The triumphal march of Matteo Giordano and Manuela Siragusa continues unceasing also in the third round of the Suzuki Rally Cup, the winning crew of the trophy who in this beginning of 2023 scored en-plein of victories, power stages and points.
Even at the 107th Targa Florio Rally, in fact, the driver from Cuneo detached all the members of the one-make series dedicated to Suzuki rallying, accumulating a precious second advantage stage after stage on the Madonie asphalts.
The Alma Racing crew on the Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid immediately got off to a strong start from Friday afternoon, winning PS1 with the honor of representing the trophy as forerunner of the “cursa”.
Then, on the second day of the race, having also won the power stage, they were able to pull the oars in the boat and manage the almost 30” advantage, useful given a boredom at the change that occurred right at the end. On the 95km of asphalt divided into 9 timed trials, partly following the legendary “Circuito delle Madonie”, the Suzukis inflamed the spirits of enthusiasts and fans.
He had been the great absentee in Alba and his absence was in fact felt because Roberto Pellè, paired with Luca Franceschini, is one of those who may have the ambition to put the king in check, and he proved it in Sicily. The driver from Trentino always raced on the attack, taking advantage of the tussle of the young under 25 crews, thus securing second place and important points for the standings. After this solid performance the gauntlet for the Rally della Lana is thrown down.
Thunderbolt from the blue at the end instead, extraordinary with a time on the last stage that defeated the competition, the very young Sebastian Dallapiccola who right on PS9 pulled out, who knows where, 7″ on all the others with a chrono from 37th overall.
The pilot graduated from the federal school navigated by Fabio Andrian thus overtook only on the last corners Alessandro Forneris and Luigi Cavagnetto, for a sprint finish worthy of the legend of the Madonie. A nice present for next week’s 19th birthday.
Just Forneris-Cavagnetto, like all of them on Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid, therefore had to surrender to Dallapiccola’s masterstroke, closing off the podium by just 1.6”. The duel between the two, hard-fought and exciting, ignited the fight between the under25s after Samuele Santero’s outfeed and Alice Poggio’s puncture.
Given the consistency in all 3 rounds, Forneris still firmly holds the second position With 9 crews at the start of which more than half formed by junior drivers, the Suzuki Rally Cup is also confirmed on the Targa as a point of reference for young people in look for level challenges with quality drivers.
The challenge for the “Racing Start” classification, reserved for the Suzuki Swift Boosterjets, given the absence of some protagonists, was a solo by Lorenzo Olivieri and Lucrezia Viotti, who after Bianchi-Zambelli’s exit were able to manage and take advantage of it, bringing home in addition to the 5th place very important classification points.
Among other things, they overtook Filippo Gelsomino and Herve Navillod on the last stage, they aboard a Sport Hybrid, who paid 3′ on PS9 thus finishing more than 6 minutes from the top. Closing the ranking of the Suzukis arriving at the breathtaking Belvedere del Principe di Piemonte, sublime stage of arrival, Alice Poggio on her Baleno shared with Andre Perrin, slowed down by a puncture.
Matteo Giordano, Manuela Siragusa, Suzuki Swift
Photo by: Suzuki
“The Targa was a fast and difficult race – commented Giordano – then towards the end of the race we had a small problem with the gearbox but that in any case pardoned us allowing us to reach the finish line. Now after three races and having brought home everything we can only be satisfied, but behind them they push hard, duel and improve so we will always have to be at the top”.
“We are very satisfied not only with the result but also because in this race we got very close to Giordano, only 3 tenths per kilometer late – explains Pellè – and this is a great satisfaction, in a race in which we had little experience given that last year it rained. I regret not having been to Alba because we could have better understood our level. If we do a race on gravel we’ll have one more chance – and on his Swift he concludes – the Suzuki behaved well on the Sicilian asphalt, we found the right compromise”.
“It was one of my best races up to now – affirms Dallapiccola – and for me it was a good show of strength that convinced me of what I can do, especially in the last race. In fact, the Suzuki gives you confidence, it’s a nice car, and it allowed me to push clean, not too hard, so I felt I could do well. I didn’t think the level of the trophy was so high, and having Girodano up front makes it clear that we still have a lot of margin to make up: nothing is impossible and now I think I can still improve a lot”.
Matteo Giordano, Manuela Siragusa, Suzuki Swift
Photo by: Suzuki
The models in detail
– Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid equipped with the specifications of the national Hybrid Rally5 Technical Regulations, with epicyclic differential (Quaife), standard electronic control unit (ECU) and original six-speed gearbox.
– Suzuki Swift BoosterJet 1.0 Fiche n° 0042 set up with the specifications of the Rally5/R1 class.
– Suzuki Swift Sport 1600 equipped with the specifications of the Ra5N National Class.
– Suzuki BoosterJet 1.0 (Swift/Baleno) with Racing Start specifications.
All models are light and robust, very sensitive to setting up and have characteristics that enhance the driving skills and sensitivity of the pilots and reward the most skilled crews from time to time. To further standardize the level of performance, all cars in the Suzuki Rally Cup will have to mount the same Toyo tires in asphalt races.
Suzuki Rally Cup overall standings for drivers
1. Jordan 84pt; 2. Forneris 58pt; 3. Dallapiccola 45pt; 4. Pelle 41pt; 5. Santero 28pt; 6. Olivieri 26pt; 7. Mantoet, Jasmine 21pt; 9. Poggio 16pt, 10. Martinelli 15pt;
Classifica Racing Start 1.0 BoosterJet
1. Olivieri 37pt; 2. Martinelli 21pt; 3. hillock 19pt; 4. Whites 17pt; 5. Milivinti 13pt; 6. Mantoet, Vitali 10pt;
Suzuki Rally Cup Navigators standings
1. Syracuse 84pt; 2.Andrian 45pt; 3. Franceschini 41pt; 4. Cavagnetto 35pt; 5. Viotti 26pt; 6. Simioni 21pt; 7. Navillod 17pt 8. Zambelli, Perrin 14pt; 10. Milivinti 10pt.
