Roberto Daprà and co-driver Luca Guglielmetti celebrated a dream weekend by claiming their first FIA European Rally Championship victory at Rally di Roma Capitale. The Italian crew held their nerve through Sunday’s four demanding stages to secure an emotional home win in front of the Italian fans.
The final day featured two runs each through Monastero–Monte Livata and Canterano–Gerano, with the podium battle remaining wide open. While Daprà started the day with a healthy advantage, the fight for third place was far from over, with just a few seconds separating Boštjan Avbelj and defending Rally di Roma Capitale winner Giandomenico Basso.
By the end of an action-packed Sunday, Daprà had secured a memorable maiden ERC victory, Teemu Suninen finished second, and Avbelj held on to complete the podium.
Daprà Begins the Final Day in Control
After taking the lead on Saturday following Andrea Crugnola’s retirement, Daprà began Sunday with a 20.2-second advantage over Suninen.
Avbelj was third, 28.3 seconds behind the leader, but his podium position was under serious pressure from Basso. The experienced Italian started the day only 5.9 seconds behind Avbelj, setting up one of the closest battles of the rally.
While Daprà focused on managing his lead, the fight for the final podium position promised to be one of the highlights of the day.
Basso Closes the Gap
The opening stage of Sunday immediately delivered drama.
Basso produced a strong run to reduce the gap to Avbelj, leaving just 3.8 seconds between the pair as the battle for third intensified.
However, SS8 also claimed several competitors. Matulka and Dei Ceci were both forced to retire with mechanical problems, while Nemet and Proudlock saw their rallies come to an end following separate accidents.
More Retirements on SS9
The second stage of the morning proved just as demanding.
Several more crews were caught out by the challenging Italian roads, with Japanese driver Arai, Germany’s Otto, Ireland’s McBride and Italy’s Francia all retiring after accidents.
At the front of the rally, there were no changes to the top three positions. Daprà, Suninen and Avbelj all extended their advantage over the chasing pack.
The closest contest remained the fight for third place, with Basso reducing the deficit by another tenth of a second to keep the pressure firmly on Avbelj.
Avbelj Responds in Style
With only two stages remaining, Avbelj answered in impressive fashion.
He set the fastest time on SS10 with an outstanding 12:57.0, reclaiming valuable time and strengthening his hold on third overall.
Despite the impressive stage win, the battle was far from settled. Basso remained only 1.5 seconds behind heading into the final Power Stage, ensuring the podium fight would go down to the final kilometres.
Power Stage Decides the Podium
The final Power Stage delivered one last thrilling battle.
Avbelj once again proved to be the quickest driver, setting another fastest stage time to secure third place overall and collect valuable bonus championship points.
Basso finished second fastest on the stage but fell just short of taking the final podium position.
Despite his retirement on Saturday, Crugnola showed his pace by setting the third-fastest time on the Power Stage. Andrea Mabellini and Suninen completed the top five stage times.
Dream Victory for Daprà
At the front of the field, Daprà drove a controlled and mature final loop to secure the biggest victory of his career.
Together with co-driver Guglielmetti, the Italian crew claimed their maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory on home soil, making Rally di Roma Capitale a weekend they will never forget.
Suninen finished second after another consistent performance that strengthened his position in the championship standings, while Avbelj successfully defended third place after an intense battle with Basso throughout Sunday.
Although Basso narrowly missed the overall podium, he still left Rome with silverware after finishing as the top driver in the Master ERC category.
Final Results – Rally di Roma Capitale 2026
- 1. Roberto Daprà & Luca Guglielmetti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – 1:58:02.5
- 2. Teemu Suninen & Antti Haapala (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +13.8
- 3. Boštjan Avbelj & Elia De Guio (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +14.3
- 4. Giandomenico Basso & Lorenzo Granai (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +17.5
- 5. Yoann Bonato & Benjamin Boulloud (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +58.8
- 6. Mille Johansson & Johan Grönvall (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +1:14.1
- 7. Pablo Sarrazin & Yannick Roche (Citroën C3 Rally2) – +1:24.4
- 8. Andrea Mabellini & Virginia Lenzi (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +1:24.7
- 9. Yohan Rossel & Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +1:30.4
- 10. Miko Marczyk & Szymon Gospodarczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +1:37.3
FIA European Rally Championship Standings After Rally di Roma Capitale
- 1. Suninen – 48 points
- 2. Basso – 45 points
- 3. Mabellini – 33 points
- 4. Daprà – 30 points
- 5. Suárez – 30 points
- 6. Heikkilä – 30 points
- 7. Sesks – 28 points
- 8. Ares – 27 points
- 9. Avbelj – 26 points
- 10. Carlberg – 22 points
Key Moments From Sunday
- Roberto Daprà secured his maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory.
- The Italian claimed his first ERC win on home soil at Rally di Roma Capitale.
- Giandomenico Basso pushed Avbelj all day in an exciting battle for third place.
- Avbelj responded with the fastest times on SS10 and the Power Stage to secure the final podium position.
- Several crews retired throughout Sunday following accidents and mechanical failures.
- Teemu Suninen strengthened his championship lead with another second-place finish.
- Basso won the Master ERC category despite narrowly missing the overall podium.
