Rally Terra Valle del Tevere

Fanari and Crugnola tied on top after the opening day

11.02.2023

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The Rally Terra Valle del Tevere battle rages from the start

 

The 2023 TER Series season has begun with a great fight over the challenging world class stages set in Valtiberina between Arezzo, Monterchi, Anghiari, Pieve Santo Stefano and Sansepolcro.

 

After the first day of action two crews are tied at the top of the standings: Francesco Fanari, codriven by Cristina Caldart on a Škoda Fabia, was fastest on the opening stage. 2-time Italian Champion Andrea Crugnola, with Andrea Sassi on a Citroën C3, fought back on the second test to even the score and reach the overnight regroup with the same overall time, but was ranked second behind Fanari.

 

2013 Italian Champion Umberto Scandola quickly got to grips with his Citroën C3 Rally2, which he is using for the first time, shared with Nicolò Gonella to end the opening day in third.

 

Frenchmen Jean Philippe Quilichini and François-Xavier Buresi upped their pace to set third fastest time on the second stage. He places his Škoda Fabia just outside the podium, ahead of the sister car driven by Tommaso Ciuffi, 2019 Italian 2WD Champion, codriven by Pietro Cigni. Two more Fabias follow, with 2016 Italian Gravel Champion Daniele Ceccoli with Piercarlo Capolongo sixth ahead of Tullio Versace and Simone Crosilla.

 

2022 TER Ladies Trophy winner Rachele Somaschini, codriven by Nicola Arena is eighth overnight.

 

Double Croatian Junior Champions Martin and Dora Ravenščak are making the most of their first Italian event driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3.

 

In the TER Junior category, Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti lead overnight ahead of Leonardo Pierulivo codriven by Angelo Emiliano Ferrigno.

 

Another nice duel is going on between the TER 2WD crews: Fabio Farina and Gabriele Zanni were fastest in both stages and have a 13.9 second advantage over Luigi Caneschi – Edoardo Caraffini, with Michele Liceri codriven by Salvatore Mendola following in third.

 

In the TER Historic event Luigi "Lucky" Battistolli – Fabrizia Pons lead the TER Historic J1/J2 standings, while 2-time TER Historic Pre81 Champion and TER Historic Ambassador Tim Metcalfe with John Connor set the best times in their category driving a Ford Escort MKII.

 

In a similar car, San Marino’s Germano Bollini, codriven by Matteo Roggia, holds silver in the Pre81 Category.

 

Local heros Valter Pierangioli and Sauro Farnocchia had set fastest time in the opening stages, but were sidelined by a mechanical problem.