How would Rally Italia look like if it returned in San Remo ?
The WRC is
back next week with Rally Italia Sardegna. Rally Sardegna has been the host of
Rally Italy since 2004, hosting 18 WRC events. But before the rally was held in
the Mediterranean island, it was held in the North-West of Italy, in the
mountains above the costal city of San Remo.
Ott Tanak
got the first win for himself and Hyundai in Sardegna last year
The switch
from San Remo to Sardegna happened after 2003. The organisers had to deal with
too many fans up in the mountains, and also the WRC that year had a tarmac
triple header of Corsica-San Remo-Catalunya. The FIA thought the calendar had
too much tarmac, and Rally Italy went to Olbia for 2004, and stayed there. But
with many people today arguing that there is too much (rough) gravel on the
calendar, and too little tarmac, could a return to San Remo be possible? And if
so, what would the itinerary and stages look like ?
In 2021, the Hyundai team ran 4 of their i20 WRCs in San Remo as preparation for the upcoming Rally Croatia, giving us a hint of how WRC cars would handle the event nowadays
So we decided
to try and make a fantasy itinerary for Rally San Remo as a WRC rally !
Thursday
Shakedown –
Baiardo 3.23 km
Map of the
stage Poker, used in 2009
This is
quite a representative stage for the rally. The stage goes uphill and ends in
the city of Baiardo. The road is narrow and technical, with hairpins, as the
stages goes up the mountain. The layout of this shakedown test is identical to
the “Poker” stage used in Rally San Remo 2009
SS1 – Vigne di Bajardo 2.00 km
Map of SS1,
it’s a reversed part of the shakedown
After the
ceremonial start, the drivers head back to where the shakedown was for a small
spectator stage. This stage was also the opening stage of the rally in 2022 and
2021.
Onboard of the stage: https://youtu.be/scUDM5xMNN8
Friday
SS2/SS5 –
Langan – 19.93km
Map of the
Colle Langan stage used in 2013
For the
first proper stage of the rally I have put one of the all time greats. This
stage climbs a mountain and the descents it. It’s a fairly slow stage, many
slow corners, especially in the beginning. After the stage reaches its peak
altitude at 1100m, the road becomes more high speed, and after that, it gets medium
speed with a lot more hairpins as it goes down the mountain. The surface is
quite broken and abrasive with leaves and dirt littering the stage as cars go
through it.
SS3/SS6 – Passo
Teglia – 9.17km
The Passo
Teglia stage used in the 2022 Rally San Remo
After a
very short liaison (just 3.5 km) we go to the 3rd stage. This is a
very Monte Carlo esque stage. Very narrow mountain roads, with the odd old
stone bridge and hairpins. This is a very slow stage (in 2022 the R5s had an
average speed of 83km/h) and it could be a bit slower with my version as it
goes up the mountain instead of down it. The middle of the stage especially is
very narrow and technical, reminiscent of Rally Japan last year, and it becomes
faster towards the end.
Onboard of the stage (again in reverse)
SS4/SS7 – San Bernardo – 19.44km
Map of the
2001 San Bernardo stage
Another
iconic San Remo stage. This is a faster stage compared to the previous 2, with
the stage having an average of over 100 km/h back when it was last used in this
layout in 2001. The stage is again, quite narrow, especially in the beginning
as it climbs up the mountain. The road is slow and very bumpy and broken,
especially in the middle part of the stage, resembling Rally Croatia and Zlin. After
the middle part the stage gets faster. Reaching the San Bernardo village the
stage widens and gets more flowing.
SS8 – Vignai – 17.97km
Map of the
Vignai stage used in San Remo 2014
The final
stage of Friday, which could be ran in the dark ! The stage goes up a mountain.
The start of the stage is slow and technical, but widens up and gets faster after
that. The end of the stage will need a lot of commitment from the drivers, as
it is fast at parts but very narrow.
End of Leg 1
Total Leg Distance: 117.05km
Saturday, Start of Leg 2
SS9/SS12 - Colle D’Oggia – 21.52km
Map of the
stage used in 2003, I have the reverse of this on this itinerary
The opening
stage of Saturday is also famous. It starts of slow and technical, with very
narrow, twisty, bumpy and broken roads. After a series of hairpins, the stage
becomes faster and wider. After the stage reaches its peak altitude, it becomes
again tricky and twisty as it goes down the mountain, but remains fairly wide
compared to the start.
SS10/SS13 – Mini Ronde – 29.12km
Map of the Mini
Ronde stage used in 2019
Mini Ronde
as the name suggests is a smaller version of the monster 40+km Ronde stage that
has been used in the past. Despite its name, it is still the longest of the rally. This stage also uses parts of the Vignai stage used in
the end of Friday. The stage starts off just like Vignai, after that the stage becomes
narrower and bumpier, it then widens and becomes extra twisty, especially in
the end, with a series of hairpins and twisty slow corners as the road goes up
the mountain.
