Giovanni Trentin and Alessandro Franco, in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, won the 22nd Rally dei Nuraghi e del Vermentino after leading from the second to the sixth and final stages and winning the second run on the "Oschiri" special stage. The fifth and penultimate round of the Italian Gravel Rally Championship, which resumed in Sardinia after the summer break, provided the Berchidda Rally with the youngest winner in the more than twenty-year history of the event, sponsored by Rassinaby Racing.
Trentin and Franco took the top step of the podium ahead of Finns Benjamin Korhola and Kristian Temonen (Skoda Fabia R5, 37" behind after a puncture in the opening stage, who won two special stages) and Giacomo Costenaro/Justin Bardini (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, 1'00"9 behind). Rounding out the top five were Farina-Raccuia and Marchioro-Marchetti. Ninth overall and first among the Sardinians was the Iglesias crew of Giacomo and Davide Spanu (Skoda Fabia Rally2). Fourteenth overall and first among the "two-wheel drive" drivers were Mattia Ricciu and Giovanni Mazzone from Gallura, standard bearers of Aci Team Italia, competing in a Peugeot 208 GT Line Rally4. It was an unlucky race for Ciuffi (out after the first stage) and Battistolli (slowed by punctures).
The decisive day of the rally opened with a double victory for Battistolli, who, with victories on the "Oschiri 1" and "Terranova 1," was 7.3 seconds behind Trentin with two laps to go, while Costenaro was third at 29.5 seconds. The gap widened slightly after the second run on the "Oschiri 2," with Trentin 7.6 seconds behind the Italian champion from Vicenza. On the final special stage, a puncture affected Battistolli again, putting him over 3 minutes behind after a forced stop along the way to replace a tire, dashing any hopes of a repeat performance in Berchidda. Korhola wasted no time, securing a stage win on the final lap and securing second place overall behind Trentin, an eighteen-year-old with the composure of a seasoned driver.
Winner Giovanni Trentin commented: “It was more difficult than San Marino. Thanks in part to a bit of luck, we managed to stay ahead and finish as leaders after the first day. This morning (yesterday for those reading, ed.) we started calmly, we struggled a bit, but in the end we managed to do well on the last lap and went fast. In the last special stage, I even went astray; I'm really sorry for Alberto. Conviction is important: when you start with determination and want to win at all costs, you make the difference. This victory is the fruit of this attitude.”
Mattia Ricciu, first in the two-wheel drive class, said: "We're very satisfied and happy because we wanted to do well at home. We started strong on the Tula and took the lead. It was one of my best races so far. We used our heads, pushed where we could push, and scraped where we could do damage. We're thrilled to have managed to win at home." Rassinaby Racing president Pietro Calvia added: “The story continues, and it is a beautiful story made up of people, both enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts, who are linked in a truly particular way, difficult to describe, to this race and to this event and who are completing it in a truly admirable manner”. Race director Graziano Basile commented: "It's always wonderful to return to Sardinia, a place I've become fond of. A true dirt race, hard-fought right down to the last stage, which deserves to be part of the CIRT. Thanks go to everyone who worked so hard on the stages, from the fitters to the course marshals, and to the entire organization staff, who have been working for months to ensure the success of the event." Meanwhile, the seventh Rally Vermentino Historicu, the fifth round of the Italian Historic Terra Rally, awarded the Italian titles. Sipsz-Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale, Group 4) won the overall in 55:12.7 and were crowned Italian four-wheel drive champions. Nemo Mazza, seventh overall in a Ford Escort RS, Group 3, won the Italian two-wheel drive title thanks to the points earned in Berchidda with Corrado Costa on the co-drivers. Fedolfi-Pirollo (Lancia Delta Integrale, Group 4) finished second overall ahead of Mannazzu-Bertoletti, the Germans Burkart-Cordes, and Galluzzi-Casalloni. Gianluca Leoni and Stefano Pudda won the Classic Cars category in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV. 1) Trentin-Franco (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) in 50'51"3; 2) Korhola-Temonen (Skoda Fabia Rally2) at 37"0; 3) Costenaro-Bardini (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 1'00"9; 4) Farina-Raccuia (Skoda Fabia Rally2) at 1'40"6; 5) Marchioro-Marchetti (Citroen C3 Rally2) at 1'57"2; 6) Tonso-Ometto (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 3'00"8; 7) Battistolli-Gonella (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 3'32"9; 8) Diana-Conti (Skoda Fabia Rally2) at 3'43"9; 9) Spanu-Spanu (Skoda Fabia Rally2) at 4'58"4; 10) Cecchettini-Garvaldi (Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2) at 5'05"6; 14) Ricciu-Mazzone (Peugeot 208 Gt Line Rally4) at 6'25"1. 1) Sipsz-Pons (Lancia Delta Integrale) in 55'12"7; 2) Leoni-Pudda (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Iv) in 59"0; 3) Fedolfi-Pirollo (Lancia Delta Integrale) at 2'54"7; 4) Mannazzu-Bertoletti (Renault 5 Gt) at 7'20"0; 5) Burkart-Cordes (Mazda 323) at 8'53"3; 6) Galluzzi-Casalloni (Opel Corsa Gsi) at 8'56"2; 7) Leoni-Arca (Ford Escort Rs) at 12'52"0; 8) Mazza-Costa (Ford Escort Rs) at 29'20"8.