Ready go! The 62nd edition of the top series of Italian rallies begins with a great classic, always full of emotions and expectations, the 46th Il Ciocco and Valle del Serchio Rally scheduled for Friday 10 and Saturday 11 March. An evergreen event that received the favor of 147 registered crews, 78 for the Ciar and 69 for the start of the 6th Zone Rally Cup, with the Tuscan specialists who will compete at the end of the major rally. It will be the first of eight stages in a calendar that will also include dirt challenges later on, two in all.
Rally Il Ciocco and Valle del Serchio: program and live TV
The route is very similar to last season’s but with some new features, such as the starting ceremony on the characteristic Walls of Lucca, at the Antico Caffè delle Mura from 3.00 pm on Friday and the return to Castelnuovo Garfagnana, under the Rocca Ariostea, for the celebrations on arrival on Saturday from 17.45. The challenge, on the other hand, will consist of ten special stages for just over 100 timed km, along some of the traditional Ciocco stretches of asphalt, immersed in a total route of 313.34 km.
The only test on Friday will be the 1.77 km SPS1 “Il Ciocco TV”, the spectacular television test which will be re-proposed again this year in the Ciar format, always live on Rai Sport HD (visible on ch. 57 DT and RAI Play) and on Aci Sport TV from 4.10pm. Then the fleet of cars will move definitively to the “mother house” of the rally, the Tenuta del Ciocco.
The Saturday program is more substantial, which includes the other nine stages divided into three fractions of the race, interspersed with the Assistance Park. The classic and longer “Careggine” (14.90 km – SS1 SS6 hours, SS10) will open and close the day, followed by the “Renaio” (14.32 km – SS3, SS7), then two more passages on the short “Il Ciocco” (1.77 km – SS4 – SS8) and two more on the “Puglianella” (11.01 km – SS5, SS9). Aci Sport Tv will resume the story of the rally from the PS4, also broadcast on Rai Play, then still live constantly until the finish line.
The protagonists of the Absolute and 2-wheel drive
The entry list is always substantial and promises interesting challenges. Starting with the return of the magnificent two who last year entertained in interesting duels on the verge of seconds: Crugnola (Citroen C3) and De Tommaso (Skoda Fabia), flanked respectively by Ometto and D’Ambrosio. And there will be another driver who was already a protagonist last year, such as the Ligurian Andolfi (Skoda Fabia) who will be joined by Gonella for this year. Lots of news and great expectations also for Scottolon who will be paired with Farnocchia (on a Volkswagen Polo).