31/12/08 - "Sciare Per La Vita" would like to thank you

2008 is by now at the end. While wishing you all a happy New Year, we would like to remind that in the season, following Gigi’s own idea, was launched a charity initiative in favour of the no-profit association “Sciare Per La Vita”. The association was set up in Bormio (SO) by the Olimpic Ski Ladies’Champion Deborah Compagnoni in order to sustain the research about children diseases.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank publicly all the people who took part to the various tenders launched along the season.

Thanks to their generosity, 4750 Euros were raised and directly addressed to the “Sciare Per La Vita” association.

We thank the winners of the single tenders: “Peppina”, “Alessandra”, “Sara Laporta”, “Cristina”, “Gian GDS”, “Evelyn”, “Hayley”, “Ann & Ger”, “Nancy”, “Celso” and, finally, “Amanda” who gave a spontaneous donation in favour of “Sciare Per La Vita”, even if never having the chance to see her name shown on Gigi’s car.

Thanks to everybody with all our heart.

17/12/08 - Memorial Bettega Trophy

“I can’t hide that as soon as I sat in the Focus I felt thrilled” – Gigi admits” – After the accident I hadn’t driven a rally car so far. Restarting to contest the Memorial  Bettega has been great! “

Always frank and sincere, the driver from Livigno does not try to hide the feelings he experienced in returning to the competition :” The first run on the track was really strange. I had to find quickly the confidence to push both the Focus and the Pirelli, and the stage conditions did not help at all. The asphalt was very slippery and a trifle was enough a make a mistake” – remembers Gigi – “Ending the Memorial Bettega final at 2 to 2 and losing the top position for the fastest run rule pissed me off a bit, but Dani Sordi deserved the victory and I am very happy about my physical reaction  after such a long period of rehab.”

Gigi, at the wheel of  the usual Stobart Motorsport Ford Focus, Pirelli-equipped, gathered an important second place that, despite the accident of the last summer, confirms him as one of the doggest driver in WRC.

The competition being very tough (Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg, Dani Sordo, François Duval, Chris Meeke, Simone Campedelli and Piero Longhi in the entry list), Gigi fought like a lion for the two days of heats, achieving the score to contest the final heat for the top podium position. Gigi won the first run, Dani won the second. Gig won the third, the Spanish won the fourth.  Due to the dead heat the race control had to appeal the fastest run rule in order to assign to Dani Sordo the victory of the XXIV edition of Memorial Bettega Trophy.

A week-end to remember then for the driver from Livigno, who came back to racing in the best way.

In Bologna Gigi had as well the chance to meet all his fans, who attended the event in great number to plaude his return, and he could show a clear evidence of his mental and phisical recovery.

Now all the efforts are focused on 2009. The relationship with Malcom Wilson is very good. The M-Ford manager is doing his best to help out Gigi in outlining a program for next year. Despite this aid, the situation so far is not at all defined and Gigi is right now looking for new partnerships enabling him to contest the 2009 WRC season.

Anybody should be interested in sponsoring Gigi, please do not hesitate to contact him!

28/11/08 - Gigi is back

The colourful and passionate crowd attending the 24° Memorial Bettega Trophy at Bologna Motorshow will be the warm setting to welcome Gigi return to competions.

On December 13^th , date of the event, four months will have elapsed after the bad accident in Germany. For Gigi, four long months of rehabilitation and waiting and thinking…lots of thinking… sometimes also about retirement from rallying. 

Now all doubts have been banished and Gigi can’t wait to get  in a rally car again.

Gigi will contest the classical Motorshow event driving a Stobart Motorsport Ford Focus WRC, his inseparable rallymate of the 2008 season.

“Was a long and difficult wait, but finally I’am back to rallying!” – says Gigi joyfully – “There are still a few weeks until the Memorial Bettega, but I am looking forward to driving a Focus again and feeling that thrilling emotion I have been missing since last August.

I want to show I am still the same and, even if it is not a proper rally, I am convinced I can do quite well.

My leg is not 100% perfect yet, but when I drive I do not feel any particular troubles and this is the key point at present.”

Together with Gigi, another welcome return to rallying: also the twice World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm has confirmed his attendance to the Bologna contest. The Flying Flyinn will get the wheel of Ford Focus WRC of  BP Ford Abu Dhabi Rally Team.

18/11/08 - Gigi Galli Official Page #25

Join “Gigi Galli" on facebook

A brand new facebook page dedicated to our beloved driver, the “Gigi Galli Official Page #25”, has  just been launched.

As this is the only Gigi Galli's official facebook page, regularly will update you with fresh news, photos, videos that you can comment, download and share with other friends. Together with the official website, the page will represent the best meeting point on internet with Gigi, his Fans Club and his network of friends.

Just register on www.facebook.com and join us!

05/11/08 - "Now I feel like rallying very much..."

Three months have elapsed since that bad accident in Germany.  We think is now time to ask Gigi what’s going on.

Hi Gigi, in the latest months we have been reading many of your interviews in the rally magazines. First of all, tell us how is your phisical condition now.

Hi guys! Phisically-wise I feel good. According to the X-ray I had a fornight ago the bone is fully calcified. What’s to do now is the rehabilitation of muscles and tissues. By now I can walk without crutches but, honestly, I look a bit drunk… Anyway Dr.Costa and I agreed about a slow, but well done, rehabilitation. There was no need to hurry and therefore we preferred to follow a less intensive program, enabling me to achieve the best results in the medium term.

As far as training is concerned at moment I practise a lot of swimming and cycling. Both activities allow my muscles to train without burdening the leg too much.

And what about your psychological condition?

For sure I’am much better then three months ago. I can’t hide that I thought a lot about the accident immediately afterwards, about what was worthy to do. I tried to keep rally at some distance for a while. Not because I did not love it any more but in order to keep quiet, thinking of my recovery and of myself only. It has been tough, indeed. But now I feel like rallying very much, may be just testing or something alike. At the moment there is nothing planned, but I am working on it.

Tell us honestly: about what happened in Germany, are you more angry or more disappointed?

Honestly, neither one nor the other. As many people could see from the videos, the accident was caused by a stone moved to the middle of the road. This is also the fact that made me think deeply, immediately after the off road. The awareness that such an accident was due to an external factor, and not to a mistake or a failure on our side, frightened me the most. Running at 140 kph, under the trees, when I saw the stone it had been too late. We were about 15 meters away and were already steering to drive a right-hand corner. At that point there was nothing I could do.

Many people have been asking me about safety in rally nowadays. I think that if this accident had happened ten years ago its consequences would have been probably much worse. In order to avoid this kind of accidents in the future a possible solution could be to thicken the marshalls spread along the stage, so that they can visually supervise every section of the stage and clear the road from any dangerous obstacle moved, by chance, in the way.  On the other hand we can’t forget that rallying is a motorsport and as such implies some risks.

Two months “at home” gave you some time off from rally world. Do you miss it?

Of course, I miss it a lot. I spent most of my life following the rally passion and the dream to become a rally driver, and I cannot cancel all the beautiful souvenirs it has left me. Actually, as soon as I recovered a bit, I decided to fly to Spain in order to do the rally recce. The purpose was to get in touch again with the team and my friends and to be ready in view of the 2009 season.  In fact Rally Catalunya and Rally Wales GB are the only two events I am not contesting this season that are scheduled again in 2009 calendar.

This is the first year of Pirelli control tyre. The new rule introducing a singe tyre suppliers seems to have encountered a general approval. As driver, did you find any differences in performance with respect to the past?

Not at all. And that was a surprise for all the drivers. I must admit, and not because Pirelli helped me a lot in these years, that they did a terrific job. We must remember that the introduction of the control tyre overlapped with the proscription of the ATS system and this was the biggest and unknown challenge for Pirelli.  The tyres performed very well both on the snow swedish surface and on the stony greek gravel and, considering the strict FIA rules about compounds,  this result could not at all be taken for granted.

This year in Finland for example, on a stage of 25 ks, run in the same condition as 2007, Hirvonen was 9 seconds faster then the 2007 record. I underline that performances comes when there’s also a good feeling with the tyre, as this is a crucial factor in tyre performance.

Unfortunately your 2008 season finished earlier then expected. You won many special stages, you achieved a podium at the second rally and were constantly in the top positions in each rally. But also some inconveniences occurred. How is the glass, as a whole: half full or half empty?

Thanks to my optimistic attitude I tend to see the glass half full. We have lived a season of ups and downs. Many times small problems obliged us to retire or to restart with the SuperRally: in Mexico a light bang into a rock damaged the rollcage and consequently we have been unabled to keep on experiencing the car, for us totally new at that time; in Argentina an unusual damage  to the exhaust deprived us of a likely podium; in Jordan we got some troubles due to the rear differential; in Turkey a bolt, that worths 10 cents, caused a boost valve failure.

We also had some accidents, like in Finland and Greece, but if you’re aimed at  keeping score positions in a WRC rally you must drive fast and take some risks as well. We often were competing with the very top drivers but with the support of a private team only, which is not easy. I do not refer to the mechanical mean, which is competitive at the top level, but to the fact that a manufacturer team plans each event doing specifical tests aimed at finding the right set up for every kind of surface. A private team cannot afford this effort and the drivers only can run twice, as everybody else, on the special stages during the recce and then get on the rally car at the start of the rally. In the first events of the season this gap of experience influenced me a bit but from Jordan afterwards, together with my engineer Gavin Minor, we could define the Focus set-up according to my driving style and the feeling improved immediately. Unfortunately, in the following events some misfortunes did not allow us to harvest what we seeded with so much effort. Bad luck is often part of the game.

What can you say about Stobart Motorsport? Considering your performances it seems to be a top team!

