The owners – mostly of the Abarth 500 and Grande Punto, but also classic models such as 595 and 695 esseesse, 850 and 1000 TC, 124 Abarth Sport Spider, Ritmo (Strada) and Autobianchi A112 Abarth – had the opportunity to enjoy a few laps on the track, to meet drivers such as European Rally Champion Giandomenico Basso, Luca Rossetti and Umberto Scandola, who performed at the wheel of the Abarth Grande Punto S2000, Abarth 500 Assetto Corse and Abarth 500 R3T Rally.

1st Abarth Race Day

Among the other events were an electric karting race, driving simulators, and the chance to take a test drive with an instructor from the Abarth Sandro Munari Driving School. Parked in the paddock, along with the racing cars, were the newer models like the Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari” and Abarth Grande Punto “SuperSport”.

One of the highlights of the day was the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse race, which saw Italian Trofeo champion Salvatore Tavano and European champion Emanuele Moncini locked in a fierce, no-holds-barred battle, lasting the entire 30 minutes scheduled for the race.

At the start, after the first corner, contact between Alex Campani and Manuel Lasagni forced the deployment of the safety car. At the race resumption, with cold tyres, the duel between the two leaders became more heated. English driver Adam Jones finished fourth after starting from the pits. Third place went to Matteo Milani, while rally driver Andrea Dallavilla achieved 6th, after being passed in the final stages by Alan Simoni.

Results: 1. Salvatore Tavano 21 laps in 32’32″694, average of 97.524 km/h; 2. Emanuele Moncini to 1″411; 3. Matteo Milani at 5″126; 4. Adam Jones at 8″287; 5. Alan Simoni to 17″967; 6. Andrea Dallavilla to 18″984; 7. Franco Cimarelli to 19″968; 8. Tobias Tauber at 55″870; 9. Michela Cerruti at 1’11″265; 10. Paolo Scudieri at 1’18″033; 11. Giovanni Ciraso at 1’20″463; 12. Luca Cassol 1 lap. Fastest lap: Adam Jones in 1’21″801, an average speed of 110.859 km/h.

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.