In his fifth participation, and after three podium finishes, Marino Gessa managed to triumph in the Golfo dell'Asinara International Rally, the second round of the Aci Sport Zone 10 Rally Cup. The Arbus-born driver, this time paired with Nicola Colombo in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, completed the 73.50-kilometer timed course in 44:12, having set the fastest times in five of the ten scheduled special stages. The victory in the event, organized by the Automobile Club Sassari with the support of the Sardinia Region's Department of Sport and also counting towards the Aci Sport Sardinia Delegation Regional Championship, propels the Arbus-born driver to the top of the Rally Cup standings and restores an overall victory he hasn't achieved since March 2024.
On the second step of the podium, 11.7 seconds behind, were Antonio Dettori of Sassari and Marco Demontis of Santa Maria Coghinas (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), who yesterday were among the protagonists of the four-way battle with Ronzano, Gessa, and Mannu and today were the most dangerous opponents of Gessa and Colombo. Dettori, an experienced karter who has been in the rally world for three years, posted the fastest time today on both runs of the Muros-Ossi.
Third overall, 18.1 seconds behind, was Giuseppe Mannu from Osilo, who for the first time had Giuseppe Maccioni in the right-hand seat of the Skoda Fabia Evo. Maccioni, co-driver who boasts a win at Asinara in 2022, the year in which AC Sassari decided to revive the rally, on asphalt, after a ten-year hiatus, was always on the ball, having also scored a victory on the Martis-Nulvi 2 yesterday, but today he was unable to get the better of Gessa and Dettori. It was a disappointment for the Piedmontese duo Ronzano-Andreis, who had finished in the lead yesterday and lost the lead today after a spin in the first special, retired in the ninth special after hitting a round bale. Pisano-Musselli, winners in 2025, were out in the Shakedown due to engine failure. Rounding out the top five were Gally-Cottu (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, a 2'09”1) and Musselli-Frau (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, at 2'30”3).
Contini-Musu (Peugeot 208 Rally4) finished sixth overall and first in the two-wheel drive class, taking the lead with three stages to go after Piu-Fodde's exit and maintaining it until the finish line. Sassi-Romei (Renault Clio) from Emilia finished ninth overall and first in Rally3, while Lorenzo Ruiu and Lorenzo Fratta (Peugeot 208) finished 12th overall, first in Rally4-R2 and U25. Perazzona-Perazzona (Toyota Yaris Gr) finished 15th and won the R1Tn4x4, ahead of Scurosu-Piccinnu (Renault Clio RS), first in R3. Marcello Sanna and Luca Pisano (Peugeot 207) finished 18th, having won the Super2000 class, followed by Lorrai-Murgia (Renault Clio RS), who won Rally5, and Angius-Bechere, who won A0 in a Fiat 600 Sporting, in 23rd place. Cannas-Lai (Mini Cooper S), winners of the RSTB 1.6 Plus class, finished 24th, ahead of Cascioni-Cascioni (Citroen Saxo VTS), winners of the N2 class, and Caddeo-Pinna (Citroen C2 VTS), winners of the RS 1.6 class. In 29th place overall were the winners of the Rstb 1.6 class, Floris-Pirroni (Peugeot 208 Gti) ahead of Curreli-Chessa (Citroen Saxò Vts) first in N2, and the winners of the Rs 1.6 Plus class, Fosci-Atzeni (Citroen C2 R2). In 32nd place were Tiddia-Sirigu (Renault Clio Sport), leaders of the RS2000 Plus, who preceded Castagnotto-Fois (Mini Cooper S), winners of the RSTB1.6 Plus, ahead of Schirru-Uccheddu (Fiat Seicento Sporting), first in the RS 1.15 Plus. In 35th place were Murgia-Schirru (Seat Ibiza Cupra TDI), first in the RSD 2.0 Plus, ahead of Serra-Serra (Renault Clio Williams), winners of the N3, and Unali-Ordau (Seat Arosa FR 1.4), first in the RS 1.4 and 37th overall. In the Historic Rally, valid for the Aci Sport Sardinia Regional Championship, Marco Casalloni and Giovanni Figoni (Peugeot 205 Rallye, 51:45.2 seconds) won for the third consecutive year after winning eight of the ten special stages. Enrico Pes di San Vittorio and Nicola Romano (Peugeot 309 Gti 16) finished second, 3:13.1 seconds behind, having won both runs on the San Lorenzo yesterday. Alessandro Leoni and Loretta Arca (Ford Escort RS 2000 MkII) finished third, 5:43.9 seconds behind. AC Sassari President Giulio Pes di San Vittorio stated: "It's a great