The first step was the professional one, because Simone Campedelli, already protagonist of the overall Italian Championship this year, together with the navigator Tania Cantonborn in Lucca, celebrated his return to the Island of Elba on Rallye Elba-Bardahl Trophy with a new success, the second on these paths of his career.
On a Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2, Campedelli won the 57th edition of the Rally which, this week, opened the 2024 challenge of the IRC series and proposed, for the first time, the validity of the Mitropa Rally Cup. After the success in 2022, the driver from Savignano sul Rubicone, winner of six partials out of the seven scheduled, left no room for anyone else. And, directly from the top step of the podium, he then stunned everyone, even those who, like Tania, have known him all his life. «This is one of the most beautiful races – he said – the location is wonderful, racing on these roads gives you something extraordinary. We will come here to get married.”
And so, to the general amazement, even of the future bride beaming with happiness, in addition to celebrating a victory, we also thought about the confetti that will soon be put together to celebrate another milestone, with the same complicity that was created in the car . The public was also surprised, as were the others with whom Campedelli and Canton shared the success in the Elba rally.
Second place went to Fabio Andolfi, from Savona, son and brother in the profession, at the start of this adventure, flanked by Alessandro Floris from Livorno and Elba by adoption. Andolfi made the most of the “old” version of the Skoda Fabia to perfectly interpret the difficult roads of the island and also to contain the repeated attacks that came from the Brescia duo composed of Stefano Albertini, already winner in 2017, with the expert Danilo Fappani, with a latest evolution Fabia. If Campedelli managed to maintain a top pace in all the tests of the event, the other two livened up the entire race quite a bit.
The smiles, at the moment of the awards ceremony which was also attended by the director of Tirreno, Cristiano Marcacci, there was no shortage of them, as was the awareness of the other participants that they had contributed to the success of the show, capable of inspiring the public at the roadsides. Fourth place went to Antonio Rusce (Skoda) with Sauro Farnocchia on the notes, after defeating Rudy Michelini from Lucca with Nicola Angilletta as navigator. There was no shortage of emotions, despite the weather complicating the plans in several circumstances, including rain and fog. On the roads of the island, there was then a sort of race within the race, that is, the confrontation between the Elbans. The best, after two eventful days, was Andrea Volpi, paired with Mei, on a Fabia Evo. For them there was a difficult start with a risky choice of tires in the first phase, but as time passed and the curves there was a way to redeem the disappointment of 2023.
The first stages of the challenge were characterized by the pace set by Francesco Bettini with Luca Acri, at the wheel of a Citroen C3 with Indian MRF tyres, but then the second day of racing was affected by a pain in the limb, after a domestic accident. The comparison between the two-wheel drive cars was also exciting and spectacular. The success, in this case, went to Andrea Crugnola from Varese, the reigning Italian champion who tackled the IRC series with a small Peugeot 106 Kit, together with Andrea Sassi. They took seventeenth position, fighting with cars of a higher category. On the Mitropa Rally Cup front, which brought 26 crews of modern and historic cars to the start, the best was Philip Geipel with Katrin Becker, on a Skoda Fabia, while three historic cars, the smiles were the Elbans Andrea and Luca Specos, father and son, in a Peugeot 205 GTi, capable of leaving the Austrians Northdurfter and Muench behind.
