International Rally Cup, Mitropa Rally Cup, modern and historical comparison: these will be, once again, the distinctive elements of an International Casentino Rally that heralds competitive spirit and spectacularity. Scuderia Etruria scrl is ready to give the province of Arezzo a forty-fourth edition that seems to have all it takes to be remembered, with Friday 12th and Saturday 13th July marked as a clear stretch on the calendar by motorsport enthusiasts.
There is excitement around the race. Registration will be open until Wednesday 3 July but the flow of registrations already received confirms the great appeal of the event, which is increasingly international in scope.
One hundred and five timed kilometres, spread over eight special stages: asphalt described with enthusiasm by some of the protagonists of the International Rally Cup, expected in the third round of the championship.
ROSINA
7.48km
The leader of the IRC Trofeo Sport classification, Davide Scarso, describes it.
“A fantastic scenario, as the only two passes to be carried out on Friday evening will be packed with spectators, especially in the start-up phases of the test and up to a third of it. It’s like living in a World Cup. We start quickly and then climb onto a fairly wide road, the pace is high. Going up the hill in the final part we find a narrower and more tortuous road, very guided, it will be important not to make mistakes in that stretch. We will have to manage the aspect regarding the brakes when going downhill, especially with regards to Group N cars, which are fitted with standard brakes. You go from long straights to stretches where braking is very strong to tackle the downhill hairpin bends. It’s a test that we’ve always liked.”
CAIANO
11.41km
Eleven and a half kilometers passed under the magnifying glass of Cristian Buccino, among the interpreters of a Rally5 Trophy which – again this year – is guaranteeing great uncertainty in the rankings.
“The test is, in my opinion, of medium difficulty, very fast especially in the initial and final stretches. It is interspersed with “twos” that break the rhythm. The central section is medium fast, there you have to make the most of the road and the trajectories so as not to lose the right line and consequently time. An eleven kilometer race with a high average speed which should certainly not be underestimated, can cost a lot in terms of seconds taken by the opponents”.
BARBIANO
7.40 km
Analyzing it is Alessio D’Alessandro, winner of the 2023 IRC 4 Wheel Drive Trophy and, in this edition, among the protagonists of the comparison valid for the Rally4/R2 Trophy.
“The first stretch starts downhill with a very wide road and fairly fast curves. We then arrive at a crossroads where the roadway narrows and begins to climb, what we will find ourselves in front of is a more technical road with more abrasive and not so compact asphalt, unlike the first stretch. Towards the end of the test the road begins to descend faster and narrower to reach the famous bump, where the road narrows even more and then ends up on the two iconic hairpin bends in sequence at the end of the test”.
CROCINA
Km 22.88
The mileage increases, with almost twenty-three kilometers to take into account. Giacomo Guglielmini, the leader of the Rally4 Trophy, describes them.
“A very insidious, difficult test and at times very fast. It starts with a hint of a fairly fast climb on a nice wide road, a little broken and choppy, and then arrives at a slightly flat, tortuous and guided stretch. Subsequently, you descend for about a kilometer and then arrive at a narrow, “dirty” and broken climb, very guided and treacherous, full of cuts. We then arrive at the top of the “mountain”, from where another flat stretch begins in the undergrowth, dirty and guided, before arriving at a crossroads where a very tough descent begins from there. In that section, in my opinion, it is necessary to protect the tires and brakes because you go from very fast sections to guided sections. I believe this is the most complete proof of the Casentino”.
TALLA
29.45 km
The queen test, with just under thirty kilometres. It will be on this stretch that the fate of the Casentino International Rally will be decided, as per tradition.
Asphalt explored by multiple Italian rally champion Andrea Crugnola, once again among the great protagonists of the International Rally Cup.
“It is the most beautiful and interesting test of the race, the longest. The first part is certainly not easy, it’s a sort of trick with changes in pace, on the fast side. We arrive at a stretch that characterizes the test, which we know well, a smooth stretch with some short bends where you have to be good at making the car flow. Then it goes downhill towards a slight slope with long curves, where it is never easy to navigate the curves. You then reach the final downhill section where the tires and brakes are warm, a smooth section. A truly beautiful test with changes of pace, some cuts and a bit of dirt and with a final part that is very interesting, it will make the difference.”
