Suzuki Rally Cup - Rallye di Sanremo 2025
Quelle: AUTOMOTOTV (Glomex)
The Rallye Sanremo once again lived up to its legendary name, treating the thousands of fans who flocked to the Ligurian Riviera to an unforgettable final act of the Italian season. The 2025 Suzuki Rally Cup, the single-make trophy promoted by Suzuki Italia for the cross-country specialty, thus concluded only in the closing stages of the race, after several dramatic twists and turns. On the eve of the race, there were still four contenders battling for victory in the agile Swift Sport Hybrids, but those celebrating at the finish line overlooking the sea were Lorenzo Varesco and Nicolò Bottega, who, with their second-place finish, snatched the 18th edition of the Suzuki Rally Cup. The crew, who had led the overall standings for much of the season, made a difference in the two power stages, managing to edge out their rivals in the standings by just 3.5 points despite the race victory going to others. For much of the rally, Giorgio Fichera, co-driven by Giuseppe Barbera, had held the lead. However, on SS9, ""Vignai,"" a tire blew, losing over 9 minutes, propelling young Jean-Claude Vallino to the top spot. By that point, however, the game was already over, and despite Vallino, co-driven by Sandro Sanesi, fighting as hard as he could to keep the game open, in the end, the math crowned Varesco, who deserved credit for bouncing back after every mistake, outing, or bad luck of the season. He too had a puncture on SS9, losing 1 minute 21 seconds, but then, launching himself into the final power stage, with a car that wasn't at its best and a tire replaced, he thrilledly won the SS by just 7 tenths of a second—a win that was worth an entire season. Historic stages that have written the history of rallying, legendary roads that have seen the world's best drivers soar in the WRC, thus provided the backdrop for one of the most explosive and uncertain editions of the Suzuki Rally Cup.