It’s true. For sure our being the first “cousins”  of the Ford manufacturer team is a huge advantage and a big luck. Among other things we have in common the Team Manager, Malcom Wilson. He is the ideal type of person to play this role: he was himself a driver in the past and knows how to face and to manage any different situations. These skills joint to the Stobart passion, represented by William Stobart and Andrew Tinkler, create the perfect blend for a team of the World Rally Championship.

Mitsubushi Lancer, Peugeot 307, Citroen Xsara and Ford Focus…4 different cars in 4 WRC seasons. Every year you had to find the right feeling with the new “friend”. Will you keep the same number of cars even for the 5^th WRC year?

Yes, of course, if I could choose. I never felt at ease like this year. I want to underline: I am not saying that I felt bad in the past years. But this season, beside the car, which was perfect, I could rely as well on a group like Stobart turning the teamwork into a sort of family business. Should it be my decision only, Stobart and the Ford Focus would be my first choice. Nevertheless we must consider the economical side as well. During the last meeting with Malcom we both expressed our strong willingness to continue together in 2009. Now is time to work hard in order to find the missing gussets able to complete the mosaic work.

The thousand of fans want to see back again Gigi Galli. What can we tell them?

I hope to make them happy soon. In the near future nothing is planned. It’s too early to make statements or forecasts. As I said, there are many factors to be considered. Anyway I wish everything goes in the right way and I can come back to rallying very soon.

17/08/08 - Rallye Deutschland - Final

Gigi Galli is recovering after the surgery he undergo on Friday evening after the accident.

Gigi Galli is recovering well after the surgery he undergo last Friday evening after the accident occurred in the afternoon.

“Really bad moments” said Gigi “The organizers did a good job and assistance both immediately after the accident and here at the hospital in Trier was very good. The Ford Focus proved to be very strong as well as the seat and absorbed the impact quite well. I have to thank Giovanni who has been really quick in organizing the assistance. Unfortunately I’ll have to stop for a while, but I hope to recover soon. Wednesday I’ll be going home and than we’ll see. I want to thank everyone for their support and for the many greetings they sent me”:

The rally has been won by Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4) who were leading throughout the whole race, followed by their team mates Dani Sordo/Marc Martì and by Francois Duval/Patrick Pivato on Ford Focus RS.

15/08/08 - Rallye Deutschland - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini had to retire from Rally Germany, 10^th round of the FIA WRC

Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini while running special stage 5 this afternoon went off road in quite a fast part of the stage and rolled. Gigi Galli has been immediately brought to the hospital here in Trier and the doctors diagnosed the fracture of the left femur.

This evening he will undergo a surgery at the hospital in Trier.

Giovanni Bernacchini was uninjured.

The accident happened approximately 11 km after the start of stage 5 in a right fast bend. The car has been thrown in the air and into the wood along the road. The roll cage of the Ford Focus RS resist well against the impact avoiding worse damages.

The organizers staff worked fast and did a very good job. The special stage has been cancelled in order to allow a quick assistance. The last stage has been cancelled because of too many spectators along the road.

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen C4) won all the special stages of the day and he is leading followed by the Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen and by the other Citroen driver Dani Sordo.

The second day will start tomorrow at 06.25 and provide 8 special stages for a total of 159,76 timed kilometers, with two remote zone service parks of 15 minutes each in Birkenfeld. The crews will be back in Trier at 18.58

11/08/08 - Rallye Deutschland - Preview

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, ready to start the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Germany a challenge on tarmac.

Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini prepared the tenth round of the season, Rally Deutschland that will take place on the asphalt roads around Trier in Germany, doing some tests with the Ford Focus RS tarmac set-up and the Pirelli PZero tyres.

“I’m satisfied with the test we have done before this new round of the World Rally Championship” said Galli “We didn’t have the possibility to test much before other events, now we had the opportunity to test the Ford Focus with asphalt set-up and the new Pirelli PZero tyres both with hard and soft compound, and we are quite happy with the results. We took part in this race few times and the last asphalt event this year was Rally Montecarlo last January, where the Focus RS showed to be quite fast,  so I think it’ll take a few stages to get the right feeling with this surface again. The last time we entered this race was in 2005 and we finished fifth overall, such a result will be good this year. The Super Special stage on Sunday will be spectacular. Trier is a beautiful and get crowded with fans crazy for rallies”.

The Italian Crew Galli/Bernacchini has been nominated by Stobart VK M-.Sport Ford to score points for the Manufacturer Championship together with the Belgian crew François Duval/Patrick Pivato.

Rally Germany is going to be quite a demanding event, with asphalt speed tests very different from those of last tarmac event Rally Montecarlo. There are three different type of stages: the narrow and winding roads along the Mosel River, the wider and fast roads in the Saarland region, that can become treacherous in case of rain, and the famous stages inside the military complex of Baumholder. These last ones have a very abrasive asphalt, often covered with sand or gravel that make it very slippery and that will put under strain the Pirelli PZero tyres, this time provided both with soft and hard compound. Furthermore along the roads there are big kerb stones known as “hinkelstein”. A rally route that does not forgive even the smallest mistake.

The route hasn’t change much from last year, with some stages used in the opposite direction. The rally HQ is located as usual in the town of Trier, close to the Luxembourg border. On Thursday crews will take part in the Ceremonial start from the historic Porta Nigra, the next day speed tests are in the vineyards along the Mosel river, while on Saturday stages will be run in Saarland and at Baumholder, with two remote service parks. On Sunday the stages will be again among the vineyards and the event will close with the spectacular Super Special in Trier close to Porta Nigra, with several cars racing at the same time. A total of 352,89 timed kilometers divided into 19 special stages and a total route of 1174,91 km.

02/08/08 - Neste Oil Rally Finalnd - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini with the Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, had to retire from Rally Finland.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini have been obliged to retire after rolling off the road in special stage 16.

A tricky bend hidden behind a crest, after the jump the car landed on the road awkwardly, rolled and ended in a ditch.

Driver and co-driver are uninjured. Other two cars went off the road in the same place.

It’s been impossible to repair the Ford Focus, so the Italian team of the Stobart VK M-Sport team had to retire from the competition.

This morning Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini started well, a good steady rhythm that brought them up again in third place overall.

“What a shame” said Galli “That section was part of the famous Ouninpohja stage, but this time was run in the opposite way and we did just two recce passages there. We took a left bend and it was longer than what we put in our pace notes, so we went out wide, went off road and rolled into a ditch. A real shame, we were doing fine so far”.

This morning the 94 crews in the race left the Service Park at 06.00 in a nice clear and sunny morning. This has been the longest leg of the Finnish event, 168,25 timed kilometers divided into 10 Special Stages, some of them new.

The French crew of Citroen, Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena dominated the whole day and have been constantly attacked by the Finnish crew of the Ford team Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen

Tomorrow the third and last day of Rally Finland will start at 08.20 and will provide 3 Special Stages, 40,47 timed kilometers. Crews will be back in Jyväskylä at 13.30 for the Prize Giving ceremony.

Next appointment for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini will be Rally Germany, 10^th round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship, that will take place in Trier from 15 to 17 August.

01/08/08 - Neste Oil Rally Finalnd - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, are 4^th overall at the end of day 1 of spectacular Rally Finland, 9^th round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship.

The classic Finnish race started yesterday evening with the usual Super Special at Killeri trotting track. 99 crews left the Jyväskylä Service Park at 19,45, to tackle the 2.6 km of the opening stage of the event, while the real action started this morning. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) won the Killeri Super Special, that has been repeated, as closing stage of day 1, this evening too.

This morning short before the start of the rally at 06.30, a started to rain and the first stage of the day a little slippery. The weather improved during the day and the sun peep out of the dark big clouds.

Today’s leg provided 131,70 timed kilometers divided into 10 special stages.

Gigi Galli, supported by a crowd of fans, among those a big group of Italians that used their summer vacation to follow him on the rally, maintained a good steady rhythm throughout the whole day, without pushing too much and climbing up to third position overall during the second half of the day. A consistent and steady pace that allowed him to close the first racing day in an excellent position.

“This morning we started quite well, I’ve lost a little bit my rhythm and therefore also some time, during SS 2.In the following stages we’ve tried to be constant, without pushing too much. This is an important rally for us but also important to get points for the team in the Manufacturer Championship. The race is still quite long, but I’m really happy with how the car feels, we did just few adjustments during the second Service Park. I like also the new Pirelli Scorpion soft compound tyres that we are using here for the first time and that proved to be very good also on the wet surface we had today. Towards the end of the day I lost some speed and Henning (Solberg) passed me, anyway it is a good place to start from tomorrow”.

Tomorrows’ second day, will be the longest of the rally. The stages are located near Jamsa as before, but five of the 10 stages (168,25 km), are brand new. Crews will leave the Service Park in Jyväskylä at 06.00 and the day will close at 19.51.

28/07/08 - Neste Oil Rally Finalnd - Preview

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, after the summer break are now ready to tackle the spectacular Rally Finland, 9^th round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship

After a seven weeks summer break, Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini, with a Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford, are now ready to start Rally Finland, ninth round of the 2008 world rally season.

During summer vacations Galli trained running three times a week and together with his team mate Henning Solberg took part also in a rallycross show called Bjerkeracet, that has been held on a specially-designed gravel track, with some technical sections and wide fast bends. A real change for the Italian driver, taking the wheel of a Ford Fiesta rallycross car for the first time. Andreas Mikkelsen, Mads Østberg and Patrick Sandell took part in this event too.

Rally Finland, that has over 100 entries this year, is a classic race that entered the WRC for the first time in 1973 and it’s been known before with the name of “1000 Lakes”. The Finnish race is one of the fastest in the Championship, its characteristics are a gravel smooth and hard surface, with wide roads and furthermore there are the famous jumps that cars tackle at very high speed and that throw them into the air for several meters. On this kind of route it’s very important to have a precise driving and accurate pace notes, because jumps are often followed by hidden curves and it is important to get the right line up before jumping and being able to tackle the next bend without losing speed.

