Baja di Primavera 2023: Manuele Mengozzi and Erica Bombardini win the Artugna Race with a perfect race

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-  SSV race victory goes to Amerigo Ventura

4 for 4 for the husband-and-wife crew that won the opening round of the Italian Cross Country Championship. In the Side by Side it's still Buttó's scratch, but a puncture had eliminated him from the games, the victory to the Yamaha Quaddy YXZ1000R of Amerigo Ventura and Mirko Brun

Great show at the Italian Baja di Primavera, the opening round of the Italian Cross Country Championship crowns Manuele Mengozzi and Erica Bombardini. Perfect interpretation of the Artugna Race by the husband-and-wife crew on Toyota Hilux Overdrive of Team My Racing Autosport: they set the best time in all 4 selective sectors. 1:24'47.6 is the total time the couple celebrated their success on the top step of the podium.

Impeccable the work carried out at the Italian Baja di Primavera, the race organized by the Fuoristrada Club 4x4 valid for the first round of the Italian Cross Country Championship, with a steady improvement since the already excellent time set in the morning, until dropping below 21 minutes in the last test before returning for the closing ceremonies.

Great constancy also in the pursuers, all belonging to the T1 group, with Ricky Rickler and Massimo Gabrielleschi, Mitsubishi Pajero with the colors of R Team, having to "settle" for the second step of the podium, with a gap of 1'27.6 on the overall time of the four trials. The pace was certainly not lacking in the first appointment of 2023 with the tricolor, an early harbinger of the intense battles that will be unleashed in the race over the course of the season.

Third place for Emilio Ferroni and Daniele Fiorini, Suzuki Gran Vitara Erre Team, confirming a balance set from the first bars, with the podium in fact remaining unchanged in all four trials that make up the Artugna Race.

Fourth and first of the T2 group, Lorenzo Codecà navigated by Mauro Taffoli, the series champion closes ahead of his rival and teammate, 888 Team by Ito Motorsport, the 2022 Champion Alfio Bordonaro, paired with Stefano Lovisa. The two crews were accumunited by the uncertainty of running on a "borrowed" Suzuki Gran Vitara; in fact, their own broken-in cars were not ready for the season opener due to delays in the delivery of some components. However, Codecà and Bordonaro certainly did not disfigure themselves, putting their first points of the season in their pockets, waiting to return to the wheel "of the yellow cars" at Colline Metallifere.

Closing sixth was Paolo Semeraro, navigated by Giuditta Viganò, in turn at the wheel of a Suzuki Gran Vitara of 888 Team by Ito Motorsport. In seventh place again a Suzuki Gran Vitara, that of Alberto Spinetti and Lara Giusti prepared by R Team.

Finishing the Italian Baja di Primavera eighth was Andrea Debbi, paired with Chiara Zappellaro on a Daihatsu Rocky. Debbi mocks Gianluca Morra and takes the victory in the TH group, overtaking his rival in the penultimate selective sector. The Suzuki Gran Vitara 888 Team by Ito Motorsport of Michele Macchiavelli and Fernando Caruggi closes the Top 10.

Comes the withdrawal in the last stage for Andrea Luchini and Pietro Bosco, at the "break-in" race of the Suzuki New Gran Vitara by Island Motorsport. Bitterness at the end, in a race that, despite being approached with the goal of finding the feeling with the new car, showed very interesting highlights from the duo.

Manuele Mengozzi: "The car was perfect. I got into the race without difficulty, the course was stimulating, exciting. It stimulated to push and also to put on a show, the result was perfect. The navigator did not miss a note, she guided me through the laps after the first one with extra information. The mechanics were impeccable...a very good weekend I would say!"

Italian SSV Championship

In the Italian SSV Championship, it is Amerigo Ventura, navigated by Mirko Brun on Team Quaddy's Yamaha Quaddy YXZ1000R, who picks up his first win of the season. Ventura thus closes the trilogy, are in fact now 3 victories obtained in a row in the Pordenone race. 1:25'58.7 was the overall time. Second step of the podium for Valentino Rocco and Giada Manocchi, who can boast of a masterfully interpreted race on their Yamaha Quaddy YXZ1000R, soiled only by 2'30 of penalties received for breaking the speed limit in the speed controlled zone. Third step and champagne bath on the awards stage for Andrea Tomasini and Angelo Mirolo, thus completing the trio of Yamaha Quaddy YXZ1000Rs of the Quaddy Team. For the Tomasini-Mirolo duo a great success in what was expected to be a 'test race,' their first with Side by Side Yamaha.

Not making the podium were Federico Buttò and Nicola Collodel, who nevertheless deserve an honorable mention after setting the best time of the day, as well as the best time in three of the four selective sectors. Nothing, however, was unfortunately needed to make up the disadvantage accumulated with the morning's puncture. The duo gave it their all, finishing the test with a damaged cover, before going to service for a change, but the gap was at that point unbridgeable despite great speed.

Amerigo Ventura: "This first race is a great opportunity for us to brush up on our driving skills and test some new components and minor modifications. We made changes at the set-up level, some in the right direction. We made a crescendo in the various specials coming in the end to make the best time, it means we are going in the right direction."

The appointment with the tricolor off-road is now at April 14 and 15 with the 1st Baja Colline Metallifere.

Automatic translation from the Italian version available on ACI Sport's official site
Source ACI Sport

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