ERC: Rallye Sanremo / Rally review
Short rally?
This year’s Sanremo consisted of only ten
stages but with the stages running through
the mountains just north of Sanremo and the
shortest stage at over fourteen kilometers, this
would be no easy feat. Friday night featured the
daunting Ronde stage that used to run at over
55 kilometers, in the dark. For this year’s event
the stage was split in two (stages 4 and 4bis,
so there were actually 11 stages in total), to the
disliking of Basso who reflected that ‘the only
problem in the rally was that the Ronde stage
was split in two’. Even so, it was still a massive
challenge for the teams to complete.
First blood
Bryan Bouffier set out on his mission in style
and drew first blood. He won the opening stage
and held on to the lead on the second stage.
From then on though, the Italians showed who
reigned around Sanremo. Andreucci snatched
the lead and would not relinquish it for the remainder of the opening day. Trouble loomed
for Craig Breen when he hit mechanical problems on the second of the Ronde stages, forcing him to retire. It was another disappointed for
the young Irishman though he has something to
look forward to in 2014 when he will partner up
with Kevin Abbring in the official Peugeot 208
T16 R5 car.
52/64
In the dark, it’s good to know where you’re going. The experienced Andreucci
knew best of all and stormed ito an early lead.
Bouffier strikes back
It’s Saturday morning, time for the second leg of
the Sanremo rally and one man was out to proof
a point. Bouffier blasted through the opening
stages, winning them all. On the third stage of
the day Andreucci went off and out of the lead.
He wasn’t feeling too happy about himself. “I noticed before the stage there was low pressure
in one tyre so we changed it but the tyre was
worn,” Andreucci explained. “Then in a slippery
section about four kilometers in I lost it. It was
quite a straightforward place and maybe I did
not pay enough attention. I hit something in the
rear so we changed the left-rear tyre and that
was it. Of course you make mistakes but I don’t
remember making a mistake as stupid as this.”
Despite a few setbacks Bouffier kept fighting untill a final stage puncture truly ended his
chances of victory.