Very important will be also the Pirelli Scorpion tyres with soft compound that will make their debut in this rally.

The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team has nominated the Italian crew Gigi Galli/Giovanni Bernacchini and their team mates Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud to score points in the Manufacturers Championship.

Gigi Galli took part in this race seven times, winning Group N in 2004 and finishing fifth in 2006.

“I can’t wait to get back rallying after this long break” said Galli “I took part in this rally quite a few times and I know it, it’s a pity the Ouninpohja stage has been cancelled this year, it was one of my favorites. It’ll be a fast and fun race with lots of jumps, but it wont be easy because Mikko (Hirvonen) and Jari-Matti (Latvala) will push hard here. In the last three events we had a good pace so now here we need to be consistent. We’ll do our best to get a good result. Rally Finland is also famous for the high numbers of spectators, there will be lots of Italian fans, because it’s vacation time in Italy, I hope that lots of them will cheer for us.”

“It’s one of the rallies I like most” said Giovanni Bernacchini “A hard and smooth gravel surface, very fast with lots of jumps that make this race really spectacular both for drivers and spectators. Gigi took part in this race quite e few times and he did well.”

Jyväskylä will host again the rally HQ, but almost half of the route is going to be new. The rally opens with the traditional Super Special at Killeri trotting track on Thursday July 31^st.

Friday the crews will enter the real race west of Jyväskylä.

Saturday will be te longest day with 168,25 timed kilometers divided in 10 special stages near Jämsä, five of them brand new. The spectacular and difficult Ouninpohja stage has been cancelled, but part of it has been incorporated in another speed test.

Sunday the last leg with three special stages east of Jyväskylä. Rally will close at 13.30 on Sunday August 3^rd.

A total route of 1461,58 km with 340,42 timed kilometers divided in 24 special stages. Weather has been forecast to be dry with temperatures around 25°C and high humidity.

15/06/08 - Rally of Turkey - Final

After two excellent days Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini, in a Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport team did not start for the last leg.

An excellent race, three stages won, third overall during the first part of the rally, but unfortunately the braking of a valve in the turbocharger in the third special stage of day 2, dropped Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini to 8^th place overall.

The second day has been really tough, with stages covered with stones, an abrasive surface and tight transfer times. This put under strain drivers and Gigi Galli was exhausted at the end of the day and suffering a strong dehydration that weakened him. His been assisted by the doctor of the team.

This morning it’s been taken the decision not to re-start even considering the fact that the position in the classification was jeopardized and Gigi’s not optimal conditions.

“It is a very disappointing end to a tough event that we started really well on. “ said Gigi “The first day was fantastic for us and we managed the performance well and found a good compromise between preserving the tyres and keeping a fast speed; indeed we would have been leading for the whole day without the time penalty. Too bad…now some rest and we will re-start in Finland”.

The hard-fought Rally of Turkey has been won by Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus RS) ahead of his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala who alternate in the lead, Sébastien Loeb (Citroen C4) finished third.

Now the FIA World Rally Championship will stop for a month and will re-start at the end of July, so next race for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini will be Rally Finland that will take place from July 31^st to August 3^rd

14/06/08 - Rally of Turkey - Second Leg

An excellent race today for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, spoiled by problems with the turbo charger in the afternoon. The Italian crew closed the second day of Rally Turkey in 8^th position overall

The 52 crews still in the race started day two at 08.30 from Kemer Service Park in a very hot and sultry morning. After winning three stages yesterday Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini started from a good 4^th place the second day of Rally Turkey, 8^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Italian crew maintained a steady rhythm, obtaining good times and climbing up to third place.

After the mid morning Service Park on the first pass of SS 12 Kemer 20,50 km long, short after the start the car started to loose power forcing Galli to a slower speed. At the end of the stage after a quick check he found out that a valve of the turbo charger has broken and they had to tackle the next stage 27,36 km long with this problem and therefore loosing a lot of time and dropping to 8^th place.

At the next Service Park the turbo charger has been fixed, but unfortunately they closed the day 8^th overall.

The day has been hard for everyone and the exhausting speed tests put under a lot of strain drivers.

“It’s been a very long day and I’m exhausted” said Gigi “It’s been a pity losing so much time for the problem with the turbo charger and not being able to fight for the podium anymore. The strange thing is that few years ago I had a similar problem on that same stage. This is rally, it’s difficult to preview what will happen. I still have the possibility to score a point in the Drivers’ Championship and more points for the team, so tomorrow I’ll do my best.”

The third and last day of Rally Turkey will start tomorrow morning at 08.30 and provide three speed tests for a total of 76,56 timed kilometers and two passes on the tricky Olympos, 31,03 km long, the longest of the whole rally.

The rally will close with the Ceremonial Finish at the Service Park in Kemer at 15.00.

13/06/08 - Rally of Turkey - First Leg

A very good start for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, in the first day ofRally Turkey, 4^th overall winning 3 special stages

A really good start for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini, they won 3 out of the 9 today’s special stages and obtaining good times in the others, are now 4^th overall in the classification at the end of day one of Rally Turkey, 8^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The race started yesterday evening and immediately after the Ceremonial Start crews tackled the Super Special Stage of 2,60 km in Antalya on a gravel track with two cars racing at the same time. A big crowd gathered at the Ceremonial Start and along the stage.

Today crews started the real race at 07.30 am from the Service Park located in Kemer and tackled 9 special stages a total of 154,90 timed kilometers. This first day has been the longest of the rally, very hot and with lot of dust.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS started real well with a second and a third best time and winning the third stage of the day.

The Italian crew incurred in a 10 sec. penalty due to late arrival at time control of SS 2, Gigi explains what happened: “After the first stage we stopped to check the tyres pressure and we noticed that the bumper was on fire because it was touching the exhaust pipe, so Giovanni and me hat to extinguish the fire and we arrived at time control before the next stage 3 seconds later. It’s been a pity getting this penalty, but apart fro this everything else was fine”.

After the late morning Service Park crews tacled a loop of other three stages and Galli maintained a good pace and won SS 5 too. After the second Service Park of the day, crews re-started to tackle the last two stages for the day. Galli started very determined won the first stage of this last loop and disputed the last one calmly and closing the day in a good 4^th place.

“It’s been a long day today” said Gigi” with more stages than what we are normally used to. We had a problem getting the jack into the car today and weren’t able to change the tyres between some stages. The second pass over the stages was quite hard as we had to find a good compromise between preserving the tyres and keeping a good speed but I think we did a good job. It seems that we are now in a perfect position for tomorrow.”

Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, both in a Ford Focus RS, alternate in the lead for the whole day. Latvala suffered a puncture in SS 7 and lost some time but closed the day third overall. The four times World Champion Sébastein Loeb is leading the classification at the end of day two after being for most part of the day in third and fourth place, he is going to be first on the road tomorrow and will have to sweep the road.

09/06/08 - Rally of Turkey - Preview

Another gravel race awaits Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini and their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, Rally Turkey, 8^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Only two weeks after leaving Greece and a difficult and hard Rally Acropolis, the drivers of the World Championship head to Kemer to tackle Rally Turkey, eighth round of the 2008 season.

Placing on file the Greek race, so tricky and full of problems, the Italian crew is now ready to face another gravel rally, not less difficult but with fastest special stages and a less uneven route then the last one. The experience done so far and the good pace achieved, shown also by winning four special stages in Greece, give good hopes to the Italian standard-bearers.

Rally Turkey is back in the World Championship after one year absence and close the loop of three races in the Mediterranean area.

Gigi Galli took part in this race only twice, in 2004 when he finished 10^th overall and in 2005 when, after leading during the first part of the race, he finished in a good 8^th place.

The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team has nominated GigiGalli/Giovanni Bernacchini and Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud to score points in the Manufacturers Championship.

“I have good memories of the rally in Turkey as it was the first time I ever led a WRC event back in 2005. The road conditions are generally quite good and not as rough as the last rally in Greece which I think is a welcome change for everyone. My confidence is high after the last two gravel rallies. We have learnt a lot and it feels good to have set fastest stage times on both Sardinia and Greece and I know that the feeling with the car is very good now. The Pirelli tyres have proved they can cope with the rough conditions and my pace is getting much better; now we just need some luck on this rally.”

The route is almost the same of 2006, last time this event was part of the WRC, with few changes in some of the special stages. All three legs are located on the Anatolian mountains with steep and winding stages and generally quite fast. The clay ground, especially during the second pass tends to break up and pull out loose sharp rocks. The weather should be hot and dry this time of the year, but if it rains the clay ground will become quickly muddy and rutted.

Temperatures in Kemer, where the Rally HQ is located, should be around 30°C, but the speed test are on the mountains and some of them climb as high as 1800 meters above sea level, so temperatures should be lower and therefore less demanding on drivers, cars and engines.

The race will start on Thursday June 12^th with the Ceremonial Start from Akdeniz University, followed by a Super Special 2,6 km long in Antalya, that will be repeated as closing stage of the second leg on Saturday. The first day is the longest one with 154 timed kilometers, while the shortest day will be the third and final one, but with two passes on SS Olympos 31,20 km the longest of the whole event.

A total length of 1263,74 km with 360,12 timed kilometers divided into 19 special stages.

01/06/08 - Acropolis Rally - Gigi Galli won the Colin McRae Trophy

A little satisfaction after such a difficult race came by winning the Colin McRae Trophy. The Organisers of Rally Acropolis awarded this prize to the fastest time obtained in one of the special stages of the event, not including the two super special stages. On the first pass on SS Avalos, Gigi had an average speed of 100,77 km/h.

