Andrea Crugnola Leads Rally di Roma Capitale

Andrea Crugnola leads Rally di Roma Capitale after Saturday morning’s stages kept the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship wide open.

The rally began with a single stage on Friday before Saturday morning delivered a three-stage loop. Teemu Suninen started the day by setting the fastest time, while the top five were covered by just one second, underlining how tight the contest was in the early phase.

The gaps began to open on the almost 28-kilometre Piana di Rascino stage. Boštjan Avbelj, who had been running second, dropped to seventh after losing time when he believed his car had suffered a puncture.

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“Halfway through the stage we thought we had a puncture. We lost quite a lot of time there, but fortunately that wasn’t the case in the end,” Avbelj said.

Teemu Suninen was third fastest on the stage, 6.9 seconds off the benchmark pace. The Finn admitted the test was demanding, with loose gravel in several places making grip difficult to judge.

“There were plenty of surprises. There was a lot of loose gravel on the road in several places, so it definitely wasn’t an easy stage.”

The morning concluded with the 11.5-kilometre Colle di Tora stage. Roberto Dapra set the fastest time to reduce Crugnola’s advantage, while Suninen was only sixth fastest on the stage and admitted there were still areas to improve.

“It wasn’t perfect, but we learned a few small things. It was the first time we’d driven on roads like these, so I think we now have a better understanding of where we can improve,” Suninen said.

Crugnola now leads in a Lancia, 5.8 seconds ahead of Dapra and 12.1 seconds clear of Suninen. With three more special stages remaining on Saturday before the rally concludes on Sunday, Rally di Roma Capitale still carries major pressure for the victory contenders.