XXXIII HISTORICAL ELBA RALLYE-LOCMAN ITALY TROPHY: VICTORY ON THE WOOL YARN FOR SALVINI-TAGLIAFERRI (PORSCHE 911 SC)
25-09-2021 19:45 -
PRESS RELEASE
XXXIII HISTORICAL ELBA RALLYE-LOCMAN ITALY TROPHY: VICTORY ON THE WOOL YARN FOR SALVINI-TAGLIAFERRI (PORSCHE 911 SC)
Three intense days of competition full of technical-sporting ideas of depth have elevated the Sienese crew, who under the checkered flag on the absolute podium prevailed for a trifle over the local Volpi-Maffoni and their Lancia Delta. Third place overall for Bertinotti-Rondi (Porsche 911 RSr). Unlucky Riolo, back in the standings following a puncture, when he was second with the Subaru Legacy. In the A112, which played in two stages and two separate rallies, victories for Sisani in race-1 and for Fiora in race-2
CAPOLIVERI (Isola d'Elba, Livorno), 25 September 2021 - The Sienese Alberto Salvini and Giacomo Tagliaferri, on a Porsche 911 RS of the second group, won the XXXIII Rallye Elba Storico-Trofeo Locman Italy, seventh round of the FIA European Championship ( FIA HSRC), penultimate act of the "tricolor" race (CIRAS) and double race valid for the A112 Trophy.
An exciting competition full of twists and turns as in the most lively tradition of the island competition organized by Aci Livorno Sport, for Salvini it was the poker of absolute successes on Elba, a confrontation this year faced with great authority for all three days of carrying out. Duels that in any case solved the practice only with the last special stage of Monte Perone, with the classic "kidney stroke" on the woolen thread in front of the local Andrea Volpi and Michele Maffoni, the very popular and fierce local crew, with a Lancia Delta HF integral 16V. Salvini and Volpi reached the threshold of the last stage of Monte Perone divided by only two tenths, with the pilot of the city "of the Palio" as the leader (3 "7 the final gap between the two).
For three quarters of the rally, Salvini, however, had in the Sicilian Salvatore “Totò” Riolo (a great admirer of the island race, who was here at his twentieth participation), back with a Subaru Legacy Rs, his fiercest rival. The first two tests, in fact, had been the prerogative of the Sicilian driver from Cerda, flanked by Floris, then sunk in the standings due to a puncture during the seventh test, losing about six minutes, thus putting himself out of the top games.
Volpi and Maffoni in turn had immediately left strong to go and settle on the absolute podium to never leave it again until the checkered flag. Performance free from errors and full of sensations and meanings, that of Volpi among friendly roads, which thus redeemed the disappointment of 2020, when he had to stop for a breakdown. To seal the crystalline performance of the driver from Portoferraio (who in Tuscany is also at the top in the VI zone Cup among "modern" cars), there are the signatures of the absolute best time on three special stages, all in the second stage.
Marco Bertinotti from Biella ended up on the lowest step of the absolute podium together with Andrea Rondi (Porsche 911 Rsr), author of an impressive performance, confirming his value, with a race that obviously looked to the Italian classification of the second group.
Certain victory, in the first grouping, for Nicola Salin, with Protta at the notes (Porsche 911 S) with a wide margin over Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D'Angelo (Porsche 911 S), the quai had above all the objective to grind heavy points for the category European category ranking. Salin in turn raced with gearbox problems during the first stage but in the end he was able to repeat the success of 2020 in Elba safely, on his birthday.
The second group, behind Salvini, recorded Bertinotti in second position and in third the Biella-born Davide Negri, with Roberto Coppa, in a Porsche, despite a race conditioned by various technical difficulties.
In the third group, as regards the European race, the Austrians Wagner-Zauner (Porsche 911 SC) won with over four minutes ahead of Mauro Lombardo, with Rosario Merendino (Porsche 911 Sc), the latter struggling with the clutch in the first stage . Third were the other Austrians Putz-Putz (ditto), long second and backward in the standings coinciding with the last chrono of the first stage. In an Italian key, Lombardo always won, in this case in a close fight with the same car as Beschin-Migliorini.
With Volpi and Maffoni winners, the fourth group saw the Venetian Costenaro-Gambasin in second place, well in evidence with a Ford Sierra Cosworth and third the unfortunate Riolo-Floris.
For the entrants to the continental competition, the overall victory was for Wagner-Zauner, the absolute podium was then for the Czechs Stajf-Zelinka (Opel Kadett) and third finished the Friulian Pasutti-Campeis, with a Porsche 911 RS.
The early stages of the rallye, between Thursday evening and yesterday, had removed several "names" that could have moved the race, such as the Valtellina Lucio Da Zanche (Porsche Carrera), stopped by a "touch" and a broken axle shaft during the first test and also the expert "Lucky", stopped by the breakage of the oil pump during the third, when he was close to the podium (in fourth place), having constantly suffered set-up and tire problems. Among the "names" in view of the continental challenge, the Norwegian crew Jensen-Pedersen (BMW M3) also left the scene, who raised the white flag due to mechanical problems during the third round, to then restart with the readmission to the race in the second stage. Practically immediately out of the game also “Zippo” -Arena (Audi Quattro), sidelined by a “touch” in the second round. Today the important defections were that of Gabriele Noberasco, with Ciucci, on a BMW M3 and Elia Bossalini from Piacenza, with his wife Sara Gerevini, both on a BMW M3. Noberasco, after finishing the "European" ranking in the lead, today shed tears, with the retirement after the fifth round due to a break in the head gasket while Bossalini, who reached a perfect fifth overall position despite a race punctuated by several problems and the high starting number, was stopped by the failure of a wheel after the sixth test.
In the A112 Abarth Trophy (which historically disputes two stages in Elba as if they were two separate rallies) great pace, with the Umbrian Giorgio Sisani and the Sienese Christian Pollini winners of Race-1 and unlucky in the second, as they retired due to a breakdown in Race-2 during the last test when they were in the lead. Bad luck for Baldo-Marcolini, stopped by a break when they were ahead of everyone in race-2, then Fiora-Beretta won, a true revelation of the Elban competition in the A112.
THE MEMORY FOR ELIO NICCOLAI This year is a special edition. It was that of no longer having Elio Niccolai, the "father" of the race, who suddenly passed away on May 14th. Orphaned of its founding pillar, as such was the ACI Livorno, the historic Rallye Elba has continued its tradition of the priceless human, sporting and technical heritage that Niccolai was remembered at the start with a minute of meditation, with many who evidently they got excited.
ATTACHED PHOTOS: Salvini, Volpi and Bertinotti (photo AmicoRally)