Onboard of the stage:
SS11/SS14 – Apricale – 16.73km
Map of the
Margherita stage used in 2007
This stage
uses parts of the old Baiardo stage, as well as parts of the shakedown and SS1.
This stage is quite open compared to the other stages, with less trees around
the road. It is more reminiscent of Roma Capitale, if that gives you a better
image. The first part of the stage is medium speed, with a nice flow. As the
stage goes up the mountain it becomes more twisty and technical. It widens up a
bit and regains its flow as it reaches the part it shares with the shakedown
stage.
End of Leg 2
Total Leg Distance: 139.74km
Sunday, Start of Leg 3
SS15 – Ponte dei Passi – 14.04km
Map of the
stage used in Rally delle Valli Imperiesi in 2003. Parts of it were also used
in many Historic San Remo rallies, as well as old WRC rallies.
The opening
stage of Sunday shares it’s end with Passo Taglia (SS3). The stage starts of
fairly fast but becomes twisty and technical when it reaches a hairpin section.
The stage becomes fast again and then slow again towards the end, many rhythm changes
there. The end of the stage is also in a heavy forested section which means it
will be extra slippery.
SS17 – Monte Ceppo – 25.08km
Map of the
Anemone stage used in Rally San Remo 2005, the reverse of the stage is used for
this.
A big stage
(just one pass). This stage includes parts of a lot of stages used previously
in the rally, namely Vignai Langan and Mini Ronda.
A map of
all the 4 stages and their common parts
One of the
faster stages of the rally, it starts off with a series of hairpins and technical
sections. After that the stage becomes more fast and flowing. Towards the
middle, the stage goes through a very densely forested road which narrow. The
stage remains very narrow after that until the end, with a mix of fast and slow
sections.
SS16/18 – San Romolo – 14.24km
Map of the
San Romolo stage used in 2019
For the
power stage I have gone with a stage that’s synonymous with Rally San Remo.
This is again a stage that is faster than many in this rally with it having an
average speed of 90km/h in 2019. The stage starts off fast, followed by a
hairpin section. After that, it becomes fast again with the drivers having to
have precision and courage through the fast bits as the stage is very narrow !
Towards the end the stage widens a bit and it also goes past a tunnel. The end
of the stage is downhill, so the drivers again need to be “on it”, who ever gets
the powerstage bonus points will certainly have earned them !
Onboard of the powerstage
End of Leg 3
Leg Distance: 67.60km
Rally Distance: 319.39 km
Full Itinerary
|
Day |
Stage Number |
Stage
Name |
Distance |
|
Thursday |
SD |
Baiardo |
3.23 |
|
SS1 |
Vigne Di Bajardo |
2.00 |
|
|
Service
-> Imperia |
|||
|
Friday |
SS2 |
Langan 1 |
19.93 |
|
SS3 |
Passo Teglia 1 |
9.17 |
|
|
SS4 |
San Bernardo 1 |
19.44 |
|
|
Service
-> Imperia |
|||
|
Friday |
SS5 |
Langan 1 |
19.93 |
|
SS6 |
Passo Teglia 1 |
9.17 |
|
|
SS7 |
San Bernardo 1 |
19.44 |
|
|
SS8 |
Vignai |
17.97 |
|
|
Service
-> Imperia |
|||
|
Leg
Total Distance: 117.05 km |
|||
|
Saturday |
SS9 |
Colle D’Oggia 1 |
21.52 |
|
SS10 |
Mini Ronde 1 |
29.12 |
|
|
SS11 |
Apricale 1 |
16.73 |
|
|
Service
-> Imperia |
|||
|
Saturday |
SS12 |
Colle D’Oggia 2 |
21.52 |
|
SS13 |
Mini Ronde 2 |
29.12 |
|
|
SS14 |
Apricale 2 |
16.73 |
|
|
Service
-> Imperia |
|||
|
Leg
Total Distance: 139.74 km |
|||
|
Sunday |
SS15 |
Ponte Dei Passi |
14.04 |
|
SS16 |
San Romolo 1 |
14.24 |
|
|
Service
-> Imperia |
|||
|
Sunday |
SS17 |
Monte Ceppo |
25.08 |
|
SS18 |
San Romolo 2 [Power Stage] |
14.24 |
|
|
Leg
Total Distance: 67.60 km |
|||
|
Rally
Total Distance: 319.39 km |
|||
Thank you very much for reading all this if you made it this far, as always let us know what you thought in the replies.
I think the dream of a WRC return to San Remo is fading away, since other tarmac rounds like Rally Roma Di Capitale and Rally di Alba have overtaken it in "popularity" let's say, but it would be without a doubt the place that i would want the most to host a WRC rally in Italy.
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