THE CHALLENGE

The eighth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge is the legendary Sanremo Rally, a well-known fixture on the international calendar that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Based in the glamorous coastal resort of Sanremo, the all-asphalt event uses a number of classic stages that climb high into the Maritime Alps.

As befits its iconic status, Sanremo utilises a somewhat different format to the other IRC events. The rally gets underway at 17:00 on Thursday afternoon (25 September) with four thrilling stages split into two loops. The final stage of Thursday - Ronde - is held entirely in the dark and is the longest of the entire IRC calendar, at a mammoth 59.99 kilometres, before the competitors return to parc ferme after midnight. The rally resumes on Friday with four more stages during the day and concludes with the final four stages on Saturday before the finish podium at 15:00. In total, there are 258.51 kilometres of competitive action over the three days.

The mountain roads around Sanremo take in a wide variety of speeds, corners and surfaces. The well-known stages can be bumpy, with old asphalt frequently giving way to a newer surface. This makes grip levels notoriously inconsistent. The roads are narrow in places and often extremely slippery, particularly under braking. The route also contains several hairpin bends, requiring judicious use of the handbrake. Most of the stages are reasonably long, meaning that it is important for the drivers to establish a good rhythm straight away. It is definitely an event where experience counts.

With Europe now in the grip of autumn, weather conditions are always a factor in Sanremo. There can be mist and fog in the mornings and evenings, as well as rain at high altitude. The falling autumn leaves tend to cover the mountain roads in slippery vegetation: an unexpected hazard that has caught out more than one driver in the past. This makes tyre choice extremely difficult, so victory in Sanremo usually contains a strong tactical element. All the greats of the sport have won this event in the past, with names such as Sandro Munari, Markku Alen, Colin McRae and Tommi Makinen all appearing on the roll of honour.

The scenery of the Ligurian coast is stunning, with the rally route running through several villages that cling onto mountainsides overlooking the sea. The event always attracts huge crowds of enthusiastic spectators, who even decorate the roads with the names of their heroes.

The Sanremo Rally service park is located as always on the seafront in the town centre, meaning that both press and public can easily access the heart of the action. For more information about the event, including entry lists, maps and timetables, please visit: www.acisanremo.it

THE COMPETITORS

As well as being round eight of the IRC, the Sanremo Rally is also a round of the Italian Championship ? which means that there will be a healthy contingent of local competitors to challenge the established order. Abarth will field no fewer than five factory cars on their home event, with the Italian Championship team of Andrea Navarra and Renato Travaglia joining the regular IRC squad of Giandomenico Basso and Anton Alen. A fifth factory Grande Punto will be driven by Umberto Scandola, who was fourth in Sanremo last year, while a privateer example is in the hands of 1994 World Rally Champion Didier Auriol: a former winner of the Sanremo Rally.

The first competitor off the ramp will be Peugeot Belgium's Nicolas Vouilloz, the current IRC series leader. He will face a number of challengers for victory: in particular Peugeot Italy driver Luca Rossetti, who won in Sanremo last year. Rossetti was forced to miss the previous round of the IRC in Spain due to Italian Championship commitments and he will be determined to make up for lost time. Another candidate for victory will be Vouilloz's team mate Freddy Loix, who recently graduated to second overall in the points standings.

Mitsubishi will benefit from the experience of Paolo Andreucci, a frontrunner in the Sanremo Rally last year. If conditions are wet and slippery, Andreucci's Lancer will give him a distinct advantage and he is definitely a man to watch. Volkwagen driver Bernd Casier put in a promising performance on his last outing at the Barum Rally Zlin with the Polo Super 2000, and the asphalt expert is hoping for a solid result around the twisty roads of Sanremo. With Honda fielding a car for Alessandro Bettega, all five of the IRC's registered manufacturers will be represented in Italy this weekend.
All three of the IRC's tyre companies are competing against each other as well in Sanremo. BFGoodrich will supply their usual teams, whilst Pirelli's drivers include Andreucci and Bettega. Yokohama will supply tyres to Sandro Sottile, competing in a privateer Peugeot 207 S2000.

As always, the IRC 2WD Cup will be a hotly-contested category. Current series leader Marco Cavigioli is aiming to stretch a five-point advantage in the title race but his Fiat Grande Punto Diesel will have to overcome strong opposition. A number of other Grande Punto Diesels from Turkey will contest the event including that of Yagiz Avci, who is currently second in the IRC 2WD Cup. There are also several quick local drivers in Super 1600 cars. For the complete entry list, please visit www.rally-irc.com and click on the 'entry list' button.

THE EXPECTATIONS

"Our win on the last round in Spain was extremely encouraging for the team, as it clearly showed what we are capable of when everything goes well. Sanremo is obviously an event that I know quite well, even though some bits are new this year, so I'm hoping for a strong performance. Last year I was fighting for the Italian Championship in Sanremo, which I eventually won, so I was held back a bit as I needed above all to finish but this time I will be a lot more free. With our position in the IRC standings the only thing we can really do is push as hard as possible so I will be attacking from the start and then we'll see what happens."
Giandomenico Basso, Principe de Asturias Rally winner, Abarth.

"We won Sanremo last year but it won't be easy this time as my rivals will be even stronger and I have the Italian Championship to think about now as well. Sanremo is a very complex rally as there are so many unknown factors like the night and the weather. However, it's a challenge that I always enjoy and as ever we're going to try to do our best. I think that our chances of winning the IRC are small now, but we are just going to drive our own rally this weekend and see what happens. I'm not going to be taking any risks myself but I'm sure that lots of other people will be: winning the Sanremo Rally is a very big deal for any Italian driver."
Luca Rossetti, 2007 Sanremo Rally winner, Peugeot Italy.

TV TIMES

Once more the Sanremo Rally will be broadcast live on Eurosport, and there will also be some exclusive programmes for internet that allow web viewers to catch all the action first. All times are Central European Time (CET).

Live action

Thursday 25 September
22:00-22:30 LIVE (Eurosport + Eurosport Asia-Pacific + Internet)
Regular repeats overnight on Eurosport 2 until 07:30

Friday 26 September
09:55-10:25 LIVE (Internet)
12:30-13:00 (Eurosport + Eurosport Asia-Pacific + Internet)
Regular repeats overnight on Eurosport 2 until 07:30

Saturday 27 September
11:30-12:00 LIVE (Eurosport 2 + Eurosport Asia-Pacific + Internet)
14:45-15:15 LIVE (Internet)
17:00-17:30 (Eurosport + Eurosport Asia-Pacific + Internet)