“It is a very special feeling and a big honour to receive this award. Colin was a great hero of mine and to be compared to him is a real pleasure. My rally has not gone according to plan but I pushed as hard as I could when I could to get some fastest times and I’m sure he would have done the same thing in that position. People say we drive in the same style with a lot of energy and passion and it is fantastic when I hear this. Even with a bad rally this has really lifted my spirits.”

01/06/08 - Acropolis Rally - Final

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, were not able to finish Rally Acropolis and after winning 2 of today special stages, had to retire three stages before the end of the race.

The third and last leg of Rally Acropolis started this morning at 05.50. The 50 crews already in the race, 25 of them racing under Super Rally rule, headed north west of Athens to tackle other 7 special stages before coming back to Tatoi to run the last short super special closing the rally. A total of 102,32 timed kilometers.

Rally Acropolis confirmed to be one of the toughest and rough rounds of the World Rally Championship both for drivers and cars. Today’s leg was not as rough as yesterday’s one but the thick dust created some problems.

Gigi Galli, who re-started yesterday under Super Rally rule because he has been stopped by hydraulic problems, was able to find a good pace and a good rhythm immediately and obtained the second best time in the second stage of the day, Avlonas of 18,52 km and won the next one Aghia Sotira 10,80 km, that was quite rough.

After the service park Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini pushed hard in the subsequent stage, Avlonas, winning it.

Unfortunately 15km into SS 18, they hit a rock and they broke a suspension arm and had to stop.

Really a difficult race for the Italian crew of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, that anyway won 4 special stages and set good times in several others.

“What a cruel rally this has been for us” said Gigi galli  “I knew it would be tough but the conditions were very difficult indeed as you can see from the problems we had on all three days. But we have found a really good feeling with the car and a good speed which has meant some more fastest times and this is the most important thing for me. The only thing we need now is some more luck and hopefully in Turkey this will come. Even in the rough conditions the tyres worked well and I’m confident they will do a good job in Turkey also.”

Next race for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini will be anothe gravel event, Rally Turkey, 8^th round of the the FIA World Rally Championship, that will take place in Kmer from June 13 to 15^th.

31/05/08 - Acropolis Rally - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, obliged to retire again because of hydraulic problems, they’ll re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule.

Another warm day welcome this morning at 08.30 the 58 crews tacing in the 55^th Acropolis Rally.

The second leg was run in the area of the Corinth Canal and it’s been really tough , confirming what ahs been reported by drivers after the recce. Other three special stages to be repeated twice for a total of 119,12 timed kilometers.

The heat, temperatures rise as high as 35°C, the thick dust rose by cars and the sharp stones and rocks covering the route, put under strain both drivers and cars.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini that re-started this morning under SuperRally rule and with 30 minutes penalty started the first stage, Aghii Theodori 32,16 km the longest of the rally, with a good pace but towards the end they’ve been slowed down by the dust rose by the car ahead. The Italian crew of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford won the other two stages, Pissia 16,60 km and Aghia Triada 10,80 km, before heading back to the mid day service park.

After the service park crews re-started for the second run on the same stages run in the morning, but Gigi Galli has been obliged to stop again before entering the stage because of loss of pression in the hydraulic system of his car. The system lost all the fluid and also the gears were not working. Since they had to run three stages in a row the team decided to stop and re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule.

“We started off this morning losing some time by getting caught in Rautenbach’s dust but the car and tyres felt really good so we pushed in the next two stages and it was great to set two fastest stage times. However on the way to the first stage after service I heard a bang and felt some vibration in the car. We lost hydraulic pressure which meant no gear changes and no diffs so I decided it was too unsafe to attempt these three stages and I didn’t want to damage the car even more with Turkey only two weeks away.”

A difficult race also for the crews on top, Sèbastien Loeb (Citroen) had a puncture in the second special stage of the rally losing 30 seconds and therefore also the leadership passed to his team mate Dani Sordo. Then Loeb recovered taking the lead again after special stage 12 when Sordo suffered a puncture. In the Ford team Jari-Matti Latvala and his co-driver Mikko Hirvonen yesterday had suspension problems and both lost few positions, this morning they were able to gain ground, but then Latvala had turbo problems and Hirvonen hit a rock.

The third and last day of Acropolis Rally will start tomorrow morning at 05.05 am, The crews will tackle 6 special stages north west of Athens before coming back to Tatoi to run the last short super special stage near the military airport. A total of 110,74 timed kilometers.

30/05/08 - Acropolis Rally - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, had to retire from today’s leg of Rally Acropolis and will re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule.

Yesterday evening a big crowd gathered under the Greek Acropolis to watch the Ceremonial start of the 55^th Acropolis Rally, seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Today the 60 entrants left the Service Park in Tatoi at 08.15 a.m. and headed north to tackle 6 special stages, three to be repeated twice, and than in the late afternoon they returned to Tatoi to take part in the Super Special near the military airport.

In the second special stage of the day Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini had a good start and their split times were very good. Approximately 12 km into the stage in a fast left hand corner, they hit a big rock that had been pulled out by a previous competitor and broke a suspension arm and consequently the driveshaft. They have been obliged to retire and after FIA inspection they have been allowed to re-enter the race under Super Rally rule.

“It’s quite disappointing” said Gigi Galli “ Tomorrow we will re-start with a high penalty, but we hope we can find a good pace and do some good times”.

The Italian crew will have a 30 minutes penalty.

Sèbastien Loeb (Citroen), who won 4 out of the 7 today’s stages is leading the provisional classification, followed by his team mate Dani Sordo, with 15 seconds difference. Jari_matti Latvala (Ford), who won the first and the third SS, is now in sixth position. The Super Special Stage has been won by Urmo Aava (Citroen).

Rally Acropolis’ second leg will start tomorrow morning at 08.30 am and provide 6 special stages, three to be repeated twice for a total of 119,12 timed kilometers.

26/05/08 - Acropolis Rally - Preview

After the good result obtained in their home rally, Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, are ready to tackle another difficult World Rally race Acropilis Rally Greece.

The good fourth place obtained by Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini in their home race, Rally d’Italia Sardinia, give the Italian crew of the Stobart VK M-Ford Sport team new motivations tackling the 7^th round of the World Championship, Rally Acropolis in Greece.

Rally Acropolis, that has now reached its 55^th edition, is an historic race, very famous for its hard and tricky gravel roads and Gigi Galli took part in it three times already, with his best result a 7^th place overall in 2005, the last time he raced here.

Also for this round the Stobart VK M-Ford Sport team has appointed, to score points in the Manufacturer Championship and shorten the distance with Subaru now third only three points ahead, the crew Galli/Bernacchini and Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud.

“I am looking forward to Rally Greece as we found a good level of consistency in Sardinia and hopefully it will be possible to keep this going.” Said Gigi Galli “Although I haven’t competed in this event for a few years, we did the recce for the last two years and so have a good understanding of the stages and the rocky conditions. Even so it is still sure to be a tough event, the stages are rough and demanding and I expect the temperatures to be hotter than in Sardinia. It’s definitely going to be a hard test for the car, crew and the Pirelli tyres, but I’m confident we are all up to the challenge.”

This year for the third year in a row the race has a different HQ, it’s in Tatoi approximately 20 km north of Athens in the military airport area, that hosted a special stage in the 70’s and this year will host the new gravel super special stage on Fiday evening at thend of leg one and on Sunday afternoon to close the event. The Ceremonial Start is back at Acropolis, on the highs of Athens, were it used to be for a long time. The route is the same of last year edition, there are only two new special stages Psatha (SS 3 and 6), disputed for the last time in 2006 and the short 4.6km super special stage at Tatoi near the Service Park.

The first day drivers will head north-west of Athens, while the second leg, the longest of the rally, will be held west of the city near the Corinth Canal. The third and last day will be held again north-west of Athens and crews will than head back to Tatoi for the arrival.

Temperatures will be quite high around 30°C with high humidity rate.

Rally Acropolis is famous for its tough roads with sharp rocks where the Pirelli Scorpion tyres, that so far got over all the difficulties of the past events, will be put under strain.

Rally Acropolis has a total length of 1311,32km, including 339,94 timed kilometers divided into 20 special stages.

18/05/08 - Rally d'Italia Sardegna - Final

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini, 4^th overall in their home rally Rally d’Italia Sardegna in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.

A tough and difficult race Rally d’Italia Sardegna 2008, 6^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, and Gigi galli together with his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini maintained the good position 4^th overall that they obtained tomorrow gaining important points for the Manufacturers Championship.

The 49 crews still in the race left the Service Park in Olbia this morning at 07.00 in a sunny clear day. The 5 special stages of today the shortest leg of the rally, 78,57 timed kilometers, were run south of Olbia and the short last stage in the beautiful frame of Costa Smeralda near Porto Cervo were the rally finished with the podium ceremony.

Yesterday Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini recover two positions and closed the second leg forth overall. Today they kept an easy pace maintaining the good position obtained yesterday. The first stage of the day was rutted and tricky.

“It’s been a good race and I’m satisfied” said Gigi Galli “It’s been a pity loosing so much time in the last second stage of the rally, but Malcolm Wilson was confident I could finish in a good place, and at the end of the day here we are. The car feels good and the Pirelli Scorpion tyres proved again to be good and helped me to finish the stage were I had a puncture and were strong enough to hold out the difficult and tricky conditions of this rally. It’s been good also for the Italian fans that followed the race.”.

Sèbastien Loeb (Citroen C4) was always in the lead and won the rally. In the back there was a big fight between Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus RS), who finished second overall, and his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala who won all yesterday’s special stages.

Next round of the FIA World Rally Championship is Rally Acropolis in Greece.

