Riot in Italy
Renato Travaglia scored revenge for Fiat when his Grande Punto S2000 beat a couple of private Peugeots at the Rally del Ciocco, first round of the national Italian championship, overturning the memory of Fiat's defeat in Brasil! A pre-season row about the extended size of the championship meant that both the official Fiat and Peugeot teams decided not to contest the two first rounds of the series.

Peugeot dominates in Portugal
Peugeots however scored 1-2 on the opening round of the Portuguese rally champion, the Torrie Rally at Povoa de Lanhoso in the north of the country. In this series S2000s run as Group A cars and the top true Group N car was third placed Pedro Rodriguez in a Subaru.

The Greek Championship
Aris Vovos won the opening round of the Greek rally championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. The Corinth Rally was based at Loutraki, and served as a trial run for world rally championship Acropolis Rally in June. Mitsus took the top three places, fourth placed driver with the Subaru N14 was Halkias. Vovos announced he would break with tradition and drive a Group N car, not a World Rally Car, on the Acropolis.

News from Ireland
The Opel Corsa S2000 has finally been homologated and contested its first ever rally, the Mayo Stages, second round in the Irish national championship. Reigning Irish national champion Patrick Elliott led a Subaru World Rally Car 1-2-3, while the Corsa took fourth place in the hands of Gareth MacHale ahead of the first true Group N car, the Mitsubishi of Garry Jennings. Next event in Ireland will be the non-championship free formula West Cork Rally (14-15 March) which has attracted well over 200 entries. Seeded number one is the ex-Niall MacShea Proton Satria Neo S2000 to be driven by Donie O'Sullivan and codriven by the Curitiba Rally winner Paul Nagle.

Post scriptum
It is a quiet weekend next weekend except for Cyprus . Just the Oberland Rally in Germany and Tour Natal in South Africa. Plus Brasov in Romania…

3mmm