At just 17 years old, the driver from Portogruaro (VE) clinched victory in the fourth round of the Italian Cross Country Rally & SSV Championship behind the wheel of a Yamaha YXZ1000R, a side-by-side he is able to drive thanks to his B1 license, with his sister Giada – a skilled navigator – at his side.
It was in the air, after the podium finishes at the Artugna Race in the spring and at the Italian Baja in July. But no one expected the triumph of the bocia (a local slang term for “kid”) at the 2nd Baja dello Stella, the fourth and penultimate act of the Italian off-road championship. Instead, Kevin Manocchi, born April 3, 2008 in Pordenone and living with his family in Portogruaro (VE), seized the moment on a day that went badly for defending champion Manuele Mengozzi, who was forced to skip the second run on the 28 km “Volaris” selective sector due to a power steering failure that could only be fixed at mid-race service. But even in the first run (21’20’’), the Power Stage “Giulia Maroni,” Kevin stayed very close to Mengozzi’s Toyota Hilux (21’07’’), separated by just 13 seconds, with Kevin’s father Michele Manocchi third at 28’’. A surprising start saw Argentine Martin Alejandro Cisella in fourth, 46’’ back in a Can-Am Maverick, and Emilio Ferroni fifth at 47’’. In total, six of the seven SSVs entered were in the top ten overall.
The course, with rally-style characteristics, clearly suited the agile light tubulars better, while the powerful T1s seemed less at ease. For everyone, the slick surface in the morning, with frost on the roadside grass, made things tricky. The engine of the Suzuki Grand Vitara betrayed multi-champion Lorenzo Codecà, leaving him sadly out of the race. A different story unfolded among the TH vehicles of the Italian Historic Championship, where Filippo Andreetto (Mitsubishi Pajero) initially led in 23’51’’, ahead of Simone Grossi (Land Rover Defender) by 21’’ and Mauro Cantarello (BMW X3) by 23’’.
The second run rewarded Andrea Castagnera’s determination (20’29’’) in a Can-Am Maverick. With a masterstroke, last year’s SSV winner leapt from sixth to second overall, right behind Kevin Manocchi (20’36), who stunned everyone, sharing a knowing glance with his co-driver Giada, “the more experienced one” (born 2003!), intent on tempering her brother’s fiery pace. Still third on the virtual podium was father Michele, followed by Cisella in fourth, Alessandro Trivini Bellini climbing to fifth in another Can-Am, and Fabia Samsa sixth in a Toyota Hilux, the top T1 but 2’31’’ off the lead.
Among the disappointed at mid-race was Alfio Bordonaro, 13th at over 6 minutes with a 2-minute penalty, though smiling despite his Suzuki Grand Vitara’s troubles. Ferroni retired due to mechanical failure. In the Historic category, Cantarello (22’28’’) moved into the lead, with Andreetto 12’’ behind, Grossi slipping to sixth after a 3’10’’ penalty, and Alberto Gazzetta (Suzuki Jimny) climbing to third at 1’18’’.
At service, mechanics worked hard on Mengozzi’s car, allowing him to return with a strong 20’21’’ in the third run. But as his co-driver Elisa Tassile admitted in the media zone, “our rush to recover made us commit errors.” Perhaps so, because super-Kevin clocked 20’19’’ and extended his lead over his father Michele, now second at 1’49’’. Cisella was third at 2’50’’ after a 1’10’’ penalty, with Trivini Bellini fourth at 2’59’’ and improving steadily. Samsa held fifth at 4’12’’, but under pressure from Riccardo Benettolo (Isuzu Trooper), sixth at 4’41’’ and the next best T1. In the Historic field, Cantarello (22’10’’) remained ahead of Andreetto and Gazzetta.
In the fourth and final run, tension was high inside the young Manocchi crew’s cockpit. But Kevin (20’33’’) didn’t put a foot wrong, posting the fourth best split and breaking into tears of joy under his helmet. The victory was his! Mengozzi closed with the fastest sector time (20’ flat), 14th overall, salvaging some valuable championship points. Castagnera (20’01’’) showed what pace he had in hand, finishing 13th, just ahead of Mengozzi. Only a tenth of a second split Cisella (20’33’’) and Michele Manocchi, with the father and son swapping podium places to the delight of the whole racing family – and with the smiling Argentine alongside. The top five was rounded out by Trivini Bellini in fourth and Marzo Zini in fifth, despite difficulties handling his Maverick, though always competitive on time. Expanding the picture, Samsa could proudly claim sixth, first among T1s ahead of Benettolo. Eighth went to local Cristian D’Agnolo (Yamaha YXZ1000R), who didn’t quite unleash his full potential but still finished ahead of Bordonaro, winner of the Suzuki Challenge, followed by Gianluca Morra and Mirko Emanuele in Vitara T2s, and Stefano Sabellico in a Vitara T1.
The Historic finale was more controlled: Cantarello (22’12’’) steady out front, Andreetto and Gazzetta secure on the podium, with Stefano Moro (Mitsubishi Pajero) just a couple of seconds shy of the rostrum, ahead of Grossi in fifth. Troublesome races but finishes nonetheless for Claudio Allegranzi (Suzuki Grand Vitara) and Federico Cannas (Mitsubishi Pajero).
The 2nd Baja dello Stella will go down in history for the triumph of a minor, a teenager making his mark. As a final flourish, the two rally cars of the Open Historic also made it to the finish: Damiano Dus (Citroën C2) first, and Fulvio Signorotto (Peugeot 106) second – despite running the entire event with only first and third gear.
Source: ACI Sport
AI Translation
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