satisfaction, because when a competition ends in the best possible way, we can only be happy. It was a great two-day event, with a hard-fought battle between the top three or four in the standings. They fought it out until the very end, and that's the true spirit of our sport. Congratulations and thanks to them, to all the territories and municipalities that hosted us, to the Region of Sardinia, and especially to the great staff at AC Sport Sassari, whom I will never stop thanking for the immense work they do every day to entertain everyone and give us such wonderful days." Winner Gessa added: "I'm truly delighted with the result. I've been missing a victory for years, and I've been chasing it here for five years. I immediately hit it off with Nicola, but then again, we've known each other all our lives. He was the president of my previous team, and besides being a great navigator, he's above all a friend. I thank Tore, who always gives me a great hand, but who unfortunately couldn't be present at this race. Thanks also go to my family and to all the people who understand my great passion, support me, and are there for me. Congratulations to everyone." Navigator Colombo recalled: “We started strong from the start and pushed hard throughout the race, managing to secure a fantastic victory. I'm very happy because everything went well. I wasn't expecting a race like this; it was really tough and hard-fought until the end. I congratulate Dettori, Mannu, and Ronzano. I'm sorry for Andrea Pisano, who was forced to retire at the Shakedown. But it was a great, hard-fought race, and we all raced strongly.” Dettori, second overall, explained: "We tried to attack again on today's second lap, especially on the first two special stages, but Marino had a superior pace. For this reason, in the final part of the race, we preferred to manage the advantage we had over Giuseppe: better to consolidate an excellent second place than risk losing everything. For me, who has been racing for less than three years, this result means a lot. I thank my co-driver Marco Demontis and everyone who supports me. I'm very satisfied; yesterday we probably made the wrong tire choice on the second lap, and maybe even the first, but we were competitive right from the shakedown. I think we ran a good rally, and considering Marino's level, finishing behind him is still a satisfying result." Mannu, third overall, clarified: "We tried everything we could, but they were stronger. Both Antonio and Marino drove an excellent race and deserve congratulations. It's disappointing for Ronzano, however, who was forced to retire and couldn't finish the race, which is truly a shame. I want to thank all the guys and the team for providing us with an impeccable car. I immediately felt at ease and we had a lot of fun. There were some spectacular moments, and I thank once again everyone who helped and supported us." Navigator Maccioni, third overall, commented: "It was my first race with Giuseppe, and I immediately felt at ease. In fact, I thank him for having me alongside him as his navigator. I had a lot of fun and I'm happy that the results came in. It was a great rally. Thanks again." The event was organized by the Automobile Club Sassari with the support of the Sardinia Region, the municipalities of Sassari, Castelsardo, and Porto Torres, the patronage of the CONI, and partners Testoni Lubricants, Bunker Point, Sardares, Autoplus, Luca Deiana, Tenute Soletta, and R Italian Trophy. 1) Gessa-Colombo (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) in 44'12"; 2) Dettori-Demontis (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 11"7; 3) Mannu-Maccioni (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) at 18"1; 4) Gally-Cottu (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) at 2'09"1; 5) Musselli-Frau (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 2'30"3; 6) Contini-Musu (Peugeot 208 Rally4) at 3'25"8; 7) Suelzu-Deiana (Peugeot 208 Rally4) at 3'58"3; 8) Marrone-Fresu (Peugeot 208 Rally4) at 4'12"9; 9) Sassi-Romei (Renault Clio Rally3) at 4'21"7; 10) Tilocca-Tocco (Renault Clio Rally3) at 4'37"3. 1) Casalloni-Figoni (Peugeot 205 Rallye) in 51'45"2; 2) Pes di San Vittorio-Romano (Peugeot 309 Gti 16) in 3'13"1; 3) Leoni-Arca (Ford Escort Rs 2000 MkII) at 5'43"9; 4) Di Lauro-Nuvoli (Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130 Tc) at 8'55"7; 5) Zedda-Fichera (Peugeot 205 Gti 1.6) at 16'21"1.