Sanremo for Sardinia
was both controversial and surprising when it was decided through the
off-season between 2003 and 2004.
The recce for the
Italian island’s world championship debut was an eye-opener for a generation of
drivers who knew little to nothing of the roads threading their way through the
hills out the back of the port town of Olbia.
Too rough. Too many
rocks. Too narrow. Put simply: too tough. It would, apparently, be carnage. In
many ways, those doubters were proved right as Ford, Peugeot and Subaru all
suffered a retirement apiece. And when Petter Solberg finally crossed the line on
the 19th and final stage, the Subaru star’s winning time was just 17
minutes short of five hours.
He was more than two
minutes ahead of Sébastien Loeb, who in turn was more than a minute ahead of Carlos
Sainz. It is difficult to imagine from this start, that Sardinia has gone on to
produce some of the closest-ever finishes in the history of the WRC.
In 2018, just 0.7sec
divided Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier. In 2020, there were only 20
seconds dividing the top three. But perhaps, none of this was as dramatic as Ott
Tänak’s 2019 heartbreak when his eventual championship victory was dealt what
could have been a divisive blow, his Toyota Yaris World Rally Car failing him
on the Wolf Power Stage.
The risk to move to
Sardinia has paid its dividends countless times over and the promoter has never
stopped innovating with all eyes closely fixed on an innovative new schedule
this weekend. All that awaits now is to see what drama will unfold in the 20th
edition of this storied classic.
Finland
Italy
Hungary