Final Standings Rally d'Italia Sardegna 2008

17/05/08 - Rally d'Italia Sardegna - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini good race goes on, 4^th overall at the end of day two of Rally d’italia Sardegna, in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.

Second leg of Rally d’Italia Sardegna started this morning at 08.00 from the Olbia Service Park under a thin rain. The 54 crews in the race headed towards the region of Gallura to tackle other six special stages, three to be repeated in the afternoon.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini maintained a good rhythm without problems. In the second stage of this morning, the first pass on the spectacular Monte Lerno stage (29,31 km) famous for the its high jump, Gigi had a spin loosing a little time but obtaining the forth fastest time, while in the other two stages he was third.

After the mid-day service crews re-started for the second pass on the same stages.

Galli maintained a good pace without pushing too much, gaining ground over the Spaniard of Citroen dani Sordo and passing him after SS11.

“I’m happy with my pace today” said Gigi Galli “In the morning I pushed a little bit more but without risking too much. We climbed back few positions and it’s important not to loose concentration and we also have to give an eye to the Championship points. The car feels good, no problems. We spin in today’s second stage but we didn’t loose much, than towards the end of the next stage we hit a rock and took out a chunk of the tyre, but the Pirelli Scorpion were strong enough to hold up until the finish and to the service park. The rhythm of the race is quite fast and tomorrow is going to be very important for us to keep our position ahead of Sordo”.

Sebastien Loeb (Citroen C4) has been in the lead for the whole day, while behind him there was a big fight between the two Ford drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.

Latvala yesterday lost 1.min40 sec for Gigi’s same reason and in the same stage, and today pushed hard winning all special stages and climbing back from 7^th place, joining Hirvonen and finishing the day with his team mate same time.

Tomorrow the third and last day of Rally d’Italia Sardegna will provide 5 special stages, two to be repeated twice and the short special stage Liscia Ruja (2,69 km) that will close the race.

16/05/08 - Rally d'Italia Sardegna - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini 6^th overall at the end of leg one of Rally D’italia Sardegna, in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team. 

Rally Italia Sardegna 6^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship started yesterday evening with the Ceremonial Start from the enchanting Marina Vecchia of Porto Cervo.

The 57 crews taking part in the event this morning at 09.00 left the service park and headed towards the south of Olbia to tackle the 6 special stages provided for today’s leg, three to be repeated twice, for a total of 131,56 timed kilometers.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini started well this morning obtaining the third best time in the first stage, Monte Corvos 16,43km. In the second stage, Castrazza 33,96km, the longest of the rally, at approximately mid through the stage they went off road and had a puncture. They had a delay of 1min12sec. In the following stage, Terranova 15,39km, they obtained again the third best time and so they kept under control their delay.

In the afternoon crews re-started for a second loop on the same stages and Galli was immediately very quick winning SS 4 (Monte Corvos) and obtaining again the third best time in next one (Castrazza).

“We started quite well and our time in the first stage was good despite the slippery route, because of the heavy rain of the previous days” said Gigi at the last Service Park of the day “When we were almost half through the stage we slid off road in a right hand corner and we hit a rock causing a puncture. I had to drive almost 20 km on the damaged tyre and I have to say that the Pirelli Scorpion tyres did a great job. The car feels good and in the next stage we did the third best time again. Things are going well so far and tomorrow I’ll push a little bit more and we’ll try to shorten the gap with the leaders”.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini are now 6^th overall, just 3.3 seconds away from 5^th place.

Tomorrow’s second leg will start at 08.00 from the Olbia Service Park and provide 134,60 timed kilometers divided into 6 stages, three to be repeated twice.

12/05/08 - Rally d'Italia Sardegna - Preview

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, ready for the gravel roads of their home race, Rally d’Italia Sardegna

The 6^th round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship, Rally d’Italia, will take place on the gravel roads of the beautiful island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean sea.

This will be the home race for the Italian crew of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini.

Gigi Galli took part in this rally three times already since the Italian round of the World Championship has been moved to Sardinia, and his best result so far has been a 6^th place overall and 1^st of Group N in 2004.

Last season Gigi didn’t take part in this race and this year he is raring to go, surrounded by his fans and seeking another podium finish like in Sweden.

The crews nominated to score manufacturer points in Sardinia are the crew Gigi Galli/Giovanni Bernacchini and Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin.

“Well finally we have come to my home rally!” said Gigi Galli “Sardinia is a very nice island, quite wild in some parts, and some of the stages run through beautiful landscapes. I’ve taken part in this race a few times since it was moved to Sardinia in 2004. It is a very technical, tricky and difficult rally with very hard gravel roads and lots of loose stones. One of the stages I like most is Monte Lerno, the one with a very big jump that is so easy to catch out unwary drivers. I really look forward to getting there, to see all the Italian fans, and hopefully we can find the right rhythm and pace from the beginning.”

“This event will provide another good opportunity for the Stobart team to pick up some good results after a fine effort in Jordan where all three crews finished in the points.” Said Malcolm Wilson principal of the team “I was pleased that Gigi found his pace in Jordan and hopefully he can take this speed into his home rally; I feel confident he’ll be battling for a podium here”.

The rally will begin with the Ceremonial Start on Thursday May 15 from Porto Cervo, a beautiful and exclusive resort, the next day crews will enter the real competition. The first day will be run south of Olbia in the region of Nuoro and the route will be partly new. The second leg is very similar to last year, will be run inlands in the region of Gallura and includes the special stage Monte Lerno, famous for its high jump. Third leg will be again south of Olbia and the race will close with a short Super Special stage near Porto Cervo along the beautiful Cala di Volpe Gulf.

The 29 percent of the total route will be new and some of the stages will be run in the opposite direction to previous editions. There will be a single Service Park located as usual along Olbia harbor.

There will be 344,73 timed kilometers divided into 17 special stages and a total route of 1040.35 km.

27/04/08 - Jordan Rally - Final

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini 8^th overall at Rally Jordan in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini finished 8^th overall the difficult and tricky Rally Jordan, that entered the main rally championship this year as fifth round of the season.

A real good recover for Galli after he had to retire yesterday afternoon, two stages before the end of the leg, re-entered the race under Super Rally rule and made his way up winning the last three stages of yesterday’s leg and posting some very good times during this last longest leg in the Jordan desert, that included the treacherous stage Jordan River 41.45 km long, one of the longest of the entire championship.

“We are definitely pleased with this result but we were disappointed with the problem on Friday.” Said Gigi at the and of the leg “On Saturday I really had to concentrate again and we found a good feeling and a good rhythm with the car and managed to set three fastest times so for sure I must be happy with this progress. Today was quite tough and the long stage made it a difficult way to finish the rally but now I have much more confidence going into my home rally in Sardinia.”

Galli’s team mates Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson, finished respectively 4^th and 5^th overall, all of them bringing important points for the Manufactures Championship.

“We’ve seen another fantastic performance from the entire Stobart team on what was a tough, demanding and tricky Jordan Rally.” Said Malcolm Wiilson, principal of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team “Gigi proved again that he has the speed as he set three fastest times during the rally, while Matthew and Henning both put in faultless drives. Three Stobart cars in the top-eight is ample proof of how they all drove with their heads and in a very sensible manner especially with the next rally so close.”

Rally Jordan started last Thursday along the coast of the Dead Sea at 420 m under seal level. It included 359 timed kilometers divided into 22 special stages. The heat with temperatures as high as 40°C, put a strain on all drivers. This morning there was a short shower, but before the rally started the route was almost completely dry again.

The gravel abrasive surface put a lot of strain also on the Scorpion Pirelli tyres, that proved anyway to be very reliable,

Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus RS) won the race; second place for Spaniard Dani Sordo (Citroen C4) who leaded the race for quite a long time, but he span in the last stage of the event losing over 40 seconds; third the Australian driver of Subaru Chris Atkinson who got on the podium for the fourth time this season. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Focus RS) who has been in the lead fighting with Sordo, lost over a minute in today’s second stage because of a broken rear left suspension. World rally Champions Sebastien Loeb, who retired yesterday morning, and re-started today, closed the race in 10^th place.

Next appointment for all World Rally drivers is Rally Italy, 15/18 May, in Sardinia.

Final Standings Jordan Rally 2008

26/04/08 - Jordan Rally - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini 10^th overall winning 3 special stages in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini are 10^th overall at the end of leg 2 of Rally Jordan, 5^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Yesterday the Italian crew of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team had to retire two stages before the end of the leg and they re-started today under Super Rally rule and therefore with 10 minutes penalty. Gigi’s rhythm today was quite good and steady and he won the last three special stages of the day.

It’s been another hard day for drivers today who tackle 109,84 timed kilometers divided into 8 special stages on a difficult route with some very narrow passes, on a hard surface often covered by gravel where it was difficult to find the right feeling and the right braking points and giving a hard time to the first drivers on the route. It was another very hot day with temperature as high as 40°C, tough on drivers and cars.

The Scorpion Pirelli tyres proved again to work well on this tough kind of surface.

“We have been going quite well this morning and the car is feeling very good after yesterday. “ said Gigi Galli at the end of the leg “I feel more relaxed today and am finding a good feeling and rhythm with car. I’m using my time now to make some changes and get a better feeling on gravel for the next few rallies so we are using the time to concentrate on learning more about the car. Malcolm (Wilson) gave me some good advices this morning and they have been useful and we obtained three fastest time this afternoon. I think that, before, I was attacking too hard trying to find the times but now I’m driving more smoothly and it feels a lot better like this. The car has really been great today and now I’m starting to feel the Pirelli tyres working with me. It’s going well and we are still looking good for some manufacturer points”.

