24.05.2023
From 1 to 4 June, for the 20 time on the Isola dei Quattro Mori. Massive media coverage also on RAI networks, attention to the environment and great opportunities.
The Rally Italia Sardegna was presented at the headquarters of the Automobile Club of Italy, which will take place from 1 to 4 June, for the twentieth time on the Isola dei Quattro Mori. The Italia Sardegna rally is organized by the Automobile Club of Italy and is the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The President of the Automobile Club of Italy Angelo Sticchi Damiani illustrated the details of the Italian world champion event; the Councilor for Tourism, Crafts and Commerce of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia; Giulio Pes of San Vittorio, President of the ACI Sardinia regional committee and President of AC Sassari; Settimo Nizzi, Mayor of Olbia; Marco Franzelli, Director of RAI Sport; Antonio Turitto, General Manager of Rally Italia Sardegna.
A staff of 1,000 people works in the event, the competition has a route of 1,170 km, of which 322 divided into 19 special stages. There are 74 registered crews representing 27 nations, a record number, including 8 Sardinian crews. There are 130 medical personnel on duty, 80 technical intervention vehicles and 53 rescue vehicles.
Start and finish line in Olbia. Thursday 1 June after the start at 18.02 from the Lungomare Olbia, immediately the television special stage at 18.05. Friday 2, 6 timed stretches, including the two passages on the long and unprecedented 50 km “Monte Lerno”, the longest stage in the history of the RIS. Saturday 3rd, 8 more special stages and Sunday 4th final stage with the last 4 time trials before the finish and the final podium starting at 3pm.
The national TV coverage is unprecedented, which will add up to the international live coverage of WRC+, thanks to the massive intervention of RAI which will broadcast 5 special stages, 1 of which live for the first time on RAI 2.
The speakers underlined all the aspects relating to the ACI event which, in collaboration with the Sardinia region, has become a point of reference for the effective promotion of motor sport at the highest levels through the spectacle. Here are the interventions:
Angelo Sticchi Damiani: “So we went to Sardinia as ACI when the organization of a world rally became too expensive for a private individual. At first, relationships were very complicated. We resisted, aware that we have the most beautiful route in the world, in the most beautiful setting in the world. From the sea to the hinterland there are wonderful and suggestive places, which have been discovered thanks to the rally. We realized that it was a gamble that could not be lost. Then this regional administration arrived: here we have the commissioner Chessa, who represents the confirmation of this increasingly effective dialogue. Sardinia is an island and you have to go there specifically, but once you go you fall in love. From a sporting logistical point of view it was not easy, above all because of the costs that must be faced for an away match like this. In fact, we are the only stage of the World Championship that takes place on an island. I was the one who insisted with the ACI to go to Sardinia, even though I wasn’t president, and at the beginning they were very difficult passages. When you believe in something and have visions, the goal is achieved. We are complying with what Europe is asking of us, from an environmental point of view and from various other aspects. In Italy we have over 20 million highly polluting cars, and we worry about something else, but when will we get rid of this mass of polluting vehicles? We must be realistic and start from the Italian situation. The Nordic countries do not have this ballast, which we carry around instead. We have a new government that shows sensitivity on the subject, mobility is a right and must be guaranteed. We must contribute, also through the Rally d’Italia, to achieving the objectives that we all desire and share”.
Giovanni Chessa: “The story that accompanies ACI and the Region of Sardinia is long, as are the benefits that the event has brought to the Region. There are many sports champions who have believed in Sardinia, starting with Gigi Riva in football. The ACI has been believing in it for 20 years, just as the great Champions believe in Sardinia which promotes uniqueness. The island is a national and European heritage, the Sardinians are lucky enough to have been born and lived there. ACI is investing in the Italy model, it is a system that promotes uniqueness. It gave the opportunity to enrich Sardinia by discovering historical things that have always been there. The unparalleled visibility that rallying brings. The champions that ACI brings tomorrow will be called to be champions in life and an example for young people, there are many and different positives. The event produced an effect of 28 million euros. The benefit that Sardinia has is undisputed, but the benefits are for all of Italy. ACI is giving the opportunity to discover the Region. An element of particular importance is the role of Giulio Pes, who is the go-between for relations between ACI and Sardinia, a collaboration that has given rise to various events. The most important is certainly the world rally”.
