Valentino Ledda and Claudio Mele win the Sulcis Iglesiente Rally

Valentino Ledda and Claudio Mele, in a Delta Rally Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, won the fourth Rally Sulcis Iglesiente after a duel with the first foreign crew in the history of the Mistral Racing-run event, formed by former WRC2 and WRC Junior world champion Pontus Tidemand, co-driven by his young compatriot Theo Bergsten. A thrilling and hard-fought battle ultimately saw the 18-year-old from Burgos prevail by just 1.6 seconds, a mere 1.6 seconds, but enough to allow the Aci Team Italia driver and co-driver Mele, with whom he has an exceptional rapport, to secure their second overall victory. Third place overall went to Marino Gessa and Salvatore Pusceddu, the only ones to finish within a minute of the two duelists among the nearly 70 Modern Rally entrants, which also included eight verified Historic Rally entrants and one Classic car.
The uncertain weather didn't deter the large crowds that flocked to the stages. Once again, along the more than 70km of special stages, at the start and finish, the spectators showed their warmth and demonstrated once again their deep attachment to an event that in just four years has carved out a place in the hearts of the people.
The final special stages were spectacular. Ledda won the Santadi-Nuxis 2, Tidemand the Villaperuccio-Piscinas 2, and they went all-out in the final stage, with the Aci Team Italia driver leading the former world champion by 3.8 seconds. The Scandinavian attempted to chip away at this advantage in the Perdaxius 2, but in the end, the 18-year-old from Burgos held on to the lead by 1.6 seconds, securing his second overall victory of his career.
In third place were Gessa-Pusceddu (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), 35.6 seconds behind, the only ones still in the wake of the leading duo. Ronzano-Andreis (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, 1'28.8 seconds behind) finished fourth, ahead of Dettori-Demontis (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, 2'28.5 seconds behind), Siddi-Corda (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, 2'51.6 seconds behind) and Locci-Musu (Skoda Fabia R5, 5'49.9 seconds behind. After the exit of Fabrizio Marrone and Francesco Fresu, who went out in the penultimate stage after having led the Rally4 for a long time, the Contini-Tocco (Peugeot 208 GT Line Rally4, 6'29.7 seconds behind) finished eighth overall and first among the "two-wheel drive" cars, thus also winning the second Trofeo Cammino. Santa Barbara Mining. Mannu-Frau (Peugeot 208 GT Line Rally4) finished ninth overall, ahead of the talented 18-year-old Alessandro Silvaggi. Silvaggi, who left Formula 4 to debut in rallying with the experienced Giancarla Guzzi in the right-hand seat, finished tenth overall as a rookie and the youngest driver in the race, winning the Rally5 class and the RC5N group. The Tommy Rossi Nonmollaremai Trophy went to the last-place finishers, Davide Murgia and Elisa Schirru from Iglesias, who won the RSD2.0 Plus class.
The other class winners are: Ruiu-Fratta, in R2/Rally4; Scurosu/Piccinnu in R3; Perazzona-Perazzona in R1tn 4x4; Caddeo-Pinna in Rs 1.6; Angius-Bechere in A0; Floris-Pirroni, first of Rstb 1.6; Piredda-Spanu N3.; Cicalò-Marongiu in N2; Gaglio-Fresi Rs 1.6 Plus; Perez-Porcu in Rstb 1.0 Plus; Schirru-Uccheddu Rs1.15 Plus; Piredda-Sanna Rs 2.0; Murgia-Schirru (46th) represent the Rsd2.0 Plus and Unali-Ordau (50th) the Rs1.4.
In the fourth Rally Sulcis Iglesiente Historic, victory went to Marco Casalloni and Giovanni Figoni in a Peugeot 205 in the fourth group, in 53'21"3, ahead of Bernardo Morgan and Roberto Scilef (Renault 5 GT Turbo, at 19"7) and Marc and Stephanie Laboisse (A112 Abarth, at 4'33"6). Ruiu-Alicicco (Alfa Romeo 33 1.7 ie 16v, at 15'52"4) came fourth, preceding Zedda-Donato (Opel Corsa GSI, at 18'25"3).
In the Classic, Ruggiu-Valdarchi, in an Opel Astra Gsi, won in 1:4'41"1.
Winner Valentino Ledda said: “It was a very difficult race, one we didn't expect to win. We started to believe in it last night, as the race was already underway. Once we saw the starting list and realized that a world champion was there, we weren't expecting this result, but we worked hard and received great help from our very experienced team. I thank Walter, Simone, and all the mechanics for their great availability and for always being ready and fast. I also thank Pirelli and Terenzio for their support throughout the weekend. It was very difficult to choose the right tire, and we did it. I thank all the sponsors; it's thanks to them that I'm here. See you next time!”