The World Champion Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) who this morning passed his team mate Dani Sordo and settled on top of the classification, had to retire when Rautenbach (Citroen) hit his car on a road section after SS12. At this point Dani Sordo took the lead for a short time until Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Focus) passed him and leaded the race until the last special stage of the day when Sordo passed him. Sordo will be first on the road tomorrow sweeping the route for the following drivers.

Tomorrow the final day of Rally Jordan will start at 6.45 am and is going to be the longest one, with 134,24 timed kilometers divided into three special stages to be repeated twice, including the longest one of the rally, Jordan River, 41,45 km. The arrival will be tomorrow at 3.00 pm.

25/04/08 - Jordan Rally - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, had to stop today, they will re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini two special stages bifore the end of day 1 of Rally Jordan, had to stop and will re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule with 10 minutes penalty.

Two kilometers after the start of SS 6 Galli slid with the back of his Ford Focus into e bank and this caused a damage to the differential cooling system and the exhaust.

Rally Jordan, that entered the World Rally Championship this year for the first time, started yesterday evening with the Ceremonial start at Emaar South Park on the coast of the Dead Sea.

The real action started this morning at eight with a high temperature that grew during the day and reached 40°C, quite tough on drivers that had to tackle 115 timed kilometers.

Today’s leg provided 8 special stages, four to be repeated twice, in the region of the Jordan Valley. The gravel stages of the Jordan desert have a very hard surface, in some parts quite slippery with some asphalt parts, like towards the end of SS1/5, where cars reach the maximum speed. Other stages go along a hill side on very narrow roads, with drops on the side and others wide, fast and with flowing curves. The Pirelli Scorpion tyres were very good on this abrasive surface.

“Obviously I am very disappointed with my problem today as the rally was going quite well for me and I was starting to get a good feeling with the car. We slid on a slippy section of the stage and went backwards into a big bank of rocks and this damaged the diff cooler and I was unable to continue as the temperature rose so high; I didn’t want to cause a lot of damage. I hope the team can repair this for tomorrow as its very important for me to get back out there and learn more about this rally and this unique surface. The first loop of stages today went well for me and I was starting to find a good rhythm and getting more confidence with the car and I would like to continue with this progress tomorrow.”

Dani Sordo (Citroen), who won 3 stages today, is leading provisional standigs and his team mate Sebastien Loeb, who also won 3 stages today, is following him very close. Few seconds beheind them Jari-Matti Lavala (Ford) and Mikko Hirvonen (Ford).

Tomorrow’s leg will start at eight and the crews will head north towards the capital city Amman and provide other 4 special stages to be repeated twice for a total of 109,84 timed kilometers. Weather conditions will be again high temperature and dry. The arrival is at 16,29 after a 45 minutes service park.

30/03/08 - Rally Argentina - Final

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini finished 7^th overall in Rally Argentina, 4^th round of the FIA World Rally Championship in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.

Yesterday Gigi galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini had problems with the exhaust pipe of their car and despite the great job of the Ford Stobart team mechanics to repair the damage, the car couldn’t get out of the service on time and the Italian crew had to retire. At that point Gigi Galli was 4^th overall and had won one special stage and done some good times in the previous stages. This morning they re-start under SuperRally rule with 25 minutes penalty.

Last leg of rally Argentina provided 3 special stages, the famous and difficult El Condor and Giulio Cesare, two of the most tough stages of the entire Championship, and the final super special stage at the Cordoba stadium, that closed also the previous two legs, and this time has been disputed with inverted starts.

As usual the crowd of Argentine fans was huge and despite the rain that accompanied the whole event, the stages were packed with people.

Finishing 7^th Gigi Galli obtained important points for Ford in the manufacturers Championship.

“Last night I didn’t think I could finish the race 7^th” said Gigi “But well the race is not over until you get to the final ramp. It was a pity what happened yesterday, the mechanics did a great job and I really want to thank them. At the end of the day we finished the race and we drove some more kilometers on gravel. The car was feeling good despite the very poor weather conditions. We did some good times as well and won a stage, a good preparation for the next rally. We didn’t push too much this morning, we tried to keep a points position. The weather on the stages was really bad, rain and some fog. Despite the weather there were a lot of spectators along the stages. It’s been a tough race. Weather made problems for everyone. Now we will get ready for Rally Jordan in three weeks, that’s going to be new for all of us”.

Sebastien Loeb (Citroen C4) won Rally Argentina for the fourth time. He took the lead on SS5 and maintained his position to the end. Petter Solberg (Subaru), who was second., had an electric problem that stopped him on the first stage of the day and his team mate Chris Atkinson took his place. Third Dani Sordo (Citroen).

Final Standings Rally Argentina 2008

29/03/08 - Rally Argentina - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in the Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford, had to retire after the Service Park of mid day while they were in fourth position overall. They will re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule.

On SS 13, the last one before the mid-day Service, there were several rocks that gave problem also to other drivers. Gigi Galli hit one of these stones and damaged the exhaust pipe, he finished the stage despite the smoke that invaded the cockpit. At the Service Park mechanics start to repair the damage but they found out they were obliged to change the whole exhaust system and therefore the time was not enough and the car has been retired from the race and will re-start tomorrow under Super Rally rule with 25 minutes penalty.

“It’s a pity” said Gigi “It has been going well so far and we were in a good placement. Yesterday it’s been a tough day. Most of the stages were very muddy due to the heavy rain of these days. We were doing fine and we won also one stage. Pity. Tomorrow’s leg will help us getting some more experience with the car and the gravel”.

The first leg provided 9 SS and finished yesterday evening at 19.25. Gigi won SS 7 – San Marcos Charbonier 9,61 km – and obtained two best second times in SS 5 and 6..

This morning the 53 crews left the Service Park in Villa Carlos Paz at 06.10 and headed south of the town. Today’s leg is the longest of the rally with 154,38 timed kilometers. The last stage of the day will be again the Super Special (1,78 km) at the Cordoba Stadium. Crews will be back in Villa Carlos Paz at 19.25 for the last service

28/03/08 - Rally Argentina - First Leg

A good start for Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini, fifth after 5 of the 9 SS provided today, in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford  in a very wet Rally Argentina.

An incredibile crowd was following yesterday night in Cordoba the Ceremonial Start of Rally Argentina, fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The action began early this morning in a grey day, windy and rainy and with a thick fog on the first pass of the two first special stages.

Today’s nine special stages are located north of Villa Carlos Paz, HQ of the rally, there will be 4 stages to be repeated and a last stage at the Cordoba stadium.

The heavy rain of the last few days made the gravel route very muddy with deep ruts during the second pass of the 56 crews in the race.

After 5 SS Gigi Galli is 5^th and leading the group of Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, his team mate Matthew Wilson is 8^th. Gigi arrived to the Service Park with the rear part of his car damaged, mechanics had to repair the suspension and unfortunately the car exit the service with 2 minutes delay, so Galli got a 20 sec penalty. In SS 5 Galli obtained the second best time immediately behind Loeb (Citroen) actual leader of the race. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) has been leading the rally during the morning but in this stage hit a rock and has been oblige to retire and maybe re-start tomorrow with SuperRally.

“It’s been a good start” said Gigi “even if the bad weather made the first two stages really very tough. We drove very little on gravel so far and here I’m learning a lot about the behavior of the Ford Focus especially yhis morning on the wet. Let’s hope the second pas will be a little bit dryer”.

The race today provide another pass on three stages and the super special stage at the Cordoba stadium, that will close the day.

22/03/08 - Rally Argentina - Preview

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini on Argeninan mountains at their fourth race in the Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.

Argentina is as special race for Gigi Galli since here in 2006 he obtained his first podium finishing third. Is going to be his third participation in this race and he will try to obtain a good result after the third place in Sweden and after being very fast in Mexico before retirement. Despite his retirement in the last race Gigi Galli remains a well positioned fifth in the Drivers Championship.

Rally Argentina is always exciting, colored and joyful. The landscape changes from the vast pampa north from Villa Carlos Paz, venue of the Rally HQ, to the mountains on the west where the narrow gravel roads pass through a lunar like landscapes. The Argentine special stages differ a lot in their characteristics since the race passes through three different valleys. In general the roads are soft and sandy, with several water splashes, sometimes they become rutted during the second pass. The legendary stages called El Condor and Giulio Césare, instead are quite different from the rest of the route, narrow and rocky and do not allow errors. Another characteristic are the water splashes, cars fly through the fords raising high sprays of water, to the delight of the numerous spectators.

This year Rally Argentina is a little bit different from last year edition, it will always pass through three different valleys of the Cordoba province, each one of them offering different characteristics and landscapes, but some of the stages of the first leg have been cancelled and have been re-introduced two stages that haven’t been used in the two past editions. The first two days of race close with a new Super Special Stage at the Cordoba soccer stadium. 

The last leg will be run south-west of Villa Carlos Paz and is only 42 km but comprises the stages El Condor and Giulio Cesare at an altitude of  2195 m, two of the most difficult ad toughest  of the entire WRC.

Crews will tackle 21 special stages, 347,91 km, and a total route of  1619,45 km.

This year the rally has been moved forward in the calendar, temperature will be slightly lower than Maxico and this is going to be another test for the Pirelli Scorpio gravel tyres, that will require efforts by driver to heat them and obtain subsequently a better grip.

Here too the stages are quite high, some of them at approx 2000 m, and therefore robbing cars precious horsepower in the thin air.

This year driver will be hoping for dryer conditions, as last year a storm caused cancellation of the entire first leg, because several drivers got stuck at the Buenos Aires airport after the ceremonial start.

