Andrea Crugnola and co-driver Pietro Elia Ometto delivered a masterclass performance at Rally Regione Piemonte, powering their Citroën C3 to a commanding victory in the second round of the 2025 CIAR Sparco Italian Rally Championship. After a frustrating start to the season and a DNF in Alba last year, the defending champions bounced back with surgical precision—winning seven of the event’s 13 special stages and crossing the finish line 18.2 seconds clear of Giandomenico Basso and Lorenzo Granai in their Škoda Fabia RS.
Held over three days in Alba, the 19th edition of the event featured some of the fastest and most technical stages on the Italian calendar, complete with sharp cuts, jumps, and unpredictable grip. Crugnola, driving for FPF Sport on Pirelli rubber, looked untouchable from the outset. He built a lead on Saturday and smartly managed his pace through Sunday’s slippery stages to seal the win and take the championship lead by a single point over Basso.
Basso, winner of the season opener at Ciocco, knew consistency was key. Despite never quite matching Crugnola’s blistering speed, he stayed in the fight throughout and successfully defended second place in a nail-biting finish.
Andolfi Shines on Toyota Debut
The biggest surprise came from Fabio Andolfi and Marco Menchini, who stunned the field by finishing just 0.7 seconds behind Basso to claim third on their debut with the new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for Toyota Gazoo Racing Italy. Andolfi even managed two stage wins and consistently pressured the frontrunners in tricky Sunday conditions.
Slovenian star Bostjan Avbelj, paired with Damijan Andrejka in another Škoda Fabia RS, was also in the mix. Despite a suboptimal tyre call, Avbelj fought back hard on Sunday, taking the final stage win and nearly snatching a podium—falling just 2.6 seconds short. His fourth place still secured valuable points and a second straight win in the CIAR Promotion category.
Close Battles in the Top 10
Marco Signor and Daniele Michi (Toyota GR Yaris) took a solid fifth, gaining pace as the rally wore on. They narrowly edged out Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton (Škoda Fabia RS), who recovered well after a tough start and poor tyre choices to finish just 0.8 seconds adrift.
Ivan Ferrarotti and Fabio Grimaldi (Škoda RS) finished seventh, earning a podium in the CIRP classification. The rest of the top 10 was rounded out by Finland’s Benjamin Korhola and Kristian Temonen in the Hyundai i20, followed by Pollara-Princiotto and Rusce-Zanni, both driving Škoda Fabias and finishing over two minutes back.
Category Wins and Trophy Triumphs
In the Two-Wheel Drive category, Giorgio Cogni and Daiana Darderi (Peugeot 208) claimed their first win of the season after taking the lead on Saturday and never looking back. Davide Pesavento and Alessandro Michelet (Peugeot 208) came home second, just 9 seconds behind, while Gianandrea Pisani and Luca Biagi secured a notable third with the debuting Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF—an encouraging start for the Turin brand’s latest challenger.
Home hero Matteo Greco, with Edoardo Brovelli on the notes, dominated the CIAR Junior category in their Renault Clio Rally5. Greco was untouchable all weekend, ultimately winning by over 44 seconds. Mattia Ricciu and Giovanni Mazzone took second after capitalising on late drama for rivals, while San Marino’s Giacomo Marchioro and Daniele Conti rounded out the podium.
In the single-make series, Tommaso Paleari and Harshana Ratnayake claimed top honours in the GR Yaris Rally Cup, while Jean Claude Vallino and Sandro Sanesi took a commanding win in the Suzuki Rally Cup—vaulting to the top of the standings.
Overall Rally Regione Piemonte Results
01: A. Crugnola/P. E. Ometto (Citroën C3 R5) – 1h10m 10.4s
02: G. Basso/L. Granai (Škoda Fabia RS R5) + 18.2s
03: F. Andolfi/M. Menchini (Toyota GR Yaris R5) + 18.9s
04: B. Avbelj/D. Andrejka (Škoda Fabia RS R5) + 20.8s
05: M. Signor/D. Michi (Toyota GR Yaris R5) + 42.8s
06: S. Campedelli/T. Canton (Škoda Fabia RS R5) + 43.5s
07: I. Ferrarotti/F. Grimaldi (Škoda Fabia RS R5) + 2m 06.2s
08: B. Korhola/K. Temonen (Hyundai i20N R5) + 2m 08.9s
09: M. Pollara/G. Princiotto (Škoda Fabia RS R5) + 2m 14.8s
10: A. Rusce/G. Zanni (Škoda Fabia RS R5) + 2m 22.6s
View the full rally results here.