An intense and thrilling competition, true to the best traditions of the Reggio Emilia region, marked the 43rd Rally Appennino Reggiano. Despite a problematic start due to an act of sabotage—nails scattered across the road on the first two special stages—the rally maintained its competitive spirit. The sabotage led race officials to cancel the entire first round to ensure fairness. However, once the race resumed, it delivered high drama and a fiercely contested battle until the very end. In the end, Tosi-Del Barba claimed victory, followed by Rusce-Zanni and Razzini-Marcomini, both in Skoda Fabias, who fought hard for the podium. In the historic car category, Tonelli-Debbi triumphed in their Ford Escort RS.
A Non-Stop Battle
The essence of the 43rd Rally Appennino Reggiano was relentless action, with no time to catch a breath. The event, organized by Maremma Corse 2.0 on behalf of the Automobile Club Reggio Emilia, was the final act of the Zone 6 Rally Cup. In the end, it was local heroes Gianluca Tosi and Alessandro Del Barba, in their third race with the new Skoda Fabia RS, who emerged victorious. For Tosi, a driver from Carpineti, this was his first win at the prestigious event and his third victory of the season, following his successes at the Maremma Trophy in the spring (with co-driver Stefano Costi) and in Salsomaggiore in late July (with Del Barba).
The race had a rocky start due to nails intentionally scattered on the first two special stages, which caused damage to many competitors’ tires, compromising safety and preventing several teams from continuing due to a lack of spare tires. This reckless act, under investigation by the authorities, had nothing to do with the spirit of motorsport. As a result, the race stewards canceled the first loop of three stages, resetting all times and restarting the race from the fourth timed section to ensure a fair competition.
The remaining six special stages ran without further issues, delivering great sporting moments and narrowing the fight for victory down to three drivers. Once Tosi took the lead, he held off strong challenges from Antonio Rusce and Marcello Razzini—both in Skoda Fabia RS cars and both previous winners of the rally. The trio engaged in a fierce battle down to the final meters, with mere tenths of a second separating them. In the end, Tosi edged out Rusce by just 3.6 seconds, while Razzini lost ground in the final stages. Both rivals are to be commended for creating a thrilling “old-school” rivalry, driven by sheer skill and determination.
Close Finishes and Top Performers
Davide Medici, driving a Citroen C3 Rally2, finished in fourth place but was unable to repeat his 2023 victory. Co-driven by De Luis from Valtellina, Medici delivered a high-level performance. Meanwhile, the Aretini cousins, Roberto Cresci and Fabio Ciabatti, also in a Skoda Fabia RS, used the rally as a test ahead of the final IRC series race in Friuli in two weeks. Rounding out the top five were Reggio Emilia’s own Gabriele Capelli and co-driver Alessandro Magnavacchi in an older model Skoda Fabia, managing to fend off local driver Luciano D’Arcio, co-driven by Mariella Bonaiti, also in a Skoda. D’Arcio maintained a solid performance throughout, consistently staying in the spotlight.
In the two-wheel-drive category, Alex Ferrari, alongside co-driver Virgilli in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, claimed victory and finished 12th overall. Their strong performance was a much-needed boost after three seasons plagued by bad luck.
Historic Cars Highlight
In the historic car category, after early leader Piergiorgio Bedini, in his Ford Sierra Cosworth with co-driver Scorcioni, was forced to retire after the sixth stage due to a mechanical failure, the victory went to Andrea Tonelli and his co-driver Debbi in a Ford Escort RS. Second place went to Zanelli-Zanni in an A112 Abarth, who were using the race as a test ahead of their next event at the Elba Island Trophy in two weeks. Unfortunately, “Ragastas,” competing in only his second race after a 20-year hiatus with his historic co-driver Sighicelli in a Lancia Delta Integrale, had to retire early due to suspension failure.