Gigi Galli is the 2022 King of Tandalò

The driver from Livigno claims the crown in the final “manscione”, becoming the first winner at the event organised by Tandalò Motorsport and drivEvent Adventure. Strong performances from Paolo Andreucci, second, and Marcello Gallo, third. Among the local drivers, Valentino Ledda, Quirico Fundoni and Quirico Beccu stood out.

Gigi Galli left his mark on the Tandalò Hillclimb. He is the 2022 King of Tandalò, earning the title in style and delighting fans and spectators with a superb drive in his Kia Rio RX (Team Autoservice Sport), a car he had never before managed to take to the top of the standings. Galli, a former World Rally Championship driver who proudly represented Italy, claimed it all: the race win, the fastest time and the 2022 King’s crown. “I’m really pleased,” he said at the finish. “For one reason or another, the win had eluded me. Yesterday we had a minor driveshaft problem, which the team quickly fixed, and we got it done. Racing this car on this incredible course was fantastic. Thanks to the organisers for doing a brilliant job.” Finishing behind Galli in the battle for the King of Tandalò title was another star of this year’s event: Paolo Andreucci, co-driven by sports journalist Irene Saderini. Irene threw herself into a new role, helping the crew fight for the crown with a spectacular run on the “manscione”. An emotional moment came during the prize-giving, when Irene received the trophy in memory of Nicola Imperio, on the anniversary of his passing. Nicola’s daughter, Michela, and his wife, Pina, were embraced in spirit by sustained applause, while Rachele Somaschini, who competed alongside Michela this weekend, read a tribute written by her co-driver and friend in memory of her father. Marcello Gallo finished third, after playing a leading role throughout the weekend. At the end of the first day, Gallo was actually leading the Atipica e Sperimentale event and made a serious bid for the King’s crown. But a late mistake damaged his kart-cross and put paid to his chances of climbing further up the podium. In a light-hearted finale, the driver from Cusio arrived at the prize-giving area on a recovery truck, to applause from the many spectators. The weekend delivered plenty of excitement. Conditions were challenging, with the weather making everything more difficult, but the event team did a great job and the event ran as scheduled, despite selling out with 123 entries and eight nations represented, in addition to Italy. Before the “manscione”, competitors also battled for the race standings. Five special stages—five climbs—with two separate classifications: the Italian Dirt Speed Championship, for which Tandalò was the final round, and the Atipica e Sperimentale event. In the Italian Dirt Speed Championship, Christian Tiramani beat the field in his Kamikaz K3 Kawasaki (Griusrallysport), winning Group 3 Kart-Cross, though he missed out on the top spot in the “manscione”. Close behind him in the overall standings was an excellent Valentino Ledda (Yacar Suzuki/Team Autoservice), who flew the Sardinian flag. A puncture on the final climb slowed him down, but he still ended the season with a race win and the Group 3 Junior Kart-Cross title. Alessandro Negri (Subaru Impreza) won Group 2 TAX, while Davide Negri (Proto Hosek) took Group 5 Super Buggy and also posted the third-fastest overall time in the CIVST. Fabio Bellotto (F&S Suzuki/Scuderia Testadoro) completed the group wins with a solo victory in Group 2 Buggy 1.6. Gigi Galli also won the Atipica e Sperimentale event, along with the Open Category and the 1st #correreperunrespiro Trophy, linked to the fundraiser promoted by Rachele Somaschini in support of the Italian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation. Marcello Gallo took second, while 2021 King, Spaniard Abel Jurado Palacio (Yacar), finished third, winning the Kart-Cross Category. He was followed by Paolo Andreucci and Irene Saderini, who took first in the Rally Category in their Skoda Fabia R5. Matteo Fontana and Alessandro Arnaboldi (Hyundai i20 R5/Bluthunder Racing Italy) put in an impressive performance, finishing second in the Rally Category and fifth overall on their debut in this car and in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Rounding out the top ten: sixth, Daniel Alejandro Remunian Grana (Yacar); seventh, Raffaele Silvestri (Kamikaz Kawasak/Nico Racing); eighth, Quirico Fundoni, the top Sardinian driver (Suzuki 600/Tandalò Motorsport), followed by another representative of Sardinia, Quirico Beccu (Yacar/Tandalò Motorsport). Slovakian driver Tomi Barati (TBA Racing) finished tenth and was the top Under-25 competitor. Rachele Somaschini and Michela Imperio (Citroen C3 Rally2), who competed with number 1 in this emotion-filled weekend, deservedly won the women’s classification.