ERC - Basso holds Rome s hat trick

Gianandomenico Basso won his third Rome Capital Rally in the fierce battle in the fifth round of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Two-time European champion Basso successfully resisted the title contender and Pirelli driver Andrea Mabellini in the final stage, winning by 3.7 seconds in a suffocating temperature. The victory is another victory after Basso won the 2019 and 2021 Asphalt events.

Marberini's ERC champion hopes to get promoted on the first podium of the season, beating current champion leader Miko Marczyk's Michelin-equipped Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 by 7.4 seconds.

After tied for 10th in the Super Special held Friday in the centre of Rome, in front of the famous Colosseum, Basso quickly rose on Saturday’s rankings, launching a fierce first-place battle with fellow countryman, two-time champion Andrea Crugnola.

The gap between the two never exceeded 5 seconds on Saturday, with Crugnola leading 3.3 seconds on Sunday.

Basso continued to put pressure on the last morning, narrowing the lead of the Citroen C3 Rally2 driver to 2.7 seconds after SS8, and then taking the rally lead by 0.2 seconds after winning SS9.

However, Crugnola fought back and regained the lead by 2.5 seconds on the serving at noon until his hopes of victory were shattered and only three stages remained. Two minutes after reassembling, Crugnola was fined 20 seconds, which put Basso on the lead of Marczyk by 9.5 seconds while Crugnola fell to fifth.

Basso then led Mabellini to the decisive Power Stage with a 5.1 second advantage, which surpassed Marczyk after winning SS12. But the Italian veteran persevered and achieved an impressive victory.

Marczyk deservedly hit the podium and made headlines on Saturday with the fastest times of SS2 and SS3, which helped Polish riders take the lead early in the rally before overshooting his sprint on SS4. Marczyk won the Power Stage by 0.1 seconds to finish the weekend with a high score.

Daprà was the FIA WRC2 champion of the Italian Rally last month, and he performed well throughout the process, finishing fourth. Two stage wins on Saturday afternoon helped the young Italian top the rankings, ranking eighth after slipping in the noon service.

Crugnola finished fifth after being sentenced, while fellow Italian Simone Campedelli enjoyed a strong Sunday, including a victory through Guarcino-Altipiani, climbing to sixth place.

Efrén Llarena was another driver to rise on the rankings on Sunday as the 2022 ERC champion continued to fuse with his new T oyota GR Yaris Rally2 for seventh place.

Norwegian rider Mads Østberg found himself trapped in a podium battle on Saturday, but a balanced fight with his Citroen C3 Rally2 prevented him from moving forward. He ended up finishing eighth, ahead of Friday's frontrunner Boštjan Avbelj and Czech champion Dominik Stříteský.

Tymek Abramowski won the FIA ERC3 at Hubert Kowalczyk and Casey-Jay Coleman after one night leader Tristan Charpentier exited SS9 due to mechanical failure.

Driving Opel Corsa's Calle Carlberg won the FIA Youth ERC4 and Hankook Tires from Jasper Wahh (Ypsilon Rally4 HF), while Irish Motorsports Rally Academy-backed Craig Rahill finished third in his Peugeot 208 Rally4, covering second to fifth spots in less than 10 seconds.

Barum Czech Rally Zlín will host the sixth round of the 2025 ERC season from 15 to 17 August.