2008 Rally d'Italia Sardegna Thread

[Motorsportfun]

Today, at Bologna's Motor Show, has been presented the 2008 edition of Rally d'Italia Sardegna.

The route it's similar to the last year's route, with the exception of Liscia Ruja stage (famous for the film "007 - The spy who loved me", with Roger Moore), a spectacular stage who it looks like it will be broadcast LIVE! :D

All the route in details on www.rallyitaliasardegna.com (http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com) ;) :)

[rs69]

Hi ,

We are going to visit Rally Italy next season ,
Like every rally we visit we like to stay in a holiday house for a few
days . Is there anyone of our Italian friends who has something or
knows something for us ? We are with 9 people and want to stay from 15/05 til 18/05 , so 3 nights....
Thanks

"GIGI HERE WE COME :p "

[Helstar]

LOL so passionate... this is great. See you there then ! (hope there is somebody who can offer you a good deal ;)

[GigiGalliNo1]

wow so early with forum! soo i see gigi will be there! :D

[rs69]

Hi ,

We are from Belgium and visiting the rally Italy with 9 people ,
Are there some interesting things we have to know ? Good places to watch ?
Everything is welcome !

Thanks

[rs69]

Hi ,

We are going to visit Rally Italy next season ,
Like every rally we visit we like to stay in a holiday house for a few
days . Is there anyone of our Italian friends who has something or
knows something for us ? We are with 9 people and want to stay from 15/05 til 18/05 , so 3 nights....
Thanks

"GIGI HERE WE COME :p "

WE have booked 2 mobilhomes at the camping tavolara ,are there other spectators who are staying there ? Can we make a nice rally-party in the evening ...............!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Motorsportfun]

You can watch that site: http://www.sardegnaturismo.it/en/index.html

It's the official site of the Sardinian Tourism Board. :D

In my opinion, Sardinia is all fantastic, from Cagliari to Olbia (we'll have soon a new "Guggenheim" in Cagliari - named Betile (http://www.joonland.com/zboard/data/in_architecture/betile_museum_01.jpg) - and we have the biggest desert in Europe, a 'caribbean' sea, etc.)! :p : :p :

[Davide78]

The Rally d'Italia - Sardegna 2008 had changed the course with 57 new
km of SS but had taken in this way a very precise configuration, being
concentrated in the same region for all the 3 days of the event and
thus using similar fast roads for all the rally, with just 200m of
asphalt and not some kms like in the 3rd day of last editions.

Moreover the WRC and JWRC there will be the Italian Subaru Cup and
also, in the 2nd passage on the SS, the Italian Gravel Championship,
the TRT, a usually very good championship with a high level of cars
and drivers, plus some private good drivers and the local drivers,
usually rather good on gravel, so the spectacle and the level of the
entries looks to be very interesting this year!

The organizers had also already published on the official website a
very detailed Rally Guide with info about how to go to the SS and the
description of all the Spectators Area, plus some photos of what it's
possibile to see there.

The link is: http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com/2008/gb/guida_gb.htm

Morever a website of rally enthusiasts just from Olbia had published a
little logistic Guide-book also in English with info about where to go
eating, drinking, sleeping, partying, etc, with also a map to easily
find the places.

The link is: http://nuke.rallyfans.it/INFOSARDEGNA08/tabid/191/Default.aspx

Hoping to meet you along Sardinian gravel stages, I wish you all to
have fun enjoying this event!

[pino]

Welcome back Davide78, and thanks for your info :up: wish I could join you guys this year, but I cannot :(

[Davide78]

Dear Pino, thank you for your warm welcome back!

It's just a pleasure to help other rally enthusiasts like me to better enjoy the WRC event held on my island and their stay there giving them all the info that I can!

I hope our meeting along Sardinian gravel roads is just postponed to next year! It will be very pretty to enjoy together that rally!

Meantime I wish again to have a wonderful Rally d'Italia - Sardegna 2008 to all the fans that will arrive here for this event!

[Whinlatter]

Thanks for the link Davide :)

Will there be any S2000 cars in the TRT rally that runs after the WRC cars, do you think?

[J4MIE]

Ciao Davide, I won't be there this year but is a definite maybe for 2009, hope you have a great time :D

[gloomyDAY]

I just wanted to point one thing out.

