The Italian driver holds a narrow 3.3s lead over Giandomenico Basso after a closely contested day. Marczyk is third and fighting with Mabellini, who dropped time in the latter stages. Six more stages await tomorrow, with the finish in Fiuggi at 18:30.
Rome, 5 July 2025 – The first full day of competitive action at Rally di Roma Capitale has drawn to a close. The event, organised by Max Rendina, is the fifth round of the FIA European Rally Championship and the only Italian stop on the calendar. It also counts towards the Campionato Italiano Assoluto Rally Sparco 2025. Following yesterday’s spectacular opening ceremony beneath the Colosseum, today’s leg featured six special stages, nearly 110 kilometres of competitive distance, and the demanding “Torre di Cicerone” – at 34.57 kilometres, the longest stage of the ERC season, tackled twice.
In this blend of spectacle and speed, Andrea Crugnola and Pietro Elia Ometto came out on top with a calculated and consistent performance. The reigning double winner of Rally di Roma Capitale, driving a Citroën C3 Rally2, leads by just 3.3 seconds after setting the fastest time only on the final test of the day – the second run through “Torre di Cicerone”. Although his morning was not entirely to his liking, Crugnola delivered a powerful attack on the long stage, gaining valuable ground as the leaderboard began to stretch.
“We’re basically starting from scratch tomorrow. It’s still a very long rally. Today was intense and not easy. The long stage was particularly tricky, and I struggled a bit on the shorter ones – I need to understand why. I could have done better on the first pass, but the stages were new for everyone. We weren’t perfect, but overall we’re happy with the day,” said Crugnola.
Hot on his heels is his perennial rival, Giandomenico Basso, multiple Italian and European champion, who is competing in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with co-driver Lorenzo Granai. The current CIAR Sparco points leader did not win any stage, but his consistency has left him just 3.3 seconds adrift, well in contention ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
“Tomorrow’s another day. I’m pleased with today – we had a good run on the last stage and pulled back a little. On the long one I thought I had a puncture and maybe left something out there. Tomorrow’s leg is a different one. The long stage is fairly fast, and it should stay cleaner than today, so the gaps might be smaller. We’ll see,” Basso commented.
Third overall at 8.7 seconds back are Miko Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk, also in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. The Polish ERC championship leader pushed hard all day, taking two stage wins and overtaking Andrea Mabellini in the final section. The Italian, who had impressed in the morning, encountered a more difficult afternoon and ends the day 13.9 seconds behind the lead.
Just behind Mabellini in fifth place is a strong Roberto Daprà, co-driven by Luca Guglielmetti in another Škoda Fabia RS. The ACI Team Italia driver also claimed two stage wins, but a spin on SS3 ultimately cost him a better position. He now trails by 15 seconds.
Rounding out the top ten are Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen in sixth with their Citroën C3 Rally2, 19 seconds off the lead and still in the fight. Behind them, there’s a fierce battle between Bostjan Avbelj (with Elia De Guio) and Simone Campedelli (with Tania Canton), both in Škoda Fabias, separated by just 0.2s. Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández, ninth in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, are only a further second back. Completing the top ten are the Czech duo Dominik Stritesky and Ondrej Krajka, who are 34.2 seconds adrift.
Tomorrow marks the decisive day of the rally. The itinerary includes six more stages: two passes each on “Guarcino-Altipiani”, “Canterano-Subiaco” and “Jenne-Monastero”. RAI Sport (Digital Terrestrial Channel 58) will broadcast both passes of “Jenne” live (11:05 and 17:05), while ACI Sport TV (Sky 228 – TivùSat 52 – streaming on acisport.tv) will provide live coverage from the service park at 11:45 and from the finish at 18:15. Full coverage of every stage will also be available on demand on rally.tv.