Giulio Pes from San Vittorio: “The Rally d’Italia first raised some doubts, but today we have become friends with the municipalities and the Region, and now everyone has understood how important it is for the area. Sardinians share how important the rally is for Sardinia. Nizzi and Canoci have shown farsightedness in having accepted the alternation, even though it involves greater investments. Forestas also has an increasingly fruitful dialogue with us, we cross their tracks for about 500 km along the dirt roads of the Region. A dialogue confirmed by the stands in Olbia. We will plant trees with respect for the environment and to bridge CO2 emissions and any other effects on the environment. The Rally engages many people who work all year round for the success of the event. Our gratitude goes to Councilor Chessa, for the programming that allows us to work over an adequate period”.
Settimo Nizzi: “When we were asked to collaborate with the rally we immediately made ourselves available and we immediately thought that it would have an end. It is a manifestation of the Sardinians and must be considered as such. We are aligned with the thinking of the government of Sardinia and our support on this will never fail. The alternation with Alghero is a choice that must stimulate all public administrators, when there is collaboration and there is no friction, everything else is driven into a general collaboration that brings only positive effects. The tops of every reality change, but the things that have worked must continue to exist and be supported in the direction for which they were created”.
Marco Franzelli: “The collaboration continues and takes an important step forward. I am attached to Sardinia because the editor in chief who taught me and gave me so much was Tito Stagno, from Cagliari. For the first time on a general interest network like RAI 2 we will be broadcasting a special stage live. A broadcast that will broadcast the summary of what happened and also an overview of the World Rally Championship. I am pleased to link my name to this first time of the World Rally on RAI 2, as in the 80s we put a video camera inside Dario Cerrato’s Lancia to broadcast a test on Domenica Sportiva. At the time we followed rallies like RAI, exciting years where the category competed in the public’s passion for F.1. It would be nice if we returned to the spirit of those years. We will broadcast 5 special stages live: PS1 on Thursday 1, PS 8 on Saturday 3 and PS 12 from 3 to 4 pm. The power stage for 90′. We will also have many guests, including Miki Biasion. The overview will also proceed on RAI News, various RAI networks collaborate to offer maximum visibility to the rally. That it is a new first step to continue and do better in the future”.
Antonio Turitto: “The Rally Italia Sardegna will take place from 1 to 4 June. The collaboration with our partners, Grimaldi, ACI Global Servizi, SARA Assicurazioni and Sparco, allows us to look with great confidence at the twentieth anniversary edition on the island for a tender that has three environmental stars and next week we will have the audit of confirmation and for this we are grateful to all ACI technicians. Then there is a novelty: the inclusion of people under the age of 30, to ensure continuity of the event. The 50 km PS of Monte Lerno to be covered twice will certainly be important for the fate of the race. Sébastien Ogier is very focused on that test. Another novelty is technological innovation: we will use drones with cameras to allow Race Direction to always have maximum control over the course, also in relation to the public. We are the only race in the world championship that gives spectators precise indications on the spaces allowed to assist in complete safety. We have been working on the project since last July. The Race Direction will be able to move the drones and the cameras, we will have connections with Star Link. A forge of economic opportunities for the area, a modern and innovative rally. Among the most important collaborations there is the one with ENAC, which allowed us to clear the airspace in favor of helicopters and drones, then the CNR which showed us the way on how to do it, with the directives of Ing . Andrew Berton”.
Andrea Berton, CNR engineer: “The use of drones will be a surplus, it will make video and photo images, which will be available in real time for those who need to make decisions quickly. We managed to let the data arrive quickly and securely, it can never be hacked. The management of airspace is fundamental, for this reason ENAC’s collaboration is precious”.