Rally Jordan comes before Italy, but there isn't a Rally Jordan thread as of yet. LOL! I can't wait for Sardegna!

[Motorsportfun]

Thanks for the link Davide :)

Will there be any S2000 cars in the TRT rally that runs after the WRC cars, do you think?

I think 3-4 S2000 cars, one of them for San Marino driver, Federico Martelli (Peugeot 207-Power Car Team). I hope this helps

[Whinlatter]

Brilliant! :)

I'm in Sardinia watching the rally while I'm on holiday and I love the S2000s, they sound like proper rally cars - I'll make sure I stick around and watch them.

Entry list for the WRC event is published on Thursday, can't wait. :)

[MikeD]

Anybody knows when the entry-list will be published?

[DonJippo]

Anybody knows when the entry-list will be published?

I'm sure you can find it from here http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com/2008/gb/index_gb.htm

[pantealex]

Anybody knows when the entry-list will be published?
29.4 (and acropolisrally 30.4)

[VFTS]

Andreas Mikkelsen in his Focus06 will start in Sardinia

[rs69]

Thanks Davide for the information .

As we drive a 9 persons minibus , I was wondering if the traffic is busy as
it was in the San Remo period ? We mostly take the small gravel roads but I
don't know if this is possible in Sardinia .
Do you think we better take the spectator area's.
Anyway , you can do more with a rented car than your own... :D

[harriswrc]

Here is the entrylist:
http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com/2008/pdf/iscritti.pdf

[Viking]

Here is the entrylist:
http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com/2008/pdf/iscritti.pdf

Exited to see Andreas Mikkelsen and ”Mad Mads” Østberg on the wrc scene again, expecting a great fight between them again as it was in Sweden and all year in Norwegian Championship. I think Østberg has upper hand, he showed great pace in last weekend’s Rally Sørland (NRC) :up:

[J.Lindstroem]

It feels good that the WRC is back in Europe, hoping for a great rally to follow infront of the computer. I'm also back in the Forum now after a time of not being able to post on here for some strange reason. But now everything is back in order, thank you Pino!

One thing i think will be very interesting in this rally is to see if Hirvonen can hold back of Loeb, he was not the fastest driver in Jordan but he won anyway, something that i think is synonymous with his season so far. Do you think he will hold on of Loeb in the overall standings?

[fastboy]

I can see Latvala building up a lead on Friday,and then trying to defend it for 2 days from Loeb.
Do any of the locals know if the bypass from Ala dei sardi to Budusso is now open?

[tmx]

Do you think he will hold on of Loeb in the overall standings?

We'll see when the tarmac events comes around.

[userwave]

travelling from Canada with my girlfriend to spectate this rally,

looking for any information as to the MUST see spectating points!

any help would be appreciated

thanks!!

[Whinlatter]

Anyone know if/where the entry list for the Trofeo Rally Terra will be published? I'm hoping to stay on after the WRC goes through and watch the TRT and it would nice to know who I'm watching......

[pettersolberg29]

I have a feeling Petter will benefit from his road position, lead until the penultimate stage, retire from damper problems, leaving Hirvonen to win.

Atkinson will drive consistently slowly as usual, wait until Petter, Latvala, Loeb and Galli retire then snatch a lucky 2nd again.

Sordo third holding off our surprise of the rally, Mikkelsen into fourth.

[ZequeArgentina]

Those are really specific "feelings" of what could happen in the race.
I would even say you are just "throwing" ideas to see if you guess one!!!

I really think Petter should do well there, but Atkinson has not driven slower than Petter in 2008. Faster in some places, equal in most, and slower just very few specials, ansd Petter has been isking more (his offs show that).

[Davide78]

I'm sorry to not be able to answer often but I'm extremely busy with my university.

However here it is the link to the TRT entry list:
http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com/2008/pdf/trt_iscritti.pdf

All is confirmed: 3 S2000, with very good drivers, and Andrea Aghini, famous Italian fast driver with the new Impreza N4.

