Sardinia countdown: Rally route
The championship touches down on the Italian island of Sardinia for round seven [8 - 11 June], where a revised itinerary lies in wait, designed by 1988 and 1989 championship-winning co-driver Tiziano Siviero.
Siviero, who guided Miki Biasion to two world titles with Lancia, has tweaked the route for this 14th edition of Rally Italia Sardegna, adding an overnight halt in the rally's former base in Olbia to allow the return of two rough and rocky Sardinian classics.
The rally's base and service park will be located on Alghero's historic harbourside and the competition will start from there on Thursday evening before a 2km stage at the former motocross track at Ittiri. The cars then cross the island, from the west to the east coast, and an overnight park fermè at Brin pier in Olbia ready for the next day's competition.
Friday's itinerary features a loop of four stages that are run twice for a total of 125.46 competitive kilometres. After the return of Terranova (14.54km) and Monte Olia (19.05km), drivers will tackle the familiar Tula (15km) and Tergu-Osilo (14.14km) before heading back to service in Alghero. Cars will repeat the same loop in the afternoon and overnight in Alghero.
Saturday features the fullest programme with 143.16 stage kilometres divided over six well-known challenges in the Monte Acuto region. A morning loop of Coiluna-Loelle (14.95km), Monti di Alà (28.52km) and the nearby Monte Lerno (28.11km) will be repeated in the afternoon after a 30-minute service in Alghero. The final stage of each loop includes the famous Micky’s Jump, a massive draw for spectators and one of the event's high-jump highlights.
Sunday's final leg is a sprint finish, with just four short tests. The finale features two repeated stages covering 42.04km amid stunning scenery on the coast, north of the host town. Cala Flumini (14.06km) and Sassari-Argentiera (6.96km) will be run twice without an opportunity for service. The second pass of Sassari-Argentiera will count as the Live TV Power Stage.
In total, the itinerary features 19 stages and 312.66km competitive kms.
