Gasperetti’s perfect 10 nets victory for Renault

Federico Gasperetti claimed his first IRC Production Cup victory on Rallye Sanremo by scoring a perfect 10 in his Renault Mégane RS.

While fellow Mégane RS driver Robert Consani’s bid for IRC Production Cup success ended in retirement on the final morning, Gasperetti took his similar car to the fastest time in the division on all 10 asphalt stages.

The last time an IRC Production Cup driver won all stages contested in a single event was on SATA Rallye Açores back in February when Ricardo Moura was unbeaten in class on all stages run.

However, Gaspertti’s triumph was in complete contrast to Consani who was left to reflect on what might have been after he dropped out of second place on Saturday morning when a spin left his Mégane with a broken rear axle. He tried to continue but following another rotation the Frenchman was forced to stop for good. He still leads the standings but won’t be eligible for points on the season-closing Cyprus Rally because his Mégane is not homologated for use on gravel.

Hungarian Miklós Bujdos finished second with Marco Cavigioli third. Dream Team Ukraine’s Vitaliy Pushkar overtook Subaru Impreza R4 STI driver Johan Heloïse for fourth on the final stage.