The legendary Targa Florio—one of the crown jewels of Italian motorsport—once again belonged to Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Ometto, as the reigning champions stormed to victory in the 109th edition of the historic rally. Their triumph in the Citroën C3 Rally2 marked a second consecutive win of the 2025 season in the Italian Absolute Rally Sparco Championship (CIAR) and extended their championship lead.
Crugnola’s fourth Targa Florio triumph
Despite rain-soaked opening stages and treacherous conditions on the Madonie Circuit, Crugnola and Ometto were relentless. After seizing the rally lead on SS2, the Italian duo never looked back. Winning six of the eight stages on the first day—including the Power Stage—they built a commanding 13-second gap.
Managing the advantage wasn’t simple. As Crugnola admitted after the final La Generosa test:
“The first day was difficult with the weather, and even the end was complicated. Managing the lead at that pace is never easy. But we are very happy with this victory.”
The Targa Florio win marked Crugnola’s fourth career triumph at the event and his third consecutive victory—a testament to his dominance on Italian asphalt.
Basso fights, but Crugnola holds firm
Veteran Giandomenico Basso, with co-driver Lorenzo Granai in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, pushed hard to keep Crugnola within reach. Basso opened the rally with a stage win and clawed back points with a Power Stage performance. However, Crugnola’s relentless pace proved too much, and Basso had to settle for second—12.0 seconds adrift.
This result solidifies Basso’s hold on second in the championship standings, but the gap to Crugnola has now widened to six points.
Campedelli rebounds with a podium return
After a challenging start to the season, Simone Campedelli/Tania Canton bounced back with a strong third-place finish in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. A late rally surge, featuring three consecutive stage wins, propelled them onto the podium, just 14.9 seconds off the lead. This podium result lifts Campedelli to fifth in the overall championship standings—a timely boost for the former title contender.
Avbelj dominates Promotion Class, Daprà shines
Slovenian duo Bostjan Avbelj/Damijan Andrejka once again showcased their class by taking victory in the CIR Promozione category, finishing fourth overall. Despite losing time early in the wet conditions, they recovered well in their Škoda Fabia RS to claim a convincing win.
Italian young gun Roberto Daprà, co-driven by Luca Guglielmetti, claimed his maiden CIAR stage win on “Scillato” and finished fifth overall. His battle with Marco Signor (Toyota GR Yaris) was one of the rally’s highlights, with Daprà edging him out by just 1.5 seconds for second in CIR Promozione.
Local heroics and tight battles in the Top 10
Sicilian favourite Marco Pollara and co-driver Giuseppe Princiotto delighted the home fans with a season-best seventh place, bravely fending off Fabio Andolfi (Toyota Gazoo Racing Italy), who finished eighth, just 1.2 seconds behind.
The top ten was rounded out by Scattolon-Magrini (Citroën C3) and Ferrarotti-Grimaldi (Škoda Fabia RS), both finishing over a minute adrift of the leaders, but crucially bringing home valuable championship points.
Lancia’s glorious return: Pisani takes historic win
History was made in the Italian 2WD Championship, with Gianandrea Pisani and Nicola Biagi piloting the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF to its first victory of the new era. Pisani edged out Davide Pesavento after a tense two-day battle, clinching the win by just 4.4 seconds.
Notably, the top three finishers in the 2WD category—Pisani, Pesavento, and Gabriel di Pietro—also filled the podium of the inaugural Trofeo Lancia, adding another chapter to the Targa Florio’s storied history.
Marchioro breaks through in CIAR Junior
In the CIAR Junior ranks, Giacomo Marchioro, co-driven by Daniele Conti, secured his first win of the season. A flawless second day propelled him past early leaders, staking his claim as a serious title contender. Matteo Greco fought back to second after a poor start, while early leader Sebastian Dallapiccola had to settle for third after a late fade.
One-make cup battles: Vita and Varesco victorious
Among the single-make trophies, Mattia Vita and Emanuele Dinelli conquered the GR Yaris Rally Cup, finishing an impressive 17th overall.
In the Suzuki Rally Cup, Lorenzo Varesco and Nicolò Bottega claimed their second win of the season, further asserting their dominance in the category.
Overall 109th Targa Florio Results
- Andrea Crugnola / Pietro Ometto (Citroën C3 Rally2) – 1h 03m 55.2s
- Giandomenico Basso / Lorenzo Granai (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 12.0s
- Simone Campedelli / Tania Canton (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 14.9s
- Bostjan Avbelj / Damijan Andrejka (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 20.9s
- Roberto Daprà / Luca Guglielmetti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 46.8s
- Marco Signor / Daniele Michi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) + 48.4s
- Marco Pollara / Giuseppe Princiotto (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 1m 06.4s
- Fabio Andolfi / Marco Menchini (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) + 1m 07.5s
- Giacomo Scattolon / Francesco Magrini (Citroën C3 Rally2) + 1m 27.0s
- Ivan Ferrarotti / Fabio Grimaldi (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 2m 06.9s
See the event’s full results here.
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