“I’m really happy to go back to Argentina. I have very good memories of the rally, not only because it’s where we got our first podium but also because of the fans; there are so many and you can feel their warmth. This is going to be the second race on gravel but is going to be different from Mexico. There, the stages were fast with a hard surface, while Argentine’s special stages are twisty with a soft and dirtier surface. It is going to be cooler than in Mexico and the tyres will take a little bit longer to get to the right temperature. Furthermore Argentina is famous for water splashes and this also will cool down tyres, so we have to consider this factor too. It’s been a pity we couldn’t finish Rally Mexico, it would have been helpful to get to know better the Ford Focus’s behaviour on gravel. Anyway we are ready for this new challenge and we hope to find again the good performances of the first two races. I’m also looking forward to the famous Argentine steaks, I love them!”

01/03/08 - Rally Mexico - Gigi has retired

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, have been obliged to retire from Rally Mexico after only 4 spèecial stages.

The problem with the suspension suffered by Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini yesterday in SS4 force them to retire from the leg and the team hoped to re-enter today under Super Rally rules, that provide a penalty of five minutes for each stage not disputed, but give the possibility to be back in the race.

Unfortunately the FIA commission found a damage to the roll cage and for safety reasons decided not to give the Italian crew the permission to continue.

Gigi Galli’s times in the first stages were quite good, but we have to wait until Rally Argentina at the end of this month, to see him back in action.

29/02/08 - Rally Mexico - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, unfortunately had to retire from the race due to a problem with the suspension and they might re-start tomorrow under the Super Rally Rule.

Rally Mexico, third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, started yesterday form the beautiful town of Guanajuato, approximately 50 km from the Rally HQ based in Leon. The opening ceremony full of music and colors, was attended by thousands of fans that invaded the narrow streets of this mining town designated by UNESCO Heritage of the World.

The rally itself started at 08.00 am in a clear sunny day. The first three stages of the day were located East of Leon and will be repeated this afternoon. The day will close with two pass on the short city stage.

It hasn’t rain much lately so the stages are covered with lose gravel.

In the first two special stages Gigi’s times were quite good, in the second one he obtained the second best time, then in the third stage, before the service park, the back part of the car slightly slid off road in a ditch and he lost one minute. “The first two stages went really well” said Gigi “The feeling with the car and the Pirelli Scorpion tyres was good and we were having a good pace. In the third stage we entered a left tight turn, I thought the road was wider then what it really was, I had to shift down but the car slid into a ditch. There were few spectators there so it took a little to get the car back on the road”.

Unfortunately short after the beginnig of special stage 4 Gigi’s car hit a rock breaking a suspension arm. Gigi and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini tried to fix it in order to finish the stage, but they lose too much time and therefore the team decided to stop them and try to re-enter the rally under Super Rally rule tomorrow. The final decision will be taken this evening when the car will be back at the service park and damages will be checked.

The first leg will end this evening at 17.08 at the second Service Park of the day.

Second leg will start tomorrow morning at 07.30 and provided 8 special stages.

25/02/08 - Rally Mexico - Preview

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini, first race with the Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team  Rally Mexico, 3^rd round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship.

After the good third place obtained in Sweden, Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini are getting ready to tackle their first gravel rally with the new car and the new team.

Rally Mexico is the first gravel round of the 2008 World Rally Championship and also the first one outside Europe. It’ll take place in Leon, approximately 400 km from Mexico City. The special stages, quite fast and flowing last year average speed reached 95 Kph, are located at approximately 2000 meters altitude and some stages of the first leg will reach 2700 meters above sea level.

Altitude is something to be taken into consideration during the race, because the thin air will affect engine and made them lose power.

Tyres without anti-deflation mousse will also play an important role. Pirelli, the only tyres supplier of the WRC, provided for these gravel and rocky stages tyres with a hard compound and used the experience  acquired with the “run-flat covers”, that have strongly reinforced sidewalls and therefore are harder and resist better to cuts and punctures.

The route of Rally Mexico is the same of last year with just very few changes in the first stages and it is also the shortest of the World rally Championship, 830,83 km total route length but 43 % of them competitive.

The race will start on Thursday February 28^th with the Ceremonial Start at Guanajuato, town designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site and famous for its beauty and an undergound road network. Last year there were over 60.000 fans at the ceremonial start.

“I can’t wait to be in Mexico” said Gigi Galli “I feel like a racing horse that can’t wait to get on the track. I took part in this race in 2005 but I only completed five special stages. Anyway we did the recce in 2006 and 2007 and this will help for sure. It’ll be difficult for us to compete at good level here not having completed this race before, but it doen’t matter It’ll be good to be there and understand the car behaviour on gravel and get used to the new Pirelli tyres we never used or tried before. Like every rally I set a pace on the first stage, see where we are and then develop the speed and feeling from there. Mexico is a wonderful place and the fans create a great atmosphere”.

Malcolm Wilson, Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal said:”The Stobart team head to Mexico sitting in a great position and with a good chance of finishing scoring points. Altitude and high temperatures will play a big part in this rally and it will be tough on drivers. Drivers will need full concentration to help the team maintain a strong position in the championship and continue to assist the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team at the top of the Manufacturer standings. Gigi has shown a level head on the first two events this year and already stepped onto the podium in Sweden. It will be a tricky first gravel event for him, however, he’ll learn how the car acts on a new surface”.

10/02/08 - Swedish Rally - Final

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in their Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, on the third step of the podium at the end of Rally Sweden, second round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship

A great result for Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini at their second race with the Ford Focus RS WRC in a kind of anomalous Rally Sweden characterized by little snow.

The third and last leg started this morning at 06.20 in a foggy morning. The 53 crews still in the race moved again up north near Hagfors to dispute the remaining six special stages. Special stage 18 has been cancelled due to road conditions.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini started quietly and didn’t push too much. The first three stages of this morning were tricky, with an icy start and the last part very slippery.

“I’m extremely happy with this result, both for the team and for us” said Gigi at the arrival “We hope it would happen but it was not easy to achieve. We started quietly this morning, the target was to maintain the position and control the gap with Petter Solberg (Subaru). A super weekend also for Ford, three cars on the podium! The car has gone really well and the Pirelli tyres did a splendid job considering also that they were supposed to be used on snow.It’s bee quite a tough race we tried to keep concentration high all the time and this result is really rewarding. I can’t wait to start the next race!”

Next appointment for the Italian crew is Rally Mexico (29^th February – 2 March), third round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship and first race on gravel.

Final Standings Rally Sweden 2008

09/02/08 - Swedish Rally - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in a Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, 3rd overall at the end of Leg 1 of Rally Sweden, second round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini at the end of leg two of Rally Sweden are 3^rd overall. A good position that the Italian crew is keeping under control. Of the 61 crews that started the rally, 58 left the Service Park of Karlstad this morning at 07.00, in a rainy and not too cold morning, moving north towards Hagfors were they tackle five special stages the second pass on SS Horssjon of 14,86 km, has been cancelled due to road conditions. The actual Wordl Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, after rolling yesterday towards the end of SS4, was able to restart this morning but at the end of today’s SS11 he has been obliged to retire due to engine problems. At mid-day service park Gigi Galli said he was satisfied of how things have been going and that he has been driving safely without pushing too much. The sudden tyres provided by Pirelli for this race, despite of the little snow and ice, did a great job.

“I’m really pleased with this position, I didn’t hope it would have been possible at the beginning of the race. I tried to maintain a good rhythm without pushing too much” said Gigi Galli in the Press Conference at the end of the leg “The Ford Focus has a good set up and balance and I feel at my ease. Third place is a very good position for us with the new car and in a strange Rally Sweden with little ice. After Henning (Solberg) retired we kept our position controlling the gap with Petter (Solberg). Tomorrow our tactic will be the same of today, a good pace without risking too much”.

Third and last leg of Rally Sweden will start tomorrow morning at 06.37. Crews will tackle 6 stages (97.22 km) again near Hagfors and will be back in karlstad for the final arrival at 14.58.

08/02/08 - Swedish Rally - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in a Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, 4^th overall at the end of Leg 2 of Rally Sweden, second round of the 2008 FIA World Rallt Championship

Rally Sweden started yesterday with the Super Special Stage of 1.9km at the Karlstad trotting track.

Despite the cold temperature the stands around the track were full of enthusiasts fans and even if there was little snow it was spectacular to see the powerful world rally cars confronting each other on a parallel floodlit track and loudly supported by fans.

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini posted the 6^th time overall. “It’s been nice to see so many fans despite of the cold weather” said Galli “Now we will focus on the real special stages that will start tomorrow. This morning at the Shakedown and also this evening during the super special, the feeling with the car was good”.

Today’s route provided six special stages, three to be repeated twice, with a total of 122,14 timed kilometers, in the area west of the Värmland region, with a remote service area in the town of Sunne. Crews then came back to karlstad to take part in the Super Special won by Gigi Galli.

Gigi Galli maintained a good pace for the whole day, rising from sixth to fourth position overall with constant times. “I’m glad of how things went so far” said Gigi “the feeling with the Ford Focus is good. I lost time in a corner I took a little bit too fast on a slippery surface on SS4, but on the whole I like the stages and we are in a good position. There is not much ice or snow on the stages but despite of this the Pirelli tyres are doing a very good job. In the last stage of the day we pushed a little bit more and it’s been fun. The race is still quite long so we are keeping a good pace and trying to improve”.

The second leg will start tomorrow at 07.07 from Karlstad, crews will then move north in the area of Hagfors were they will tackle the six stages of the day, 120.88 timed kilometers. The leg will finish at the Service Park in Karlstad at 17.25.

04/02/08 - Swedish Rally - Preview

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini at Rally Sweden, their second race with the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team and the Ford Focus RS WRC

This coming weekend will take place Rally Sweden, second round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship. Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini in a Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, after Rally Montecarlo, where they first drove this car, are now ready in the only real winter round of the whole season, Rally Sweden. Gigi Took part in this race seven times already and his best result so far has been a fourth place, only 7 seconds from the podium, in 2006. Living in Livigno, that’s on the Italian Alps, Gigi is used to drive on snow so he is hopes to get another good result now. Rally Sweden is a winter race, with icy surface and bank of snow along the route and one of the fastest rounds of the championship. The Pirelli tyres, with its assymetric design and the suds inserted during production procedure, which is a patent of the Italian manufacturer, will play an important role here.