About spectating: Zone C, S, T and Y are really very good!
What it written in the official "Guide to the Rally d'Italia Sardegna 2008" at the page http://www.rallyitaliasardegna.com/2008/gb/guida_gb.htm is extremely realiable!
Just follow carefully what written there and you'll find the zone you want to reach without any problem, thanks also to the signals along the roads in the rally district.
Above all take care of the warnings (about the kind of cars that can pass in the access roads to Spectators' Area or the possibility to reach the SS starts/finish lines) in that guide! They're really exact!
Notice also that the big road between Ala' dei sardi and Budduso' is not open but still work in progress!

We'll see along Sardinian stages!!

[Whinlatter]

Davide - thanks very much. I'm really looking forward to the TRT as it will be my first chance to see the 207 S2000 (there are none in the UK so far). :)

I've printed off the stage maps and rally guide and started planning where I want to go - Hoping to watch shakedown, the ceremonial start, two or three stages on Friday and two stages on Sunday - I may get to service on Saturday but can't get to the stages as we're on a two-centre holiday and have to spend most of the day moving west to our second hotel. :(

If there is any internet in my hotel I will post some photos here during the event, I hope.

[gloomyDAY]

Are there new stages for this rally?

[ST205GT4]

Atkinson will drive consistently slowly as usual, wait until Petter, Latvala, Loeb and Galli retire then snatch a lucky 2nd again.

I think you're probably the only person on this forum who thinks Atkinson needs Petter to retire to achieve a better result than him.

He's clearly faster than Petter on tarmac already. And I feel comfortable suggesting that he's near to Petter's equal on gravel. His biggest weakness at the moment is snow. Which is hardly surprising considering where he comes from!

You can call his good run this year "lucky" if you like. Or you can call it smart driving with the gear he's got.

You don't win 10 stages, plus numerous top 3s in 5 rallies by being "lucky".

[Xsara Fan]

Shakedown results:

1. LATVALA Ford Focus RS WRC 3:21.8
2. P.SOLBERG Subaru Impreza WRC 3:22.9
3. GALLI Ford Focus RS WRC 3:23.4
4. HIRVONEN Ford Focus RS WRC 3:25.5
5. LOEB Citroen C4 WRC 3:25.8
6. ATKINSON Subaru Impreza WRC 3:26.3
7. SORDO Citroen C4 WRC 3:26.8
8. OSTBERG Subaru Impreza WRC 3:29.3
9. MIKKELSEN Ford Focus RS WRC 3:30.3
10. GARDEMEISTER Suzuki SX4 WRC 3:30.4
11. AL QASSIMI Ford Focus RS WRC 3:32.4
12. ANDERSSON Suzuki SX4 WRC 3:32.5
13. H.SOLBERG Ford Focus RS WRC 3:33.2
14. AAVA Citroen C4 WRC 3:33.9
15. RAUTENBACH Citroen C4 WRC 3:34.3
16. VILLAGRA Ford Focus RS WRC 3:34.4
17. WILSON Ford Focus RS WRC 3:34.7

[desmosedici]

Shakedown results:


But it's not finished yet :)

[Xsara Fan]

But it's not finished yet :)

Is it?

[Xsara Fan]

New version of results :)

1. GALLI Ford Focus RS WRC 3:19.0
2. LOEB Citroen C4 WRC 3:19.8
3. LATVALA Ford Focus RS WRC 3:21.8
4. SORDO Citroen C4 WRC 3:21.8
5. P.SOLBERG Subaru Impreza WRC 3:22.9
6. HIRVONEN Ford Focus RS WRC 3:25.5
7. ATKINSON Subaru Impreza WRC 3:26.3
8. H.SOLBERG Ford Focus RS WRC 3:26.4
9. GARDEMEISTER Suzuki SX4 WRC 3:27.4
10. WILSON Ford Focus RS WRC 3:28.5
11. AAVA Citroen C4 WRC 3:28.8
12. OSTBERG Subaru Impreza WRC 3:29.3
13. AL QASSIMI Ford Focus RS WRC 3:29.8
14. MIKKELSEN Ford Focus RS WRC 3:30.3
15. RAUTENBACH Citroen C4 WRC 3:30.5
16. ANDERSSON Suzuki SX4 WRC 3:32.5
17. VILLAGRA Ford Focus RS WRC 3:33.4

[F1boat]

Wow, well done to Galli!