Rally Italia Sardegna is ready to start

Wednesday, June 10

Alghero (Italy), June 10, 2015. Rally Italy Sardegna is ready. At its twelfth edition, the competition will host Italian round of the World Rally Championship for the eleventh time. This year race looks very interesting for several reasons. First of all, after winning in Portugal, Jari-Matti Latvala will try to confirm the Volkswagen Polo R WRC he share with co-driver Miikka Anttila ahead of the field in a race he already won in 2009. Then, his teammate Sebastien Ogier, who won both 2013 and 2014 editions and is leading the WRC standings, headed to Italy to seek revenge after failing to win both in Argentina and in Portugal. Last but not least, very much expected on the gravel roads of Sardinia are the third Polo R WRC of Andreas Mikkelsen and Citroen drivers Mads Ostberg and Kris Meeke on the DS3 WRC. Also there will be Polish Robert Kubica with Ford Fiesta RS WRC as M-Sport drivers Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak, while for Hyundai Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon are ready to fight for the podium on their i20 WRC. Among Italians, under the spotlight are Lorenzo Bertelli on Ford Fiesta RS WRC, eight-time Italian champion Paolo Andreucci on Peugeot 208 T 16, who will challenge WRC2 title contenders as well as young drivers of ACI Team Italia will do in WRC3: they are Andrea Crugnola on Renault Clio R3T and Fabio Andolfi and Giuseppe Testa both on Peugeot 208 R2. Approaching the sixth round of the 2015 WRC, Latvala said: "Everything is looking better after my win in Portugal. Now three of my favorite races are coming: Italy, Poland and Finland. To win in Sardinia would be nice. It is an endurance race. Long and tough". This year's race also looks like a long-awaited test for Mads Ostberg, Andreas Mikkelsen and Kris Meeke. Often the two Norwegians have done well on the gravel roads of Sardinia with Ostberg also clinching second place last year, while Meeke, after his good performance in Portugal, is now aiming to the podium.

Rally Italia Sardinia will kick off on Thursday, June 11, with the 4.30 km shakedown near Putifigari scheduled, for Priority drivers, from 7:00 to 9:00hrs. In the evening Cagliari will host the first and super special stage of 2.50 km at 19:30hrs. This test will be broadcast live on TV all around the world (in Italy on FOX Sports 2 HD). The 61 crews entered into the race will challenge each other on a 1.25km circuit, to be repeated twice, devised in the Cagliari harbour area. Last year the event hosted around 45.000 people. The show will be opened by two-time world champion Miki Biasion and his former co-driver Tiziano Siviero covering one lap on a Abarth 695 Biposto. The first main change of the 2015 itinerary will be the race come back in the Oristano area after four years: Friday, June 12, the first leg of the rally will be completed by 9 speciale stages for a competitive distance of 133.50 km: they are Grighine Sud (26.31 km), Grighine Nord (18.34 km), Montiferru (14.41 km), Sagama (2.58 km), to be repeated twice, and the Sinis Mont'e Prama test (14.08 km).

On Saturday 212.83 km of 9 special stages will be convered for the second leg, which is the longest one since the WRC´s final visit to Kenya´s Safari Rally in 2002. A real marathon from 6:00 to 22:00 hrs covering Ittiri Arena (1.40 km), Monti di Alà (22.49 km), Coiluna-Loelle (36, 69 km), Monte Lerno (42.22 km), to be repeated twice, and Ozieri-Ardara (7.23 km). Third leg will end the rally on Sunday with a total of 48.80 kilometres in the Nurra zone which will host the Olmedo Monte Baranta test (8.90 kilometres), close to Cala Flumini sea. This one will be the final Power Stage which will be broadcasted live on TV again. Finishing line in Alghero is scheduled at 13:30 hrs followed by podium and prize ceremony.