After the "Sanremo", the Messina tandem between the Ford Fiesta Rally4 is back to win on the asphalt. Casella scored victory in the group of eleven standard-bearers of CIR Junior ahead of Rosso-Ferrari and Daprà-Lombardi.

 

Fiuggi Sunday 25 July 2021 - Difficult tests to manage for everyone at the Rally di Roma Capitale even among the challengers of the CIR Junior at their fourth round of the season, the second on asphalt.

 

Alessandro Casella-Rosario Siragusano, Ford Fiesta RC4 # 98A pocketed the victory were Alessandro Casella and Rosario Siragusano who stole the show on the asphalt of the Rally di Roma Capitale. New success for the Messina tandem that, three months after their debut with victory at the Rallye Sanremo, are back on the top step of the youth flag. Four days after his twenty-seventh birthday, Casella gives himself an encore in the championship, again on asphalt, after two painful retirements on the dirt roads of Sardinia and San Marino. The highest coefficient, with a score of 1.5 for the Capitoline race, was also reflected in the difficulty of the tests which, in terms of intensity and length, tested the driving of the 11 crews, such as the brakes of the Ford Fiesta Rally 4 managed by the team. by Motorsport Italia.

 

The unique charm of the Eternal City galvanized the ACI Team Italia guys right from the start of Friday 23 evening, when after the platform of Castel Sant'Angelo they challenged each other along the 2.7km of the "Terme di Caracalla" Power Stage, around the Roman historical site. Initial time trial that saw the scratch of Roberto Daprà, this time sailed by Chiara Lombardi. At the following dawn, Alessandro Casella took the chair, who tried to escape to the first triptych of special "Rocca di Cave", "Rocca Santo Stefano" and "Affile-Bellegra", while rivals struggled to manage the brakes of their R2. Even the most experienced and well-known suffered, such as the leader Emanuele Rosso and the first pursuers Giorgio Cogni and Mattia Vita, paired behind him in the pre-race general classification. They were the most anticipated and have tried to respect the prediction since Saturday morning, when they got in the wake of Casella.

 

Alessandro Casella finished with an overall time of 2: 06'26.3 and earned important points in the CIR Junior classification: "Fantastic race we started with the aim of doing our best and keeping the championship open and we succeeded! - this is the comment at the finish in Fiuggi - Many kilometers but everything worked out for the best. We thank the team and Pirelli and we will continue to be competitive with a view to the Championship "

 

Emanuele Rosso-Andrea Ferrari, Ford Fiesta RC4 # 91 Excellent race also the Asti, with the notes Andrea Ferrari, author of three scratches out of twelve races disputed in a difficult race but who with this second final position at 22 ”7 from Casella allows you to keep the overall top of the CIR Junior with an almost unchanged advantage.

 

Bad luck at the end for Cogni that despite him taking a while to find the right place, he always remained in the wake of Casella. The Piacenza, sailed by Gabriele Zanni, despite a bad first phase, was able to keep a good pace and score excellent times in qualifying. But when he was resisting the attacks of Rosso, a touch and the probable breaking of his arm made him lose more than 3 'on the last race of "Fiuggi Guarcino" and close in fifth place.

 

So smiling is Roberto Daprà who completes the Junior podium at 54’1 from the first. The Trentino rider flanked by Chiara Lombardi, after the opening scratch in the power stage at Terme di Caracalla, also suffered brake problems, but then improved considerably and can be satisfied with his performance at the Rome Rally. Roberto Daprà-Chiara Lombardi, Ford Fiesta RC4 # 95

 

Bitter in the mouth instead for Mattia Vita, always in tandem with Massimiliano Bosi. The Lucchese stopped on the SS4 when a brake caliper lost oil and overheated, forcing him to retire early on Saturday. In today's stage he rejoined the SuperRally race in the only attempt to take a few points in the championship with the eighth final position. Vita showed he could fight and took the satisfaction of scoring two scratches. Difficult, tiring but also educational for the other Junior crews starting with Guglielmo De Nuzzo with Colapietro, followed by Davide Porta, Francesco Lovati and Marcel Porliod together with Andrea Perrin who finish ninth.

 

The Rally di Roma Capitale also saw the retirements of Riccardo Pederzani due to a turbo problem at mid-day today and Andrea Piccardo with three kilometers of the first test on Saturday due to a mechanical failure.

 

ABSOLUTE FINAL RALLY RALLY OF ROME CAPITAL CIR JUNIOR: 1. Casella-Siragusano (Ford Fiesta Rally4) In 2: 06'26.3; 2. Red-Ferrari (Ford Fiesta Rally4) A 22.7; 3. Daprà-Lombardi (Ford Fiesta Rally4) A 54.1; 4. De Nuzzo