The Milanese driver is ready to get involved in the continental series with a continuous program, while other national commitments are also in sight.

Cusano Milanino (MI), March 03, 2023

Rachele Somaschini has been working hard to succeed in realizing the dream she has been chasing for four seasons now: to contest in a top program in the European Rally Championship (FIA ERC).

The difficulties of the pandemic phase, from 2020 to 2022, have limited the Milanese driver’s participation to a few events of the continental series, useful at least to familiarize herself with a definitely complex and challenging competition environment.

This season instead, Rachele, with the perseverance and determination that distinguish her, has managed to perfect a wide-ranging program, which will see her at the start of six European Championship races out of the eight on the calendar (excluding for now Rally Liepaja and Rally Hungary), on the Citroen C3 Rally 2 – managed by FPF Sport – starting with the opening event, Rally Serras de Fafe, in Portugal, next 10-12 March.

Joining her on the pace-notes in the international effort, the experienced professional co-driver Nicola Arena is confirmed, with whom the driver has been training for the past two years, a period that she intends to complete and put to good use.

A fine challenge therefore awaits the young Milanese, which would not have been feasible without the confirmation, also this season, of the fundamental support of Prima Assicurazioni, One Bond and Bardahl, and the collaboration with Sparco and Pirelli as technical partners.

“To have managed to create a continuous program in such an important series,” comments Rachele Somaschini, “is really a great dream come true. I don’t hide the fact that there is so much work behind this achievement, which started in 2019 and then was held back by the difficult situation we all suffered. So I live this moment with great enthusiasm and a great desire to do well, while being aware of the very high level of the opponents with whom I will be confronted.”

So far I have gained only partial experience of a few races in the European Championship, – continues Rachele – such as the Fafe Rally, held last year for the first time and with disastrous weather conditions, so it will be a season in progress, but as always we will give our best to try to gratify those who have believed in me.

In addition, this commitment – the driver stresses again – is combined with the extraordinary opportunity to promote in an international context my project #CorrerePerUnRespiro – dedicated to raising awareness and funds for cystic fibrosis research -. Thanks to the attention that the Promoter of the Championship intends to devote to the initiative, in addition to the increased visibility that the series will get with the launch of Rally TV, #CorrerePerUnRespiro will be able to reach a hugely larger audience. This achievement alone, for me represents a fundamental goal achieved, for which I am deeply grateful to all those who made it possible.”  

Rachele is therefore ready for the upcoming start of the season, but the 2023 sports commitments do not end there. In fact, the driver is finalizing the last agreements to realise a program also in the Italian Rally Championship, the top national series, to which she has been linked since her debut in the specialty (in 2018) and where she has won two women’s titles.

All the details of this further project, which will be shared with Arianna Faustini from Brescia as her cockpit partner, will be defined in the coming weeks. 

The first appointment with the European stage is on Friday, March 10, on the starting platform of the Serras de Fafe Rally, which will be divided into 17 timed sections in the Northern region of Portugal, for a total of 180.29 km of special stages. It will then conclude on Sunday, March 12, in the Portuguese town of Fafe, with the awards ceremony.

For those wishing to support the #CorrerePerUnRespiro project, it is possible to choose solidarity gifts at correreperunrespiro.it or make a donation.

(Pictured: the Citroen C3 Rally 2 that Rachele Somaschini will drive in the 2023 European Championship)

Contacts:

MOTORSPORT Communication and Press Office

Anna Canata +39 335 5810584

press@rachelesomaschini.com

CHARITY Project #CorrereperUnRespiro.

Paola Ferlini + 39 335 456 809

paola.ferlini@fibrosicisticamilano.it