Posted September 16, 2011

The Abarth factory driver took the lead in SS5 on day 1 and has been able to maintain the leadership till the chequered flag.
On the other two steps of the podium the already 2011 Italian Champion Andreucci and the driver from Bergamo Alex Perico, both in a Peugeot.
The Production Title went to Gianfico and the 2WD title to Campedelli.
Among Historic cars the winner is Da Zanche, in a Porsche 911.
Udine The winners of the 47th edition of Rally del Friuli, last but one race of the 2011 Italian Rally Championship, that started last Thursday and finished this afternoon, are both from the region Friuli, they are Luca Rossetti and Matteo Chiarcossi. The Abarth factory crew with the Grande Punto S2000, took the lead yesterday, after the driver from Verona, Umberto Scandola co-driven by Lorenzo Granai (Ford Fiesta S2000), retired due to transmission failure.
This was Rossetti home race, being him born in Pordenone, and he did a strong race with the Turin car after quite a difficult season and won ahead of Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi in an official Peugeot 207 S2000, who already won the 2011 Italian Rally Championship before the summer vacations. With this win Rossetti strengthen his secon place overall in the Italian Championship, preceeding Scandola and also Gianfranco Cunico (both of them having the same points before this race). Cunico had to retire yesterday morning due to transmission problems.
Third overall the Bergamo crew Alessandro Perico-Fabrizio Carrara (Peugeot 207 S2000), who started to race again here after a couple of months stop. Before this event they were fifth overall in the Championship and are now third overall, thatks to this strong performancewith no mistakes.
Fourth overall in the race the official Citroen DS3 R3 of Simone Campedelli and Danilo Fappani. The standard bearer couple of the French manufacturer, with this win obtained the CSAI Cup riserve to 2WD cars, while the Italian Junior Under 28 Title still has to be assigned, so everyone has to concentrate on the last round of the Championship which is going to be Rally San Martino di Castrozza in two weeks time. In fact the sicilian crew Andrea Nucita-Giuseppe Princiotto (Renault Clio R3), fighting for this title, had a difficult race due to electronic failures and two puntures (one each leg), and saw the chequered flag just in 8th position overall and fourth position in their category, so they are now obliged to fight on the Dolomiti race.
From fifth position onwards all cars are Renault Clio R3: Ferrarotti (winner of the Clio Top Trophy), Signor, Bosca, the already above mentioned Nucita, and Asnaghi. The top ten is completed by the Mini John Cooper Works of Andrea Perego, who had a brilliant performance yesterday but who slides down the overall ranking because he damaged his suspension hitting a bank.
The other trophy, the Peugeot Competition 207 Top, has been won by the driver from Piacenza Gabriele Cogni ahead of the Tuscan driver Alessio Beneventi.
In the Italian Production Championship the leadership has been,for the whole time, in the hands of Fabio Gianfico (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX), after his direct competitor, Maurizio Angrisani had to retire yesterday after an accident. With this penultimate performance Fabio Gianfico won the Italian title of this category, even if after quite a strain when he damaged both right side tyres this morning.
The Mitropa Rally Cup has been won by the German driver Gassner (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution) and the race valid for the Zone Title Challenge has been won by the local idol Claudio De Cecco ahead of Massimo Guerra, both in a Peugeot 207 S2000.
The unfailing historic appointment with Rally Alpi Orientali Historic, valid both for the European Championship and the Italian Championship, has been won by Lucio Da Zanche in a Porsche 911 RSR, who remained in the lead the whole time.
Da Zanche got to Udine leading the championship and in this race took the lead starting from the first special stage last Thursday evening and won half of the stages provided. He fought hard with the Lancia Rally 037 of the San Marino driver Marco Bianchini and the spectacular Brescia driver “Pedro”, the later one slide down the placings this morning due to a puncture.
Da Zanche at the arrival had a radiant face: ”I’m really happy. I’ve lost a bit of time when “Pedro” has been slowed down by a puncture, but I found my spur again. I’m double happy because I was able to keep the Lancia Rally behind,like in Sanremo”. Bianchini finished second and the Piedmont driver Enrico Brazzoli (Porsche 911 SC) third, who also increate his advantage in Group 3 of the European Championship.
Forth the Norwegian Walter Jensen, him too in a Lancia Rally 037, after a slow start he increate his pace and passed the german driver Rosenberger (Porsche 911), who had some mechanical problems today.