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Pierre-Louis Loubet Crowned “King of Tandalò 2025”
24.11.2025
French driver Pierre-Louis Loubet was crowned “King of Tandalò 2025,” adding his name to the Hall of Fame of the legendary Cronoscalata su Terra di Tandalò. The event, organized by Tandalò Motorsport, drivEvent Adventure, and part of TER Promo Events, took place under extraordinary conditions this year, as snow covered Sardinia on Saturday, a rare sight on the island.
Loubet, son of former Lancia driver Yves Loubet, competed in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 prepared by Delta Rally and co-driven by Jean-François Mancini. His best time of 3'13.77, set in the decisive Manscione, secured overall victory by just 0.9 seconds over Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand. The 2017 WRC2 Champion had been the fastest across all five previous runs in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, also prepared by Delta Rallly, but narrowly missed out on the final crown. Alongside his co-driver David Mattias Olsson, who received the “Nicola Imperio Memorial Co-driver Award,” Tidemand once again demonstrated his class at Tandalò.
“We came here looking for redemption,” said Loubet. “We were fast all weekend, with four best times out of six runs. Unfortunately, a puncture before the fourth heat cost us time, but it’s been a fantastic event. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and hope to return, maybe next time with a Kart Cross!”
Tidemand commented: “It’s been a great fight with Pierre-Louis – it felt almost like a WRC round. Even without a clean sweep, it’s a pleasure to race here. Thanks to the organizers for such an amazing event.”
Third place in both the final run and overall classification went to local hero Valentino Ledda, representing ACI Team Italia. Co-driven by Claudio Mele, the Sardinian driver debuted in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 after a season in Rally3, securing two valuable podiums and the top spot in the Under 25 category. “I’m happy with our performance,” said Ledda. “The competition was tough, but I felt great with the car. Huge thanks to Delta Rally for their support and to the amazing Sardinian fans, the atmosphere was incredible.”
Two-time World Rally Champion Miki Biasion also took part in this year’s edition, driving an official Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally4 alongside Michela Imperio, daughter of the late Nicola Imperio, co-founder of the Tandalò event. “I had an incredible amount of fun,” said Biasion. “I had heard great things about Tandalò, but experiencing it firsthand, and with Michela, made it even more special. The passion of the crowd was simply fantastic.”
Behind the front-runners, Norwegian veteran Henning Solberg, co-driven by his wife Maud in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, finished fourth. Returning to Tandalò after last year, Solberg improved his performance but faced an even stronger field this season. Fifth place went to Italy’s Alberto Battistolli, with Simone Scattolin in another Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, as preparation for the upcoming Rally del Brunello.
The weekend for the TER Team in Tandalò started in the wrong way, when during shakedown, around the middle of the stage, TER Organiser and Promoter Luca Grilli had a crash with his KartCross Yacar Suzuki 600 and was forced to abandon the event. After the KartCross was repaired, Nico Signorini started his race weekend from special stage 2 and set a very strong time, going fastest with 3'33.24.
Local driver Quirico Fundoni claimed the inaugural Trofeo d’Italia, achieving a dream victory on home soil. After a close battle with Simone Firenze (GMN/Novara Corse), who retired with a puncture, Fundoni secured the title and topped the classification among Buddusò drivers, a result “worth more than a thousand wins,” according to local fans.
A standout performance came from 15-year-old Bernardo Bitti (Team Autoservice Sport), who rose from fifth to second place by winning the fourth heat and taking the Under 25 category, finishing just 0.79 seconds ahead of Christian Tiramani (Planet Kart Cross).
Fourth place went to Giuseppe Bitti (Yacar/ABC Motor Sports), followed by Lorenzo Ruiu (Yacar/Team Autoservice Sport), who set the fastest time of the entire Trofeo with a 3'26.120 in the final run. Among the groups, Andrea Sedda won Group 1 (Fiat Uno), while Natale Casalboni dominated Group 2 (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX). Thirteen-year-old Aronne Solinas impressed by winning the Junior Tubular Car class with a Yacar, finishing eighth overall, while Arianna Corallo took top honours in the Women’s category with her Lancia Delta.
Rosario Corallo triumphed in the Historic Cars category with a stunning Lancia Delta “Sanremo 1989” replica, while Spanish drivers completed the traditional Yacar triple in Kart Cross: Antonio Lence Lopez edged out Dario Calviño Dominguez and Javier Queijo Ramilo in a thrilling fight decided by just a few seconds.
Roberto Stoccoro prevailed in the Slalom category over Ignazio Marcello Boi, while Duilio Lonardi and Erika Incerti claimed a dominant victory in the Off-Road class with their Maverick Can-Am.
Among the local entrants, Stefano Marrone and Stefano Pudda celebrated as top Buddusò drivers in a Škoda Fabia R5, while Virginia Moncini shone in the Ladies’ class, co-driven for the first time by her proud father Bernardo in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
