Weekend Rally Round-Up – September 24

Umberto Scandola has taken a half-point lead in the Italian national championship, Rally Adriatico, when the series leader Paolo Andreucci rolled his Peugeot when lying fifth on the final stage.  

Skoda driver Umberto Scandola finished 12.3 seconds in front of Simone Campedelli (Ford). 

The Finnish driver Emil Lindholm led the rally but lost time in the straw bales after he spun, finishing fifth after lying second. 

Fellow Finn Erik Pietarinen retired off the road.  This event marked the first victory in the Italian championship for DMack tyres.  

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Fiesta R5 drivers took the top four places on the Norwegian championship Hedemarken Rally, headed by Frank Tore Larsen. 

Skoda driver and championship leader Eli Evans was excluded from the Australian national championship, Adelaide Hills Rally, after his car crashed into a tree and the crew failed correctly to display an OK sign.  

Harry Bates

Toyota driver Harry Bates gained a large haul of points from the event. 

The fight for the Portuguese rally champion continues until the final round (in the Algarve), after the favourite Armndo Araujo finished thrid on the Rali Amarante Baiao.

Winner this time was Jose Pedro Fontes (Citroen C3 R5) who had started the last stage 0.5 second behind Joao Barros (Skoda).

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Petter Solberg has been named the second driver of the Volkswagen Motorsport team when they make the competition debut of their new Polo GTI R5 car at Rally Catalunya in the final week of October, as teammate to Eric Camilli. 

2003 world rally champion Petter last competed on a WRC event six years ago, on the 2014 Rally Catalunya.

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Ten British drivers finished in the top twenty on last week’s single make Escort Rally Special. 

Winner overall was Frank Kelly’s big engined Escort Mark 2 while the historic category was won by Osian Pryce’s RS1800.   

A wide variety of Escorts were entered on this novel event run in south-west Belgium. 

Clutch and misfiring trouble slowed Pryce.

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