The Schio-based team wrapped up three very different events with Pollara’s overall podium at Elba, Hakalehto’s class win at Sierra Morena and Zantedeschi’s eighth place at Paganella.
Korhola’s European outing ended in disappointment after retiring on the third stage, while Panato completed a steadily improving run all the way to the finish.
MS Munaretto has brought an intense weekend to a close, spread across the European stage of Sierra Morena, the technical appeal of the Rallye Elba and the ever demanding setting of the Paganella Rally, with a final balance that delivers an overall podium, a class victory, a top ten finish and useful indications on every front tackled by the Schio-based team.
On the continental side, at the 43rd Andalucía Rally Sierra Morena, Córdoba World Heritage Site 2026, the weekend told two very different stories. The first was the bitter one of Benjamin Korhola, competing with Patric Öhman in the number 25 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, who was forced to stop early during the third special stage after a run off the road. It was not a straightforward event for the Finn and the retirement brought to an early end an outing that could have provided valuable feedback in one of the most competitive environments in the European championship.
A completely different story, by contrast, came from Aatu Hakalehto, partnered by Niklas Heino in the number 52 Lancia Ypsilon Rally4. The young Finn dominated his category and secured a clear, emphatic victory that was never really in doubt. It is a result that carries real weight, both because of the way it was achieved and because of the level of the stage on which it came, and it confirms the potential of a driver who had already shown he can attract attention well beyond the boundaries of his own class. In a European weekend that inevitably left mixed feelings for MS Munaretto, Hakalehto’s success stood out as a strong and concrete response.
From Spain to the Island of Elba, the Schio-based squad also collected significant satisfaction at the 59th Rallye Elba IRC, an event that once again proved selective, technical and capable of rewarding consistency and rhythm. The standout performance came from Marco Pollara, co-driven by Giuseppe Princiotto in the number 5 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, who produced a high-level drive that culminated in third overall. The Sicilian showed solidity and consistency, holding second overall from the third to the sixth special stage, before sealing a podium finish in a rally that immediately hands him an important result at the start of the season. For Pollara, who began his IRCup campaign precisely at Elba, it is a strong signal, built in a proper contest and against quality opposition.
Still on the island roads, Tiziano Panato, with Milena Danese on the notes in the number 29 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, completed a race marked by steady improvement. His was an orderly and progressive run, increasingly effective as the kilometres went by, brought to the finish without issues and with the feeling of things improving stage after stage. In a rally that was anything but simple, reaching the finish while building confidence, pace and tidiness is far from a secondary element, especially in terms of shaping the season ahead.
At the Paganella Rally, finally, Diego Zantedeschi, co-driven by Stefano Righetti in the number 8 Škoda Fabia RS, delivered a result that leaves room for genuine satisfaction. He finished eighth overall, breaking into the top ten and confirming his competitiveness in an event that, given the nature of the route and the level of the field, offered nothing easily. For Zantedeschi, back in the cockpit after his recent outing at the Rally del Bardolino, Paganella represented a positive restart, useful for quickly regaining rhythm and references and strong enough to be translated into a meaningful finishing position.
