Rossetti claims Croatia Rally

22nd May 2011

By Anthony Peacock

Italian driver Luca Rossetti has won the Rally Croatia, round two of the European Rally Championship, to claim his second victory in a row and consolidate his lead of the series.

 

The Abarth Grande Punto S2000 driver led home fellow Italians Luca Betti and Maurizio Barone in a Peugeot 207 S2000 by more than a minute and a half, while the Polish crew of Maciej Oleksowicz and Andrzej Obrewoski were third in a Ford.

 

Rossetti won 10 stages (seven more than any other driver) to dominate the event from start to finish, while his Abarth demonstrated complete reliability.

 

Another Italian rallying stalwart, Piero Longhi, was set for a podium place in his Skoda Fabia S2000 until he went off the road on the rainy penultimate stage. Former Italian champion Andrea Navarra also retired with engine damage caused by a holed radiator.

 

 The next round of the European Rally Championship is the Bosphorus Rally in Turkey, held on the Asian side of Istanbul from 4-5 June. Rossetti, who formerly starred in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, is tipped to return to the Eurosport-backed series this summer, on the Madeira Rally that also forms part of the European Championship.