The Milanese driver, after training on ice and earth, faces the European Championship 2022 on the Citroen C3 Rally 2
Cusano Milanino (MI), 3rd March 2022
For Rachele Somaschini, the first part of the 2022 sporting programme is focused on the commitment in the European Championship (FIA ERC), which will start with the Rally Serras de Fafe – Felgueiras- Cabreira e Boticas, in Portugal, next 12-13 March.
The Milanese driver faces this new experience on the Citroen C3 Rally 2 – managed by FPF Sport – after having competed earlier this year, as a training on low-grip surfaces, in the Italian Ice Challenge Championship (Ice Challenge) – gaining the third position overall – and in the Valle del Tevere Rally in Tuscany last weekend, made particularly treacherous by the extreme weather conditions.
The Lusitanian race, completely new for Rachele, is the first round of the continental series, which will be followed by the Azores Rally in the same month of March. The 28-year-old from Lombardy was also at the start of last year’s event, but unfortunately her participation was compromised at the start of the first stage by a technical problem, which was resolved in the second. The Canary Islands Rally (in May) and the Rome Rally (in July) complete Rachele’s European programme for now, but she is working hard to add other international events to her season. Her 2022 commitments will then include some spot races in the Italian championships, which are currently being defined.
In the European challenge Rachele Somaschini will be flanked by the experienced Nicola Arena, already with her in the cockpit last season. The important support of Prima Assicurazioni and Bardhal is confirmed, while the collaboration with Sparco and Pirelli as technical partners starts from this season.
“I’m really enthusiastic – says Rachele – after three years of attempts that didn’t realise because of the pandemic – to be able to take part in the European Championship from the very first race and therefore to be able to face this kind of competitions that are definitely more challenging for my experience. I started the year with races on ice as a way of training to improve my driving technique on low-grip surfaces and I can’t wait to tackle the Portuguese race on gravel, which is completely new to me. It’s another great dream come true and I’d like to thank those who have put their trust in me. In addition – continues the driver – I feel the goal of promoting my project #CorrerePerUnRespiro in an international context as so important, so that my message of awareness on cystic fibrosis reaches a wider audience and the promotional activity put in place by the new Promoter to further expand the visibility of the series will help me a lot in this effort.
The European debut will take place on Friday 11 March on the starting grid of the Serras de Fafe Rally, which will consist of 17 timed sections in the Northern region of Portugal, for a total of 196.21 km of special stages, and will end on Sunday 13 March, also in the Portuguese town of Fafe, with the prize-giving ceremony.
Those wishing to support the #CorrerePerUnRespiro project can choose solidarity gifts on correreperunrespiro.it or make a donation.
(In photo: Rachele Somaschini in action at the Rally Azores – FIA ERC 2021)
