European Rally Championship / Rally Barum Zlín: Another class victory for the Abarth 124 rally

European Rally Championship / Rally Barum Zlín: Another class victory for the…

August 19, 2019
from Jan-Christopher Sierks

– With his third win of the season, Italian Andrea Nucita extends his lead in the Abarth Rally Cup and improves to second place in the ERC2 overall standings.
– Dariusz Polonski also landed on the podium; the Pole is also fighting for both titles.

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Second victory in a row, the third of the current season – at the Rally Barum Zlín in the Czech Republic, which is part of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), Andrea Nucita won the Abarth Rally Cup again. The Poles Dariusz Polonski/Lukasz Sitek finished second in the one-make cup with the Abarth 124 rally. Nucita and co-driver Bernardo di Caro also won the ERC2 class. Nucita thus reduced the gap to ERC2 leader Juan Carlos Alonso (Argentina), who came second at the Rally Barum Zlín, to just five points. The European championship title in the ERC2 category is therefore within reach for the driver of the Abarth 124 rally.

The Barum Zlín Rally proved to be as difficult as it was treacherous, but the Abarth 124 rally once again proved its competitiveness. The times on the very fast asphalt special stages were high, and Nucita and Polonski even left several four-wheel drive vehicles behind in the end. At first, Nucita fought for a long time with Polonski for first place in the Abarth Rally Cup. Polonski, however, had some problems and fell behind. The second stage went to the Pole, who was unable to catch up with Nucita and at the end of a hard-fought weekend also finished third in the ERC2 class.

In the Abarth Rally Cup, Nucita leads Polonski by eight points after five of six races. The finale will take place as part of the traditional Rally Hungary (8 to 10 November 2019).

Andrea Nucita (Bernini Rally) said: "It was a very difficult rally. We had to give everything to secure first place. In any case, our double victory was very important for both championships."

Dariusz Polonski (Rally Technology) said: "It's a shame that everything only went smoothly on the second day. But then we were very fast - our Abarth 124 rally was optimally tuned for the rally. The result definitely keeps us in the title race. We are concentrating on the finale in Hungary."

An Abarth 124 rally, however, will be back in action next weekend: The Italians Enrico Brazzoli and Manuel Fenoli will then start at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The rally, which leads through Saarland and western Rhineland Palatinate, counts towards the World Championship and the FIA R-GT Cup. Brazzoli is the leader in this classification and can secure overall victory at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland early.

Abarth Rally Cup standings (after five of six races):
1. Nucita (ITA) 102 points; 2. Polonski (POL) 94; 3. Monarri (SPA) 25; 4. Perez (SPA) and Melegari (ITA) 18; 6. Nitišs (LVA) 15.

Standings of the FIA European Rally Championship, category ERC2 (after six of eight races):
1. Alonso (ARG/Mitsubishi) 114 points; 2. Nucita (ITA/Abarth) 109; 3. Melegari (ITA/Abarth and Mitsubishi) 101; 4. Polonski (POL/Abarth) 95; 5. Altefiri (KWT/Mitsubishi) 48.