Season
Rally d´Italia Sardegna 19. - 21.5.06
After years of heading to Sanremo for Italy's round of the World Rally Championship, we now travel to the sun-drenched island of Sardinia. It's not just a change of venue, however, as the event now takes place on fine, sandy gravel roads rather than sealed asphalt stages. The rally is based in the luxury resort of Porto Cerve and takes place on quick, flowing coastal roads to the north of the island with an intriguing mix of medium to fast corners.
Sardinia is the second-largest Mediterranean island, and the third-largest region of Italy, consisting of mostly hilly terrain, surrounded by plains and beaches. Cagliari is the island's capital, but the rally is based in the prestigious tourist area on the north-western coast. Gievn the early summer slot on the calendar, the weather can be expected to be warm and sultry on the dusty roads.
The stages themselves are surprisingly fast, given their tight, narrow nature. This can provide a real challenge for the drivers as they need to balance the desire to push with the need to avoid the obstacles that are just a few feet away from the ideal line. As a hot gravel rally, running order can also be crucial as the leading drivers on the stage lose time sweeping the loose top layer of dust off the road leaving the grippier, harder surface for the following cars.
Recent Winners
2005 Sebastien Loeb (Citroen Xsara)
2004 Petter Solberg (Subaru Impreza)
