Rally d'Italia

A founding round of the World Rally Championship in 1973, Italy’s WRC qualifier has always been one of the highlights of the season with challenging stages and throngs of enthusiastic fans commonplace.

Up until 2004 the rally was based in the Italian Riviera town of Sanremo on the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea. Stages took place on the narrow and tricky mountain roads of Italy’s Liguria province with the route also extending into Tuscany for a series of runs on gravel just to further increase the spectacle.

In 2004 the rally switched to picturesque Sardinia and to a new base in the port town of Olbia in the north of the island. While the route was all new, the event didn’t lose any of its appeal, attracting competitors and spectators in great number.

Final plans for Italy’s round of the world championship in 2012 are still under discussion but must-see event is all but guaranteed.