Basso and Dotta win the European Rally Championship for Abarth
Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta won the 2009 European Rally Championship in their Abarth Grande Punto S2000. With their second place at the Rallye du Valais, they extended their lead over Peugeot’s Michal Solowow to 22 points. This is Basso and Dotta’s second championship title, having already been crowned in 2006, also at the wheel of an Abarth Grande Punto S2000.
Giandomenico Basso, 36, from Cavaso del Tomba, has so far spent his entire racing career with Abarth. He first demonstrated his talent by winning the 1998 Trofeo Cinquecento, and went on to take the 2007 Italian Rally Championship and the 2006 Intercontinental Rally Challenge driver’s title.
This season, he won five races: 1000 Miglia Rally, Bulgaria, Madeira in Portugal, ELPA in Greece and Antibes in France.
The Abarth Grande Punto S2000 has proven to be competitive on the various surfaces featured all season long: from the winding asphalt roads of the 1000 Miglia Rally, Madeira Rally and Rallye du Valais to the fast roads of Bulgaria and Antibes, not to mention the rough gravel of the ELPA Rally in Greece.
At the last event, held in Switzerland, Basso drove with the aim of scoring enough points to clinch the European title. He nevertheless finished in a remarkable second place.
European Rally Championship standings: 1. Giandomenico Basso (I, Abarth) 122 points; 2. Michal Solowow (PL, Peugeot) 100; 3. Corrado Fontana (I, Peugeot and Mitsubishi) 78; 4. Krum Donkev (BG, Subaru) 43; 5. Luca Betti (I, Peugeot) 34.
Rallye du Valais classification: 1. Hotz-Ravasi (Peugeot 207 S2000), 2hr 53min29.8s; 2. Basso-Dotta (Abarth Grande Punto S2000) + 53.7s; 3. Solowow-Baran (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 5min27.7s; 4. Gonon-Arlettaz (Subaru Impreza) + 6min34.5s; 5. Bouffier-Gilsoul (Citroën C2) + 11min20.8s.