Italian driver Dapra wins ERC Rally di Roma Capitale, third different winner in three rounds
Roberto Dapra claimed his first ERC victory in Rome, beating Teemu Suninen by 13.8 seconds to become the third different winner in as many rounds this season.
Italian driver Roberto Dapra secured his maiden European Rally Championship (ERC) win on Sunday at the Rally di Roma Capitale, finishing 13.8 seconds ahead of Finland's Teemu Suninen. The victory made Dapra the third different winner in three rounds, following Jose Antonio Suarez and Mikko Heikkila.
The rally began with local driver Andrea Nusita leading after the super special stage, but Andrea Crugnola took over after stage two. Dapra was second and battling for the lead until Crugnola crashed on stage six and retired. From that point, Dapra held a comfortable advantage, though Suninen closed in near the end.
An emotional Dapra admitted the day was extremely stressful. 'It's incredible, absolutely incredible. We are so happy. It was a demanding day and incredibly stressful, but we managed to win,' he said. He added that a damaged brake disc in the morning had raised concerns about a possible puncture.
Teemu Suninen fought hard to secure second place, edging Slovenian Bostjan Avbelj by just 0.5 seconds. 'Wow! That was incredibly tight. I tried to drive smart, but the moment you start being cautious, you lose an astonishing amount of time,' said Suninen, who praised his team, joking that working with them is like going to a supermarket – whatever he asks for, they provide.
Young Finn Tuukka Kauppinen retired after the penultimate stage when his co-driver Topi Luhtinen sustained an injury from a heavy landing over a jump. 'The jump was sharp, and the landing was much harder on the co-driver's side. It knocked the wind out of me, and for a moment I couldn't read the pace notes,' Luhtinen explained.
The ERC season continues this month with a round in Poland.