Second-place finisher Pontus Tidemand commented: “We're really happy to have participated in such a rally, with such beautiful and challenging stages. Today, we once again had to contend with uncertain weather and the wrong tire choice, which at times led to us running on dry tires in the wet. Furthermore, shortly before the start of the first special, we had to replace the faulty intercom, which resulted in a delay at the time control, resulting in a 10-second penalty. However, second place overall is an excellent result; there was a great duel with Valentino. My co-driver was very good. For Theo Bergsten, it was his first asphalt rally, and he was very good. A bright future awaits him; he'll be as good as his father, who co-driven me in my WRC debut.”
Third-place Marino Gessa chimed in: "I'm very happy with our performance and to have won a special stage against such strong opponents. I don't know how my season will continue: I'll decide whether to race the Zone 10 Rally Cup or opt for other spot races."
According to Vito Spiga, Councillor for Sport of the Municipality of Iglesias: “The fourth edition of the Rally Sulcis Iglesiente has given us and confirmed some beautiful and strong emotions, it brings to Iglesias not only a sporting event but also a tourist attraction linked to the drivers, the organisers and the mechanics and above all the enthusiasts who have come to know our territory”.
Organizer Giacomo Spanu, president of Mistral Racing, stated: “This edition was somewhat complicated by bad weather, but we managed to overcome all the difficulties that adverse weather can cause, including with regard to the tracks and the restoration of the routes. A fantastic ranking because our Sardinian driver Valentino Ledda won, demonstrating exceptional pace against a world champion who needs no introduction. This means that Valentino is working well and is on the right path; we are truly proud to be able to count on a driver who will bring good news to Sardinia. I thank all the institutions, the Sardinia Region, the Province of Sulcis Iglesiente, the Sardinia Foundation, the Geomineral Park, the Santa Barbara Mining Trail, the twelve municipalities involved, and the partners who dedicated all their efforts to making this event possible. We are delighted with the large turnout, because with such weather, it means that people were really eager to go on the rally and packed all the stages despite the less than perfect conditions.”
Race director Graziano Basile explained: "This year's race proved challenging once again, but it was thoroughly enjoyed by all the crews. I thank all the course marshals, who are essential figures because, with great dedication and professionalism, they allow the events to proceed despite having to contend with inclement weather, cold, wind, mud, and, last but not least, managing the large crowds attending the trials. Kudos also to the time trials and the convoy of service cars, and a special thanks to Mistral Racing for their trust over these four years."
The Sulcis Iglesiente Rally was the first round of the Zone 10 Rally Cup and the Aci Sport Sardinia Delegation Regional Championship. It also counts towards the Gr Yaris Rally Cup, the Michelin Trofeo Italia National, the Pirelli Accademia CRZ Trophy, and awards the Santa Barbara Mining Trail Trophy (first two-wheel drive crew) and the Tommy Rossi Memorial (last in the standings). The race was organized by Mistral Racing with the support of the Sardinia Region, the Province of Sulcis Iglesiente, the Aci Sport Sardinia Delegation, the Aci Cagliari, the Fondazione di Sardegna, the Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation, the Historical Environmental Geomining Park of Sardinia, and twelve municipalities: Iglesias, Carbonia, Giba, Gonnesa, Nuxis, Perdaxius, Piscinas, Portoscuso, San Giovanni Suergiu, Santadi, Tratalias, and Villaperuccio.

Top 10 Modern Rally Standings: 1) Ledda-Mele (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) in 43'36"5; 2) Tidemand-Bergsten (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 1"6; 3) Gessa-Pusceddu (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 35"6; 4) Ronzano-Andreis (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 1'28"8; 5) Dettori-Demontis (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 2'28"5; 6) Siddi-Corda (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) at 2'51"6; 7) Locci-Musu (Skoda Fabia R5) at 5'49"9; 8) Contini-Tocco (Peugeot 208 Gt Line Rally4) at 6'29"7; 9) Mannu-Frau (Peugeot 208 Gt Line Rally4) at 7'10"8; 10) Silvaggi-Guzzi (Renault Clio Rally5) at 9'20"2.
Historic Rally Standings: 1) Casalloni-Figoni (Peugeot 205 Rally) in 53'21"3; 2) Morgani-Scilef (Renault 5 GT Turbo) at 19"7; 3) Laboisse-Laboisse (Autobianchi A112 Abarth 70HP) at 4'33"6; 4) Ruiu-Alicicco (Alfa Romeo 33 1.7 ie 16v) at 15'52"4; 5) Zedda-Donato (Opel Corsa Gsi) at 18'25"3.
Classic Rally Standings: 1) Ruggiu-Valdarchi (Opel Astra Gsi) in 1:4'41"1.