandomenico Basso to retain the overall Italian Rally Championship title for Fiat evaporated early on last weekend's San Remo Rally. However these two will now fight it out for the Super 1600 driver's title, while Fiat have clinched the manufacturer's equivalent.

The 46th running of the prestigious San Remo Rally, dropped for the first time this year from the World Rally Championship schedule in favour of the Sardinia Rally, was the tenth and penultimate round of the Italian series.

For the Fiat Punto-mounted reigning series champions, Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi, and his ever present challengers, Giandomenico Basso and Mita Dotta, nothing less than victory would do.

The event however would be right up the Super 1600 runner's street. One leg, comprising of seven timed stages, being run entirely on tarmac surfaces, would play into the hands of the powerful, light front wheel drive Fiat Puntos.

Not only this, but the long and winding stages, would suit the agile little cars. After Basso and Andreucci had dominated the Super 1600 on the last round of the series, the Rally Dell'Adriatico, exactly a month ago, these two were in optimistic mood. Andreucci was also coming off the back of driving an N-Technology entered Punto Abarth on the recent WRC Sardinia Rally, where he turned in some stunning stage times.

As usual, the Super 1600 challenge would be expected to come from the FPF Sport Peugeot 206 of Renato Travaglia and Flavio Zanella, the Power Car-run Renault Clio of Andrea Dallavilla and Tania Canton, and finally the Vieffe Corse Citroen C2 of Luca Rossetti and Daniele De Luis.

Four wheel drive opposition would come from the Aimont Racing Subaru Impreza STi's of Andrea Navarra and Piero Longhi, the two heading the points table coming into this event, and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII of Luca Cantamessa.

Stage One, the 12.4km San Romolo, saw Basso fastest and into an early rally lead, with Rossetti and Andreucci, both just over five and a half seconds slower.

The highly regarded youngsters, Marco Gamba and Marco Ruffini in a Procar-run Punto, leaders of the Trofeo Fiat Punto both overall and in the Under-27 category coming into this event, failed to make it through the first stage, kicking off what would turn out to be a lengthy retirement list.

Basso cemented his lead of the event after setting the fastest time on the second stage, completing the 40.2km stage a massive 21.3 seconds ahead of Travaglia's Renault Clio. However disaster struck Andreucci when he suffered a puncture on this lengthy stage. It cost him over a minute and a half, plunging him down to fifteenth place overall.

The crews then moved onto the 25.1km Gigi Taramazzo stage, and while Travaglia posted the fastest time, Basso cruised in just 1.7 seconds adrift to maintain his cushion at the front of the field. meanwhile fifth fastest for the now recovered Andreucci saw climb three places up the leaderboard.

The fourth stage, the Colle d'Oggia, proved to be Basso's undoing, the Trico Motor Sport driver retiring from the event after plunging off the road. With Basso out, and his title hopes dashed, upholding honours would fall to Andreucci's similar car, run by the Procar team.

Travaglia had meanwhile, posted a second consecutive fastest time, the Peugeot driver moving into a 17 second lead over Gianfranco Cunico, a former winner of the event back when it had WRC status, in a Renault Clio, while Rossetti in the Citroen C2, was a further three and a half seconds further back.

Second fastest time, over the 1.6km stage, moved Andreucci up to eighth place overall. However with a minute and a half deficit he would have it all to do over the remaining three stages.

It was not to be. Dropping time on the final two stages saw the outgoing champion finish only seventh overall, handing the title over to the Subaru drivers.

Travaglia claimed overall victory for Peugeot, just five seconds ahead of Cunico at the finish, while a storming drive from Alessandro Perico made it two Clios on the podium.

Youngsters, Stefano Bizzarri and Massimiliano Bosi, upheld Fiat honours, finishing in an excellent fourth place, just over a minute off the winning time.

Andreucci and Andreussi weren't the only Punto crew to suffer on the tough event. Alessandro Bettaga and Simone Scattolin in the Grifone run car, retired on the penultimate stage while holding onto a strong seventh place overall. Nicola Caldani and Dario D'Esposito, who had early in the rally run comfortably in the top ten, lost more that ten minutes on the same stage, dropping them down to finish in an eventual 26th place.

As the Italian Rally Championship winds to a close, with just one event remaining, the Fiat Punto Abarth Rally has now claimed two two titles: the 'Trofeo Nazionale CSAI' for Super 1600 cars and for Group A cars. Despite Travaglia's event win, the Super 1600 title will be fought out by Andreucci and Basso.

Andrea Perego was crowned Trofeo Stilo champion on the last round, the Rally Dell'Adriatico, so all eyes were now on Davide Medici and Christian Chemin who would be battling it out for second spot.

Chemin eventually won a hotly fought contest from Medici by 57.8 seconds with Sottosanti third, five and a half seconds further adrift. Romano finished a distant fourth while Bordignon dropped out on the third stage, and Perego, who had led the Stilo runners after two tests, retired on the penultimate test.

The next, and final, round of the Italian Rally Championship will be the 88th Rally Targa Florio, which takes place in Italy on 21st November.

Trofeo Fiat Punto Abarth, Overall: 1st Gamba 46 points, 2nd Bizzarri 44 points, 3rd Bettaga 15 points; Under-27: 1st Gamba 46 points, 2nd Bettaga 15 points, 3rd Pesticcio 6points

Trofeo Fiat Stilo Abarth - Final Championship Positions, Overall & Under-27: 1st Perego 98 points, 2nd Chemin 94 points, 3rd Medici 86 points