Dakar Classic 2023
A 2022 RallyLegend to remember: Juha Kankkunen, Harri Rovanpera, Gustavo Trelles, Rui Madeira, “Lucky” Battistolli, “Tony” Fassina and Federico Omerzzano join the long list of big names already announced.
Malcom Wilson, M-Sport Team Manager, to attend the “Best Rallylegend talk show”, presented by Hollie Mcrae, daughter of the great Colin.
Republic of San Marino. There’s only a month to go until Rallylegend 2022 and the twentieth edition promises to be historic, one for the books. It will definitely be remembered for the very long list of champions and greats, past and present, who have already confirmed their attendance, as well as a series of first-rate historic and special cars. And it is a list that may still grow, to the delight of the fans who will be at Rallylegend from 13 to 16 October, in the Republic of San Marino.
KANKKUNEN, HARRI ROVANPERA, TRELLES, MADEIRA, BATTISTOLLI, FASSINA, ORMEZZANO AND ZIVIAN AT RALLYLEGEND
Juha Kankkunen, four-time Rally World Champion in 1986, 1987, 1991 and 1993, has close ties with Rallylegend and has confirmed his attendance again this year. As well as taking part in various events and talk shows inside Rallylegend Village, he will also star in the Lancia Delta Parade on Saturday and Sunday. He will be joined by Miki Biasion, who will be reunited with the red Integrale with which he won the 1989 Sanremo rally, and by Andrea Aghini, who will drive the Delta Martini that achieved an incredible win at the 1992 Sanremo.
Another Finnish driver, Harri Rovampera, a factory Rally driver with Seat, Peugeot, Mitsubishi and Red Bull Skoda, also returns to Rallylegend. At the wheel of a Toyota Celica GT Four St 205, he will be one of the big names in the Legend Stars, the category that will take part in the rally but without recording their times. He will put on a show together with his 21-year old son, Kalle Rovanpera, the current leader of the Rally World Championship aboard the Toyota Yaris of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team, who will drive a Celica St 185 belonging to Jari-Matti Latvala’s team at Rallylegend.
As for Jari-Matti Latvala, who has decided to compete in the “Classic” category with his Toyota Celica GT Four ST165, he will be up against some tough rivals, such as Uruguayan driver Gustavo Trelles, with “Bicho” Del Buono as navigator – Production Championship winners on several occasions – who have chosen the Subaru Legacy, and Rui Madeira, with a Group A Subaru Impreza, the first Portuguese driver to win a world title, in Group N in 1995. Other challengers also include the Italians “Lucky” Battistolli “, paired with Fabrizia Pons, several times European and Italian champions among Historic Cars, who will have a Subaru Impreza Group A, unusual for them, and Andrea Zivian, the new European vice-champion of the FIA Historic Rally Championship, who will drive the Group A Subaru Impreza Best 01 at Rallylegend.
80s European and Italian champion, “Tony” Fassina, will display his skills at the wheel of his splendid white Lancia Stratos, the very car with which he won the 1979 Sanremo rally as a privateer driver, while Federico Ormezzano will also be back at Rallylegend, putting on a show with the Talbot Lotus.
BEST IMPREZA MCRAE EDITION: THE LEGENDS BACK TOGETHER AT RALLYLEGEND WITH HOLLIE MCRAE.
The Best Impreza McRae Edition cars will play a starring role in the twentieth edition of Rallylegend, as already mentioned, and ‘Best’ will be a theme that runs through various phases of the event. Starting with the Best Rallylegend Talk Show, scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon, at the Best hospitality inside Rallylegend Village. Hollie McRae, daughter of the unforgettable Colin and patroness of Rallylegend, will be in attendance along with mother Allison and grandmother Margaret, uncle Stuart, he too a former rally driver, and grandfather Jimmy, who will drive at Rallylegend. Hollie will be the special guest presenter, interviewing rally champions including Markku Alen, Miki Biasion, Juha Kankkunen, Harri Rovanpera, Piero Liatti and Malcolm Wilson, M-Sport founder and team manager and a former world championship rally driver.
Together with other guests and “steered” by Hollie, they will discuss rallying and remember special moments in their careers, as well as commemorating Colin of course.
Saturday morning will see a procession of all the Subaru Impreza models taking part in the race, from the earliest Group A models to the latest and most advanced WRC versions, to the joy of the fans.
