Immediately great spectacle on the roads of Elba for the first day of the opening race of the IRC series and third of the Mitropa Rally Cup. Lots of spectators at the start and also along the route.
The streets of the picturesque island of Elba have become the arena of an epic challenge, with the battle between the world’s best rally drivers taking place on the twisting curves and fast sections of the 57th Rallye Elba, the inaugural event of the IRC series. From 5pm today, the roar of engines reverberated through the streets of Portoferraio, with the official start marking the start of a series of breathtaking challenges. The first trio of “courses” kicked off the competition, with two challenging special tests in Capoliveri and a feared race on the long “Volterraio”, almost twenty-seven kilometers long, testing the skill and determination of the drivers.
In the lead after the first two efforts is Simone Campedelli, flanked by navigator Tania Canton on board their powerful Skoda Fabia RS. Campedelli, already winner in the previous edition and one of the main contenders for the title this year, demonstrated his ability by taking the lead with an advantage of 7″0 over the Brescian competitors Albertini-Fappani (Skoda) and 7″7 over the Lucca Michelini-Angilletta (Skoda). Not far away is the driver from Savona Fabio Andolfi (Skoda), accompanied by the navigator from Livorno and naturalized Elba Alessandro Floris. Among the local competitors, the Bettini-Acri duo stood out on their debut with the Citroen C3, despite the uncertainties linked to injuries.
The departure was a moment of celebration, with the flag waved in front of an enthusiastic audience, including the mayor of Portoferraio Angelo Zini, the regional councilor Marco Landi and the European parliamentarian Susanna Ceccardi. Everyone underlined the importance of this competition in promoting the image and tourist economy of the area.
Tomorrow, Saturday 27th, the race will continue with the remaining four high-impact “piesse”. Where there will be no shortage of novelty: that of the Marciana Marina test. The famous tests of Monte Perone are proposed again in a direction from north to south, with the absolute novelty of a stretch of road leaving the town of Marciana Marina at the start of the test called “Marciana Marina-Marciana-Campo”, starting from the field sports on the SP25, in a stretch that has not been covered by the race for many years, a novelty that recalls the unforgettable 80s of the race. You then reach the intersection with the “Civillina”, a road already traveled in all the recent editions of the Elba Rallies to reach the gates of Marciana and then to Poggio, where it meets the PS “Due Mari”. The challenge will resume from 9.15am to see the checkered flag wave at the finish line from 4.00pm again in Viale Elba in Portoferraio.
