The final round of the CIAR Sparco takes place on the demanding roads of the Ligurian Riviera, with Avbelj preparing for a decisive battle for the overall title and Nucita aiming for another strong result.
Finnish driver Lauri Joona also returns alongside Tiziano Panato and Enrico Molo. Four Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars and a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 will tackle the eleven special stages of the 73rd Rallye Sanremo.
The Italian Rally Championship (CIAR Sparco) is approaching its final chapter, and MS Munaretto heads to the 73rd Rallye Sanremo, scheduled for 17–18 October, with five crews and plenty at stake. The challenging roads of western Liguria will determine the 2026 overall Italian champion, with Boštjan Avbelj still firmly in contention for the title. Alongside the championship battle, the Schio-based team will field a competitive and varied line-up, bringing together international experience, established Italian contenders and drivers eager to test themselves on one of the most demanding events of the season.
Leading the team will be Boštjan Avbelj, partnered by Andrejka Damijan in the number 2 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. This will be the most important event of the year for the Slovenian crew, who reignited their championship ambitions with a superb victory at Rally del Lazio-Cassino, where they also claimed four fastest stage times. Avbelj arrives in Sanremo determined to fight for the title until the very end, facing a decisive showdown with Roberto Daprà. The Slovenian is no stranger to the demanding Ligurian stages, having already secured second place overall here in 2023. A season consistently spent among the frontrunners has brought him to this crucial moment, where outright pace and careful race management will need to go hand in hand from the opening stage to the final kilometre.
Particular attention will also be on Lauri Joona, who will compete with number 8 alongside fellow Finn Antti Linnaketo, once again aboard a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. The 2022 WRC3 Open world champion, who has also competed extensively in WRC2, continues his collaboration with MS Munaretto for a second consecutive year, further demonstrating his commitment to improving his performance on Italian asphalt. His development programme has been built around selected events and continuous efforts to adapt his driving style to roads that differ significantly from those encountered throughout much of his international career.
Following his second-place overall finish at Rally di Modena and the valuable experience gained during subsequent appearances in the Italian championship, Joona returns to Sanremo, where he finished ninth overall last year. His objective will be to translate the experience accumulated into an even more competitive performance, making the most of his growing familiarity with the car, the work carried out alongside the team and his partnership with Linnaketo. The event promises to provide another valuable benchmark for the Finnish driver, offering an opportunity to assess his progress on the technical and selective stages of western Liguria against a highly competitive field.
Carrying number 9 will be Andrea Nucita, joined on this occasion by Alex Guion in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. The Sicilian driver approaches the final round of the CIAR having already secured the 2026 Italian Rally Promotion Championship title, crowning a season in which he has consistently combined speed with strong results. Fresh from an outright victory at Rally Città di Schio, where he set the fastest time on every special stage, Nucita will tackle Sanremo without the pressure of fighting for the category championship, but with every intention of challenging for the leading positions and bringing an outstanding season to a fitting conclusion.
A change of machinery awaits Tiziano Panato, who will line up alongside Milena Danese in the number 39 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Following their S2000 class victory at Rally Città di Schio behind the wheel of a Peugeot 207, the crew now prepares to take on the Ligurian stages in a Rally2 car. This new technical and sporting challenge will give Panato the opportunity to compete with more powerful machinery, with the aim of establishing a good feeling with the car from the opening stages and building his performance progressively throughout the event.
Completing the MS Munaretto line-up will be Enrico Molo, co-driven by Giulio Nodari in the number 51 Lancia Ypsilon Rally4. Following an excellent tenth-place overall finish on home roads at Rally Città di Schio, Molo returns to competition aiming to confirm the competitiveness shown in recent outings and continue his development behind the wheel. Rallye Sanremo will represent a particularly demanding test, where driving precision and consistency could prove decisive in the highly competitive Rally4 field.
The 73rd Rallye Sanremo will feature 11 special stages covering a total of 153.43 competitive kilometres, within an overall route of 410.80 kilometres. On Saturday 17 October, following the shakedown at San Romolo, the rally will officially get underway at 14:47 from Pian di Nave, with the Porto Sole spectator stage opening the competition. Sunday 18 October will see the crews tackle the demanding inland stages, including Bignone, Vignai, Molini-Buggio and Semoigo-Bajardo, the latter also serving as the Power Stage and awarding additional championship points. The ceremonial finish is scheduled for 16:30 at Pian di Nave.
For MS Munaretto, the weekend will bring together different ambitions, all sharing the same objective: placing its cars among the leading contenders. And while all five crews prepare to take on the clock, much of the attention will inevitably be focused on the number 2 Škoda, as Avbelj heads into the final stages of the year with an entire championship season on the line.
