European Rally Championship - The official Fiat Grande Punto scores its third win at the Bulgarian Rally

The official Fiat Grande Punto driven by Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta has won the 37^th Bulgarian Rally, the fifth event in this year’s European Championship, which concluded today, Sunday July 9, in the town of Borovetz, 70 km from Sofia. At the end of the two legs and 13 special speed trials (a total of 826 km), Basso’s Grande Punto had notched up a total time of 2 hr 31' 58.9", with a lead of 1' 28.5" over Iliev’s Mitsubishi and 1'53.6" over Donchev’s Subaru, two of the fastest local drivers. This result gave the Grande Punto, Basso and his co-driver Dotta their third outright win in the five races run so far (after Turkey and Belgium), extending their advantage in the European Rally Championship, which they now lead with 35 points from Iliev (Mitsubishi, 11 points) and Andreucci, Kuzaj and Solowow (10). It was Basso's second consecutive victory in Bulgaria as an official Fiat driver; last year he won at the wheel of a Punto Abarth Super 1600 at his first attempt. Fiat has now won the Bulgarian race a total of 7 times: the first being in 1973 with Barbasio and the glorious 124 Abarth.

The Grande Punto's victory was anticipated by its success in the first special speed trial, on the spectacular street circuit in the town of Borovetz on the evening of Friday July 7. From that moment, as the first leg progressed on Saturday, Basso and Dotta increased their lead over their direct rivals Iliev and Kozlekov. They set the best times in the first four “specials”, ahead of Iliev’s Mitsubishi in the first, second and third trials, and then ahead of the fast Fiat Punto Abarth Super 1600 driven by Isik, the official driver of the Turkish Fiat branch. The only glitch came at the green light for the sixth speed trial, when the clutch did not disengage smoothly and held the Grande Punto up at the start. This problem was solved in the next service area when, in record time (little more than 30 minutes) the team of Fiat technicians and mechanics replaced the gearbox, clutch, drive shafts and propeller shaft of the Grande Punto as a precaution, allowing the car to finish the leg brilliantly in first place, with a lead of 25.9" over Iliev’s Mitsubishi.

The entire second leg and the remaining six speed trials went off without a hitch. Basso and Dotta attacked immediately to increase their advantage. After setting the best times in the four opening speed trials, all they had to do in the last two was to administer their lead of a minute and a half over Iliev.

"This is my second win here in Bulgaria," said Basso at the finish, "last year in the Punto Super 1600 at my first attempt, and this year with the Grande Punto, so with two different cars. For us, it was like two different races, but we soon found our feet. These trials are fast and long, but also very slippery. The Grande Punto is a great car, and we continue to win in our first year of competition, in the European Championship where we always have to defend ourselves, competing with the best drivers from every country."

The next event in the European Rally Championship, the sixth of the nine on the calendar, will be the Vinho da Madeira Rally which will be run on the Portuguese island from August 3 to 5.

Bulgarian Rally final standings:

1. Basso-Dotta (Fiat Grande Punto) in 2hr 31'58.9"

2. Iliev-Yanakiev (Mitsubishi) + 1'28.5"

3. Donchev-Valchev (Subaru) + 1'53.6"

4. Solowow-Baran (Mitsubishi) + 4'30.6"

5. Tanev-Sivov (Subaru) + 4'33.5"

6. Kozlekov-Tevekelov (Mitsubishi) + 7'02.5"

European Rally Driver's Championship (after five events):

1. Basso (Fiat) 35

2. Iliev (Mitsubishi) 11

3. Andreucci (Fiat), Kuzaj (Subaru) and Solowow (Mitsubishi) 10

6. Cantamessa (Subaru), Isik (Fiat), Svedlund (Mitsubishi) and Princen (Renault) 8