Marco Signor, the reigning Promozione champion, has wasted no time confirming his entry for the 2025 Sparco Italian Rally Absolute Championship (CIAR). Following a dominant season that culminated in the CIRP title, he is eager to build on his success.
Signor will maintain the winning formula from his 2024 campaign. He will once again be co-driven by Daniele Michi, with whom he shared the CIRP title. Their car will continue to be prepared by StepFive Motorsport and shod with Pirelli tires. The key change for 2025 is the car itself: Signor and Michi will step up to the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, which they successfully campaigned at the end of last season.
“I’m delighted to confirm our program for the Absolute,” says Signor. “We’re building on the strong foundation we established at the end of 2024. Everything is staying the same with Daniele Michi, StepFive for technical support, and Pirelli – it couldn’t be any other way. We achieved great things together and had an almost perfect season. I immediately found a good feeling with the Toyota after our win at Bassano, and Sanremo (fifth overall and second in Promozione) also went very well, so we decided to continue with it.”
Signor’s success in 2024 has raised expectations for the upcoming season. “The goal can only be to try and repeat our success,” he admits. “It would be fantastic, but repeating is always difficult. When you compete in a championship, you naturally look ahead, towards the best drivers. However, looking at the results, you have to acknowledge that the top three (Crugnola, Basso, and Campedelli) were on a different level. There were races where they were far ahead, so the challenge will be to close that gap as much as possible. My main focus, however, remains the Italian Rally Promozione Championship, where we expect even fiercer and more numerous competition than last year.”
Signor recognizes the importance of the CIAR Sparco, stating, “Besides being the most important championship in Italy, it’s a great opportunity for us privateer drivers. The prize money for the Promozione is a real incentive, in addition to the prestige of the title and the media attention that a national championship guarantees. The competition will be tough, but that’s a bonus. The races are always fantastic, and I know most of them… we’ll see how much the routes change.”
Among the seven stages of the 2025 CIAR Sparco, Signor will have some experience to draw on at the new Rally del Lazio. “It’s a race I like,” he says. “I’ve always felt good there. I won the Coppa Italia Final in Cassino in 2022, and the following year I finished third, despite some car problems. We’ll see if my knowledge of the roads gives me a slight advantage, but in any case, it will be a pleasure to return there.”