The Schio-based team wraps up its opening Italian championship weekend with a performance full of substance, thanks to Nucita’s outright podium, Avbelj’s recovery drive, Joona’s top ten finish and the character shown by Korhola despite misfortune.
MS Munaretto opened its 2026 CIAR campaign with a weekend that delivered strong impressions, significant results and one clear confirmation, there is already real energy under the Schio-based team’s awning. In an edition of Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio that immediately presented a field of the highest calibre, the team responded with solid performances, valuable signs of promise and a constant presence in the positions that matter.
Andrea Nucita, partnered by Rudy Pollet, stole the spotlight with a performance of real quality that brought him to third place overall and also to victory in the Promotion Championship. It was a flying start for the established crew, who immediately placed themselves among the frontrunners in a technical context that was anything but forgiving, confirming speed, race management and the ability to stay fully in the moment when the level rises for real. For Nucita, the return to the Italian championship could hardly have had a better impact, and attention now already shifts towards the Targa Florio, an event that will inevitably carry a special flavour for him, that of a challenge run almost on home ground, on roads and in an atmosphere that always mean something extra for a Sicilian.
Behind Nucita’s podium, MS Munaretto also secured fifth place overall with Bostjan Avbelj and Damijan Andrejka at the end of a rally built on recovery. After a less convincing start than expected, the Slovenian driver managed to rebuild his weekend over the second day, climbing back with determination to finish right on the edge of the leading positions. It is an important sign, because in rallies as competitive as this, being able to raise the pace again and restore order to your race often counts almost as much as the result itself.
There was also a very positive performance from Lauri Joona and Antti Linnaketo, who took the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 into the overall top ten with ninth place, achieved through the usual clean driving, precision and real substance. For a Northern European crew called upon to take on Italian asphalt, widely known for being dirty, nervous and difficult to interpret, the result carries even greater weight and confirms the quality of the work done over the course of the weekend.
Benjamin Korhola, co-driven by Kristian Temonen, instead had to deal with an unfortunate incident, having been slowed by a puncture suffered during the opening leg, something that inevitably affected his rally. Even so, the young Finn managed to stay in the fight, moving close to the overall top ten with fourteenth place at the finish while also securing second place among the Under 25s. It is a result that does not tell the full story of the potential shown, but one that says plenty about his character and ability to react.
For MS Munaretto, the balance sheet is therefore that of a highly lively start to the CIAR, and above all it leaves one clear feeling, this championship has only just begun, but everything is already in place to continue playing a leading role.
