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AIOLFI - MERENDA ARE THE WINNER

Victory for Aiolfi-Merenda (Volkswagen Golf GTI '81) in the 1st Insubria Classic Rally, an average regularity race held between snow and verglas, in really amazing and fascinating winter conditions. From competitors praises for the organizational staff of Classic Paddock who made use of the support of ACI Como and ACI Varese. Second place for swiss crew Ferruccio and Carlo Nessi (Mini Cooper) and third place for Enrico and Federico Regalia (Lancia) from Gallarate.

With a throbbing end of the race, the favorite crew won the Insubria Classic Rally 2022, the average regularity competition with trials for over 100 km, held on the pre-Alpine roads between Comasco and Varesotto in a winter setting, between snow and verglas.To win the overall ranking, the crew from Piacenza, Maurizio Aiolfi and Carlo Merenda (Volkswagen Golf GTI 1600 from 1981) had to defend from the vehement assaults from Ferruccio and Carlo Nessi (Mini Cooper S from 1965) from Switzerland whose were second on the finish line, only 66 points behind and authors of a real attack race during the second day of competition. In third place Enrico and Federico Regalia (Lancia Delta HF 4WD from 1987) from Gallarate, authors of a race with an admirable consistency of performance that has always seen them in podium positions. At the final award ceremony, held in the elegant rooms of the Casinò di Campione d'Italia in the presence of the mayor Roberto Canesi and the deputy Tanina Padula, all crews praised the Classic Paddock organizational staff - led by Roberto Crugnola and Riccardo Aspesi – who were joined by ACI Como and ACI Varese in this first edition of Insubria Classic Rally. To fully understand the top level of the competition and the continuous reversal of the podium positions it's enought to observe that after the first five special stages, held in Como area, between Valle d'Intelvi and Valle Cavargna, the leader Aiolfi boasted 133 points ahead of Regalia, while third classified, Gian Mario Fontanella and Stefano Scrivani (Fiat 128 Rally) from Piacenza were 178 points apart. After first day of the race, Nessi brothers from Locarno were fifth, 266 points behind Aiolfi. On the slippery stages of Varesotto - Alpe Tedesco, Sette Termini, San Michele and Cuvignone - the red Mini Cooper with Canton Ticino license plate performed in a Rossinian crescendo winning all stages recovering from fifth to second place overall. For his part, the winner Maurizio Aiolfi once again gave an excellent demonstration of precision and race pace, especially in the first day of the race gaining an excellent advantage over rivals. Enthusiastic opinion from the competitors who faced the "orchestra rehearsal" of the historic Monte Carlo Rally (the most famous average race) in a purely winter climate along pre-Alpine technical roads which in last fifty years have hosted renowned rallies organized or sponsored by the Como and Varese Automobile Clubs. Gianmario Fontanella and Stefano Scrivani (Fiat 128 Rally, 880 penalties) arrived in fourth place after a disciplined race whose legitimate expectations of a podium faded only in the final, while the local crew Luigi Palazzi and Fausto de Marchi (Opel Kadett GT/E, 888 penalties) finished in fifth place. The winners of group 5 are Giorgio Garghetti and Barbara Giordano (Bmw 320 coupé), while for Gabriele Seno and Cristina Biagi (Opel Kadett GT/E) the victory in group 4 followed by Gian Paolo Cavagna and Angelo Seneci (Renault 5 Alpine). Both at start and on finish as well as at the awards ceremony, with the top management of Aci Como and Aci Varese and the organizational staff of the Classic Paddock have been retraced the historical pages of insubric rallying that this newborn medium-sized competition wanted to evoke.