The route has changed a bit this year, as a matter of fact the stages on Friday will be now located in the west part of the Värmland region and have been used in 2000 and 2001. The Remote Service Area will be located in Sunne known also as “fairy tale town”. Saturday and Sunday the special stages will be more or less the same used last year with just few changes and the Remote Service Area will be again in Hagfors. A total route of 1440,80km, with 320,24 timed kilometers, divided in 20 special stages, ten to be repeated twice. The Rally HQ will be in Karlstad and as in 2007, a Super Special Stage of 1,9km, will be run twice during the first day of the event, at the town trotting track.

“I like Sweden” said Gigi “We have good memories of this race. In 2005 I was fighting for the podium, before retiring due to mechanical problems and in 2006 we were within an ace from it. I like to drive sideways and on the snow, that’s why we did good in the past. I hope we would be able to get a good result and maybe fight for the podium once again. I’m still learning the car and this year I have to do what’s best for the team. We’ll see”.

“After the good results in Montecarlo I hope the team will do good here too and score points.”said Malcolm Wilson Chief of the team “henning (Solberg) was fourth last year and is a race were he feels comfortable. Two years ago Gigi (Galli) was leading the race for a while, so I think a podium is an affordable target”.

27/01/08 - Rally Montecarlo - Final

On conclusion of the opening round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship, Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team has all four crews in the top-ten. The superb result also puts the team equal third in the manufacturers' championship just three points behind the top spot.
Gigi Galli/Giovanni Bernacchini were the backbone of the team on this event as they set consistent stage times over all four days to comfortably finish sixth overall.
It has been a long and exciting start to the year with competition spread over four days, kicking off in Valence before returning home to Monte-Carlo for the close of proceedings. Snow on reconnaissance worried crews but a week long bout of good weather kept things fairly clean for competition; apart from patches of ice which were reported mainly on the opening two days.

For Italian Galli it has been a superb start to his first full season in the WRC and with the Stobart team. Using the event as a means of reacquainting himself with the intense speeds at which these cars travel, he has managed to finish Rallye Monte-Carlo as planned and in style. Continuing his flamboyant manner where he left off in Portugal last season, 35-year-old Galli was a hit on this opening round with many of his fans from the famous #25 fan club flocking from across Europe to support their WRC hero.
Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Gigi Galli said: "What a great start to the season for me. Now that I have a full year secured I am able to take time to adjust to the car and the most important thing for me in this rally was to get to the finish and learn as much as I can. To finish with drivers points and score points for the Stobart team makes it even more special. The Focus is really a wonderful rally car, I love driving it, and we got to grips with it sooner than I thought. For me the most important thing is to get to the end of this event. Last year I had to prove myself in three events but now I have the whole year to learn about the car and can push harder later in the year."
Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said: "It is a fantastic start to the season for the Stobart team; all four entered cars inside the top ten, both nominated crews scoring points and they have grabbed a strong position in the manufacturers' championship. For François tobe so close to a podium is a remarkable achievement and you must remember this is his first time in the car. It's very promising to see that the new guys have got to grips with the car and team so quickly."

Final Standings Rally Montecarlo

26/01/08 - Rally Montecarlo - Third Leg

Day three of Rallye Monte-Carlo has proved to be another top one for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team with both its nominated point scoring drivers inside the top-six overall.
François Duval/Eddy Chevailler are still right in the fight for a podium as they sit just 20 seconds behind Australian Chris Atkinson while Gigi Galli/Giovanni Bernacchini occupy sixth overall with a raft of consistency over the day.
Needing a wake-up call after an average night’s sleep, Galli leapt into gear and continually set impressive stage times over the afternoon. The Italian is still very much familiarising himself with the car but has been very positive in the fact he is learning a great deal every competitive kilometre covered.
Tomorrow sees the final day to this epic opening round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship season. The event will conclude as all crews race through the famous Col de Turini stage followed by the Monaco Circuit, a 2.7 kilometre time-pursuit over sections of the famed Monaco Grand Prix circuit.
Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Gigi Galli said:
“I found the stages difficult this morning as the temperatures were low and the roads very slippery. It was better for me to slow down and be careful and not make any mistakes. The afternoon was better though and the car and tyres and me were working much better on the dryer roads. But still for me the plan is to finish this rally and come away with as much experience of this car as possible.”
Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“It has been another great drama-free day for the Stobart team and especially for the point scoring crews. At the end of the day François is in a strong position to challenge for a podium finish tomorrow. It has been a good performance from Henning and Matthew and now we have four Stobart cars in the top eleven. None of the cars have had any problem either which is very positive.”

25/01/08 - Rally Montecarlo - Second Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini in a Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team are 7^th overall at the end of Day 2 of 76^th Rally Montecarlo.

At the end of day two of 76^th Rally Montecarlo Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini are 7^th overall.

Today drivers tacked 6 special stages, three to be repeated twice, in the area west of Valence. A total of 116,96 timed kilometers.

The day started under a cloudy sky and a strong wind blowing, than slowly the weather improved and the route dried except some parts that were therefore slippery. At mid of SS 7, of 16,30km, the steering power of Gigi’s car broke, but he was able to finish the stage and also the next one, even if it has been quite hard.

“I’m quite satisfied of how it went today2 said Gigi “The car is fine and I’m understanding it a little bit better and finding the right feeling and rhythm. I feel much more comfortable now. The first stage was a little bit tricky because some corners were dry and some dump and slippery and it was difficult to maintain the rhythm. At lunch time we made a few changes to the pace notes and the second pass was better. Pity we had that problem with the steering power, that broke at mid of the penultimate stage, we’ve lost time and the last stage before the service park has been difficult to drive. We are also understanding the new Pirelli tyres better, as everyone anyway, and therefore exploit them better too. There were lost of spectators along the route, both in the morning and in the afternoon. It’ really nice to see so many fans of this sport”.

24/01/08 - Rally Montecarlo - First Leg

Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini on Ford Focus RS WRC of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford, finished 7th overall the Day 1 of 76th Rally  Montecarlo, opening round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship.

The 2008 FIA World Rally Championship started tonight when the drivers tackled the first two special stages of Rally Montecarlo.

The two timed tests of 28,12 km and 17,58 km were run in dark and Gigi Galli maintained a godd pace, closing 7^th overall.

Gigi Galli decided for a cautious start in their first race after nine month stop.

In the last days weather forecast previewed snow, but today the day was clear and the route was dry so the Stobart team decided for the new Pirelli PZero slick tyres. Pirelli became the only tyres supplier for all the teams of the World Rally Championship.

“Tonight has been the first time I really drove this car and I think it went well. We drove clean and I liked the special stages, even if in some parts they were tricky. We did a few little mistakes on the first stage and we slid on an icy patch that we didn’t notice. The timed tests of today were quite fast and maybe not right for me , anyway we finished the first day and I’m happy. Tomorrow the leg will be quite long, I’ll try to keep a good pace without risking too much”.

20/01/08 - Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini at the 76° Rally Montecarlo

Gigi Galli and his co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini with the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team will take part in the 76^th Rallye Montecarlo, first round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship

The driver from Livigno, who signed an agreement with the British team, will compete in the 15 rounds of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship in a Ford Focus RS WRC07 of the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team, in its third season in the WRC. Galli and Bernacchini, who have been nominated to score points at Rally Montecarlo, have as team mates Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud, Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin, who have been with the team last year too and Francois Duval/Eddy Chevallier, new entry of this year as well.

On Sunday January 20^th, during the 2008 World Rally Championship launch at Automobile Club Monaco, will be presented the newblue and green livery of the Stobart team cars. On one side of the Ford Focus RS WRC07 Stobart, blue shades representing the multimodal services of the newly born Stobart Group while the other side will have the classic green of Stobart Motorsport.

Rallye Montecarlo is the only WRC round to run four full days' competition. The first three days will be based in the area of Valence, while the fourth and last day the competition moves south on the Alpes Maritime behind the Monaco Principality and after one year absence, it’s been reintroduced the legendary special stage Col de Turini. The last special 2.7 km stage of the event and one of the most spectaculars, will be run around the Monaco harbor and will cover many sections of the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The weather conditions will play an important role and drivers can expect to find snow, ice, wet and dry tarmac all in the same special stage. All team will have the new Pirelli tyres. The Italian company have been designated as sole supplier of tyres for the whole World Rally Championship. The event will have 19 special stages, a total of 365,09 timed kilometers, in a route of 1.481,25 km. 

“I feel a little rusty” said Gigi Galli “because in the last few months the only vehicle I’ve been driving is a digger I used to finish my mother’s house, it’s been fun but nothing to do with WRC cars! Joking apart I believe it’ll take a little time to find the right feeling with the car and the right pace again but then when we find the right feeling we will increase our pace and we’ll adjust our targets. Rallye Monte-Carlo is renowned for sudden changing conditions and being the first round of the season it keeps pressure on drivers quite high. Driving a car that won the last two manufacturers’ titles make us proud. We are also proud to be part of a team that, despite being young, has done very well already. I’m really looking forward to working with the team and it will be great to be part of such an impressive set-up.”

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team Principal Malcolm Wilson said: “It’s really exciting to see the Stobart team with such a strong line-up for their first event with both Gigi and François nominated for points. The team is further strengthened by Henning and Matthew who both put in strong performances on their last tarmac event in Ireland. This will be the first time the team competes with its striking new livery and it is also the first occasion where three Stobart liveried cars have competed on a round of the World Championship.”