Roberto Daprà Leads Rally di Roma After Crugnola Crash

Roberto Daprà took the lead of Rally di Roma Capitale after Andrea Crugnola crashed out and transformed the victory fight during Saturday afternoon’s loop.

Crugnola had held a 1.7-second advantage over Daprà after five special stages. However, the Lancia driver lost control in a right-hand corner midway through the 27-kilometre Piana di Rascino stage and slid into a ditch.

Crugnola and co-driver Luca Beltrame escaped the accident unharmed, but their car became stranded in a position from which it could not be recovered for the rally. The incident ended the two-time Rally di Roma Capitale winner’s hopes of fighting for victory.

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Daprà inherited the rally lead and opened a margin of just over 17 seconds over Teemu Suninen. The Italian added a few more seconds on the final stage of the day and will take a 20.3-second advantage into Sunday’s last leg.

“I’m sorry for Andrea because we were having a really good fight. Tomorrow will be a tough day. Teemu is about 20 seconds behind, but there are still four stages to go. We just need to stay focused.”

Suninen admitted the afternoon did not unfold exactly as planned. The Finn dropped 10.5 seconds to the stage winner on the opening test of the afternoon after being too cautious with tyre management, then hesitated in several places on the final stage.

“We were too slow at the start of the afternoon loop, and I was looking after the tyres far too much. The second stage was better, but on the final one I hesitated in a few places.”

“There was gravel dragged onto the road in several corners, which caught me out a couple of times. There were also some fast blind crests, making it difficult to read the road.”

Despite the gap, Suninen remains confident heading into the final day. With four special stages remaining on Sunday, Rally di Roma Capitale still carries significant pressure for Daprà, as a 20-second margin can quickly change on roads that are not fully clean.

“We’ll keep the same approach, but I need to drive better. It’s been a good rally so far,” Suninen said.