RALLY DI ROMA CAPITALE: PIRELLI FIELDS 34 CREWS FOR ONE OF THE KEY ROUNDS OF THE ERC
The FIA European Rally Championship heads to Italy for one of the most eagerly awaited events of the season. The Rally di Roma Capitale, the third round of the continental series and also counting towards the Italian Absolute Rally Championship (CIAR Sparco), features a substantially revised route this year, comprising 11 special stages and a total of 197 competitive kilometres. The new itinerary presents fresh technical challenges, significant elevation changes and constant changes of pace. Particular attention will focus on Piana di Rascino (SS3/SS6) and Vallecupola (SS2/SS5), both scheduled for Saturday. The former, the longest stage of the rally, combines high-speed sections with more technical stretches, while the latter demands absolute precision along a mountain route featuring frequent changes of rhythm and considerable elevation differences.
A total of 110 crews will start the event, 34 of them running on Pirelli tyres. This figure underlines the confidence placed in the Italian manufacturer, which has enjoyed numerous successes on the roads of the Rally di Roma Capitale and has already played a leading role in the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship season.
Among the leading drivers competing on Pirelli tyres are Teemu Suninen, Giandomenico Basso, Marco Bulacia and Roberto Daprà in Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars, Alessandro Mabellini and Andrea Crugnola in Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF cars, and Simone Campedelli in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
"This year's Rally di Roma Capitale is significantly different from previous editions," said Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli Rally Activity Manager. "The new stages combine very fast sections with more technical stretches, featuring major elevation changes and constant variations in pace, making tyre choice and management even more crucial. On paper, the hard compound looks set to be the reference choice, but our P Zero range gives teams all the options they need to adapt to the different characteristics of the stages. We arrive in Rome after a very positive start to the European Championship season, with several crews capable of fighting for the leading positions."
For the Italian event, Pirelli will supply its P Zero asphalt range in hard (RA5C) and soft (RA7+D) compounds, together with the Cinturato RWD wet-weather tyre should rain affect the rally.
In Rome, Pirelli will also support the crews competing in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, of which it is the exclusive tyre supplier, reaffirming its commitment to championships dedicated to young talents and the development categories of international rallying. Competitors in the series will have access to P Zero tyres in hard (RA5B), medium (RA7B) and soft (RA7+A) compounds, together with the Cinturato RW1D for wet conditions.