Exciting epilogue for the 22nd Tirreno-Messina Rally, the event organized by Top Competition valid as the 2025 ACI Sport Italian Rally Cup National Final held over the past weekend.
The Vercelli native Ivan Carmellino and Massimo Minazzi on a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 prepared by Roger Tuning with Pirelli tires for the colors of Scuderia Easi Srl, won the Pelori event, raising the Italian Cup to the skies for the first time in their career. An endless back-and-forth with the Emilian Antonio Rusce, navigated by Gabriele Zanni (Meteco), and the Palermo Marco Pollara, with Giuseppe Princiotto (CST Sport), who repeatedly bounced the lead of the race back and forth until the last fiery timed section where the leading duo even ended up tied. In these 8.7 kilometres, with the headlights on, holding his breath, Carmellino made the final push to win with a 2.6 second margin over Rusce and
8.6 on Pollara. The Trophy for the regional representation was raised by Massimo Rinaldi, Delegate of ACI Sport Sicily. Pollara-Princiotto, La Torre-Siragusano and Rizzo-Pittella contributed significantly to winning the cup, all in the top five.
Several thousand people celebrated the winners in Piazza Duomo in Messina, one of the most beautiful and evocative settings in Italy. The large audience was also underlined by the authorities present at the awards ceremony, with the First Citizen Federico Basile and the Councilors Massimo Finocchiaro for Sport and Massimiliano Minutoli for Civil Protection. Present at the entire event were the President of AC Messina and the Sicilian ACs Massimo Rinaldi and the provincial ACI Sport Trustee Nico Salvo. The major brand partners have closely followed every evolution of the Sicilian competition on the shores of the Strait, highlighting the excellent promotional value of an event organized with meticulous professionalism by Top Competition, a partnership that has shown a strong ability to consolidate a strong sharing of intentions.
Several times and on multiple occasions, the consistent and always lively feeling of gratitude emerged towards the work planned with Daniele Settimo, a figure absent only physically, who gave the fundamental impulse towards the return of a prestigious Italian competition in the City of the Strait.
“The response to the call of the Tirreno Messina Rally was confirmation of the high charm of the chosen route and the extraordinary setting. The event was honored by a high and important number of crews – declared Top Competition President Maria Grazia Bisazza – the enthusiasm and the perfect interaction with the territory, enriched by a close-knit team of excellent professional figures, determined an edition that has certainly added a brilliant page to the history of national rallying”.
A page that glued fans to the evolution of the race right up until the end, with Carmellino arriving at the stop control on SS11, the last, letting himself go into a liberating cry of joy after realizing that he had managed to win the Italian Cup. “I really don’t know what to say, I’m speechless. I really have to thank everyone who supports us, the team and my family. A spin on SS1 seemed to have compromised everything, we slipped to thirteenth place and we had to rebuild our race. We believed in it until the end, I’m really happy, it was a rush of adrenaline” the words of the winner.
“We tried, we had a good race, I’m satisfied. At 53 years old this year I got some great satisfaction against drivers who are several years younger than me. Thanks also to my navigator Gabriele who today celebrated his 200 starts and to the Roger Tuning team who finished with a double” the words of Rusce.
“Before the last test we said to ourselves that we had to believe in it all the way, but our opponents went really fast. I’m grateful for all the support we received, it was an extra gear and we gave our all. We finish on the podium, that’s fine” commented Marco Pollara.
Behind the leading trio was Emanuele La Torre from Messina, with Rosario Siragusano, in another Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 (Team Phoenix). The driver from Rocchenere played a mature and consistent race, honoring his home event and standing out in a competitive context of important caliber such as that of the Final where he happily won the Under 25 Italian Cup. Messina was also represented by the fifth place obtained by Marcello Rizzo and Antonino Pittella, again on the Skoda Fabia RS (New Turbomark, a performance with which the conquest of the Italian Cup for Regional Teams was achieved.
Federico Bottoni from Verona finished in sixth place, navigated by Nicolò Gonella, with the Fabia RS of Scuderia Palladio. Bottoni, for the first time in Sicily, increased his pace by benefiting from the touch that made Alessandro Re and Daniel Pozzi (FP Sport) retreat at the end. Seventh place for the Sardinians Andrea Pisano and Giovanni Maria Mazzone (Magliona Motorsport), in turn authors of a crash that did not prevent them from reaching the finish line. Locals Alessandro Casella and Sergio Scuderi (CST Sport) were eighth, even resisting a puncture.
Ninth place for the winner of the Italian Rally3 Cup Ernesto Riolo with Giulia Marin on Renault Clio (CST Sport). The Palermo crew, son of an artist, played a masterly race which allowed them not only to excel in Group and Class but also and above all to forcefully enter the top ten, sealing a performance worth remembering even when contact with a barrier could have been costly.
Open stage applause also for Alessio Pollara, with Sergio Raccuia on Peugeot 208 (CST Sport). Marco’s younger brother, in his first year with this car, finished tenth overall, winning the Italian Cup in Rally4, the Under 25 classification and the Under25 Italian Two Wheel Drive Cup. It wasn’t an obvious result after an accident during the shakedown put his participation in doubt, but the Lion Team guys managed to put him in a position to be at the start.
In the Over 55s there was a turnaround on the last special stage with the victory of the Genoese Alberto Biggi navigated by Matteo Lotta (Skoda Fabia RS/New Racing for Genova) who managed to overtake Carmelo Galipò from Messina, with Anonino Marino (Skoda Fabia/Nebrosport), who had been in front until then.
Overall ranking top 10: 1. Carmellino-Minazzi (Skoda Fabia RS) in 3’22.4; 2. Rusce-Zanni (Skoda Fabia RS) at 1.8; 3. Pollara-Princiotto (Skoda Fabia RS) at 2.2; 4. La Torre-Siragusano (Skoda Fabia RS) at 3.0; 5. Re-Pozzi (Skoda Fabia RS) at 3.8; 6. Bottoni-Gonella (Skoda Fabia RS) at 4.4; 7. Rizzo-Pittella (Skoda Fabia RS) at 4.7; 8. Casella-Scuderi (Skoda Fabia) at 7.0; 9. Pisano-Mazzone (Skoda Fabia RS) at 9.6; 10. Riolo-Marin (Renault Clio) at 17.2.