Saturday at Rally di Roma Capitale delivered everything fans could ask for: close battles, punctures, mechanical problems and a dramatic change at the top of the leaderboard.
Crews tackled six special stages across Vallecupola, Piana di Rascino, and Colle di Tora-Poggio Moiano, with each stage run twice.
Morning Loop
The day began with Daprà leading the rally by the smallest of margins. Marczyk was just 0.2 seconds behind, while Striteský sat only 0.3 seconds off the lead.
Everything changed on SS2. Crugnola produced a stunning stage-winning time, climbing 11 places to move into the overall lead. Avbelj also impressed, moving up seven positions into second, while Daprà remained in the fight in third.
Striteský’s challenge suffered an early setback after stopping to change a punctured tyre, dropping him out of the provisional podium places.
The following stage was later cancelled after the co-driver of car #37, Maxime Martine, suffered a back injury and required medical attention.
Action resumed on SS3, where Daprà and Suninen each gained a position after Avbelj lost significant time when he believed he had suffered a puncture.
SS4 passed without any major incidents, leaving the overall order unchanged.
Overall Standings After the Morning Loop
- Andrea Crugnola & Luca Beltrame (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – 37:50.4
- Roberto Daprà & Luca Guglielmetti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +5.8
- Teemu Suninen & Antti Haapala (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +12.1
- Nikolay Gryazin & Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +19.9
- Boštjan Avbelj & Elia De Guio (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +21.5
- Giandomenico Basso & Lorenzo Granai (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +24.9
- Amaury Pelamourgues & Bastien Pouget (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) – +25.1
- Yoann Bonato & Benjamin Boulloud (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +28.7
- William Creighton & Liam Regan (Citroën C3 Rally2) – +35.1
- Yohan Rossel & Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +36.0
Afternoon Loop
The afternoon loop brought the biggest drama of the day.
SS6 proved to be the decisive stage, with several leading crews suffering problems.
Both Matulka and Creighton lost time with punctures. Cais retired after a fuel pump failure, while Gryazin’s day ended when his gearbox failed.
The biggest moment came when rally leader Crugnola went off the road while leading the event. Although he initially continued, the damage to his car forced him to retire, ending his hopes of victory in front of his home fans.
Crugnola’s retirement promoted Daprà into the rally lead, with Suninen moving into second and Avbelj taking over third place.
The final stage of the day ran without any major incidents, allowing the leading crews to safely complete Saturday.
Rally di Roma Capitale Standings After Saturday
- Roberto Daprà & Luca Guglielmetti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – 1:14:45.7
- Teemu Suninen & Antti Haapala (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +20.2
- Boštjan Avbelj & Elia De Guio (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +28.3
- Giandomenico Basso & Lorenzo Granai (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +34.2
- Yoann Bonato & Benjamin Boulloud (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +41.4
- Amaury Pelamourgues & Bastien Pouget (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) – +44.1
- Pablo Sarrazin & Yannick Roche (Citroën C3 Rally2) – +1:02.3
- Yohan Rossel & Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +1:04.0
- Andrea Mabellini & Virginia Lenzi (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) – +1:06.4
- Mille Johansson & Johan Grönvall (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – +1:09.5
Looking Ahead
After one of the most dramatic days of Rally di Roma Capitale, Daprà takes a 20.2 second lead into Sunday’s final stages. However, with Suninen, Avbelj and several experienced drivers still within striking distance, the fight for victory is far from over.
