35° Rally 1000 Miglia: Paolo Andreucci & Peugeot win!

With more than 30 seconds of advantage on Abarth factory crew Rossetti-Chiarcossi, Peugeot Italia factory driver Paolo Andreucci got his 5 th victory in Brescia. Campedelli (Citroen DS3R3) first of the Juniors, Angrisani (already winner in Ciocco) wins the Production.

Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi (factory Peugeot 207 S2000) win today the 35 th edition of Rally 1000 Miglia, first appointment of the ERC and second of the Italian Rally Championship. The race took place from Thursday evening to today (late afternoon Arrival at 6.35pm) and counted a total of 14 Special Stages all located around Brescia. Considering he already won the Ciocco Rally less than a month ago, the number of victories held by Andreucci in 2011 Italian Rally Championship is, actually, 2 out of 2.

This year, Andreucci won for the fifth time 1000 Miglia Rally and it is also the second victory in the Italian Championship 2011, because he has won in March the Ciocco Rally, in province of Lucca. This victory was built in the first special stages of yesterday, during dramatic moments in which he was able to keep his calm during the big attack of Elwis Chentre, from Aosta, also with a Peugeot 207 Super2000 run by the local team Vieffecorse. From the end of the first leg it was easy for Andreucci, because of the problem of the other driver, a broken drive shaft, that caused his loss of positions in the overall standings.

Today, during the others seven special stages, Andreucci controlled the race, because of the gap between him and the other podium positions allowed Andreucci to run safely. Luca Rossetti and Matteo Chiarcossi, the Abarth factory crew, ended the race in second overall position. The two people from Friuli tried to catch up for most of the race because of the spin in the SS 3, after which they compete well in the roads close to Brescia, choosing the right set-up and tyres.

Renato Travaglia and Lorenzo Granai took the last podium position, on their return (after the experience in 2009 Targa Florio Rally) with the Skoda Fabia Super 2000, private car run by DP Autosport. The crew, from the regions of Trentino and Tuscany, tried to find for the whole race the right set-up with the car and improving their performances stage by stage, and starting well their adventure in ERC 2011.

Perico-Carrara ended the race in fourth overall, after a terrible start during which they did not find the right set-up of the car and the also had several problems with the diffs of their Peugeot 207 Super2000. They obtained good times in the last leg of the rally.

Franco Cunico obtained the fifth place overall, after having some problems of set-up with the dry surfaces of this edition of 1000 Miglia Rally.

After him we find Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 Super2000), after having found the right set up of the car for the whole race he will use in the ERC. Elwis Chentre ended in seventh overall position, after another difficult day caused by a puncture and Alessio Pisi ended the race with a bad feeling with this type of roads.

The first foreign crew ended the race in ninth position, confirming that 1000 Miglia Rally is very difficult for foreign drivers (the only foreign winner of 1000 Miglia Rally was Campos in 2003). He is Dimitar Iliev, from Bulgaria, who raced with a Skoda Fabia Super 2000.

There was a fantastic competition among Under 28 drivers. After a first part of the race dominated by the Citroen DS3 R3 of Andrea Crugnola, his team-mate Simone Campedelli won the Junior Championship race. Crugnola lost a lot of time after a spin that caused him to go off. At the end we find Andrea Nucita (Renault Clio R3) in the second place and in tenth position of overall standing.

The Production Championship race was won by Maurizio Angrisani, that run with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. He had also won the standing of Production Championship of Ciocco Rally.

The one-make Trophies were very interesting: the manche of Trofeo Renault Clio R3 Top was won by local driver Stefano Albertini, that run a fantastic last part of the race driving his Clio R3. The Mitsubishi Castrol Evolution Cup was won by Angrisani and Michele Tassone won the Trofeo Abarth 500 Selenia Rally.

Looking at local aces, Giampietro Antonelli run a great first part of race but he went off while he was ninth in the overall standing while Andrea Dallavilla raced not well ad he retired during last leg.

Some retirements are to note: Piero Longhi (Peugeot 207 Super2000) had physical problems and Umberto Scandola (ford Fiesta Super2000) was forced to retire by an electrical problem.