Rallylegend 2026: Luca Pedersoli Triumphs in WRC Class as Memorial Bettega Returns
Luca Pedersoli and Anna Tomasi clinched victory in the WRC category at the 24th Rallylegend in San Marino, while the event also revived the iconic Memorial Bettega sprint arena.
The 24th edition of Rallylegend in San Marino concluded following its final Sunday stages and the headline return of the Memorial Bettega, which recreated the head-to-head arena battles once famous at the Bologna Motor Show's Area 48. The festival combined competitive rallying with heritage showcases, highlighted by tribute runs from Alessandro Bettega in a Martini-liveried Lancia 037 alongside Markku Alén and Miki Biasion in Lancia Delta S4 machinery.
In the competitive rally classes, Luca Pedersoli and co-driver Anna Tomasi secured victory in the WRC category behind the wheel of a Hyundai i20 N Rally1. Despite stepping into the modern Rally1 car shortly before the event, Pedersoli outperformed factory Lancia Corse HF driver Nikolay Gryazin and navigator Aleksandrov in a Lancia Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2. Third place on the WRC podium went to San Marino's Danilo Tomassini and Spadoni in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
The Classic division saw a closely matched duel that ended in favor of Swiss driver “Il Valli” and Cirillo in a BMW M3, who narrowly edged out Gustavo Trelles and Garcia in their Subaru Impreza 555. Giuseppe Messori and Antonella Caputo rounded out the top three in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III. In the Historic category, local victory went to Sammarinese duo Nicola Bonfè and Massimo Bizzocchi aboard a Ford Escort RS, finishing ahead of Simone Brusori and Tridici in a Porsche 911, with Enrico Ercolani Volta and Daniele Conti taking third in a BMW 320 E21.
The revived Memorial Bettega brought pure sprint showdowns to San Marino. In the headline top-tier machinery clash, Dani Sordo piloted a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 to victory over Mārtiņš Sesks in a Ford Puma Rally1. In the other bracket finals, Nikolay Gryazin took the Rally2 honors against Tony Cairoli (Skoda Fabia RS), Andrea Aghini steered a Lancia Delta 16V to win Group A over Piero Liatti (Subaru Impreza), and Florian Rotter captured the Group B battle in an Audi Quattro S1 against Giorgio Mela's Pikes Peak variant.