Sanremo Rally Historic 2026: Season Finale Beckons on Legendary Ligurian Asphalt

The Italian historic rallying season heads towards its climax as the 41st Sanremo Rally Historic takes place on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October. Serving as the eighth and final round of the 2026 Campionato Italiano Rally Auto Storiche (CIRAS), the event features classic stages across the Ligurian Riviera that once formed the backbone of the World Rally Championship.

Headlining the national field, Lucio Da Zanche returns to action alongside Daniele De Luis in a Porsche 911 RS. While Da Zanche has not competed for a full year since taking second overall and victory in Category II in 2025, his extensive experience on these mountain passes will be tested against tough opposition. Among the top contenders are Alessandro Gino and Corrado Bonato in a BMW M3, local pilot Maurizio Pagella with Roberto Brea in another Porsche 911 RS, and Daniele Gatani partnered with Fabio Salis. The outright and Category IV battles will also feature "Il Valli" and Stefano Cirillo fresh off a Rallylegend victory in their BMW M3, alongside French entrants Dominique Lesourd and Sebastien Chol (BMW M3) and local driver Elio Cortese in a Subaru Legacy.

The most tightly contested championship title rests in Category III, where Riccardo Bianco and Matteo Barbiero hold a narrow points lead aboard their Porsche 911 SC. They face immediate threats from Enrico Volpato and Samuele Sordelli (Ford Escort MKII) alongside Sicilian competitors Giovanni Modica and Adriano Giannini (Porsche 911). In Category I, champions Giuliano Palmieri and Lucia Zambiasi take on Antonio Parisi and Giuseppe D’Angelo in their respective Porsche 911 S machines, joined by Carlo Fiorito and Mirco Bogino in a BMW 2002 Ti. Meanwhile, the Classiche division sees Andrea "Zippo" Zivian team up with Nicola Arena in a self-prepared Group A Subaru Impreza, joining newly crowned champions Riccardo Mariotti and Giuseppe Tricoli in their Group A Ford Escort Cosworth and Andrea Franchini with Tiziano Calufetti in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.

The event also shares the roads with the FIA European Historic Rally Championship, introducing a 25-car field for pre-1992 and pre-2000 machinery. World-class names competing solely for European honours include Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT principal Jari-Matti Latvala paired with Tomiya Maekawa in a Toyota Celica ST185, Ghislain De Mevius alongside Johan Jalet (Subaru Impreza Group A), François Delecour with Fabrice Gordon in a Peugeot 306 Maxi, and Freddy Loix guided by Pieter Tsjoen in a Toyota Corolla WRC.

Competitive running starts on Friday at 08:30 with an opening leg comprising eight special stages and over 111 timed kilometres across historic tests including Bignone, Vignai, Langan, and Bajardo. The rally concludes on Saturday with tests on Colle d’Oggia and the decisive 24-kilometre Rezzo stage, leading to the final podium celebration at Pian di Nave in Sanremo from 17:10.