Super intense day at the Rally di Roma Capitale today. The race organized by Max Rendina and valid as the sixth round of the FIA European Rally Championship and fifth of the Absolute Italian Rally Championship Sparco experienced the first competitive stage after the spectacular and exciting prologue at the Colosseum yesterday.
 
Important alchemies of this challenge have already been written on the six special stages held on this Saturday 29 July, including the double passage on the "Rocca di Cave-Subiaco", the longest stage of the championship with its over 32 kilometres. Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto are leaders with a margin of 20.2 seconds at the end of a stage in which they were absolute protagonists with the Citroen C3 Rally2. The driver from Varese preceded all his opponents at the flying finish line in the middle of the race, accumulating a discrete advantage.
 
Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai on Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 are currently in second place after recovering from the third step of the podium. The challenge has yet to be written because Yohann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud, on Citroen C3 Rally2, are 23.7 seconds behind, so very close to Basso and ready to attack.
 
The challenge for fourth place was on fire to say the least. Mares-Bucha (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) are currently just below the podium with a gap of 54.4 seconds, but just 1.3 seconds behind them is Simone Campedelli with Tania Canton (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo). Paddon-Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) are sixth after the mishap of the SS6, 4 tenths from Campedelli, while Mabellini is seventh, 5 tenths from Paddon. In short, a story still to be written.
 
The fate of the Rally di Roma Capitale will be decided tomorrow, Sunday 30 July, with two laps on three other different timed stretches; the short "Fiuggi" (6.72 km - SS8 7:51 and SS13 17:05) will open and close the final session as Power Stage for the European Championship, then "Alatri" (6.96 km - SS9 8:51 and SS11 13:01) and the other traditional test "Santopadre" (29.08 km - SS10 10:16 and SS12 14:26). Fiuggi will once again be the central point of reference for the hot phase, where the Assistance Park and the Headquarters are set up, and will host the final award ceremony, in Corso Nuova Italia, starting at 18:00. In addition to the full TV coverage on FIA ERC All Live, both Fiuggi races will also be broadcast tomorrow on RAI Sport free-to-air on Digital Terrestrial channel 58.
 
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In the race of the Zona Rally Cup, the challenge is uncertain until the end, a chess game as the drivers at the finish line defined it. In fact, the CRZ ended today with the victory of Riccardo Di Iuorio and Doriano Maini on Skoda Fabia R5. Their success matured after a continuous beating and beating with the other four-wheel drive cars, a comparison that an excellent Liburdi lost when, as leader, he ran into a double puncture on the "Guarcino-Altipiani di Arcinazzo" during the second ride. Di Iuorio was good at resisting at the top ahead of Gianluca D'Alto-Mirko Liburdi (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) and Antonio Bucciarelli and Vincenzo Roma (Skoda Fabia R5). Of note is the fourth overall and first of RC4 for Simone Taglienti and Graziano Sigismondi on Peugeot 208 Rally4.
 
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This first stage was also valid as the first round of the Clio Trophy which started right from the Rally di Roma Capitale. Despite some mishap that could have deprived them of success in the morning, Edoardo De Antoni and Carlotta Romano deservedly won ahead of Andrea Gonella-Elena Badinelli and third-placed Michele Campagna and Fabrizio Mallozzi, all on Renault Clio Rally5.