ERC
Praise from ERC legend Biaison makes Mabellini proud
FIA European Rally Championship legend Miki Biasion told Andrea Mabellini he “made a great race” after he finished second overall on Rally di Roma Capitale yesterday.
Mabellini was 3.7sec behind winner and two-time ERC champion Giandomenico Basso after he “pushed from the first to the very last kilometre”.
The result, the Italian’s first podium of the 2025 ERC season, has elevated him from fifth to second in the provisional standings. With three events remaining he’s 22 points behind leader Miko Marczyk, who finished Rally di Roma Capitale 3.7sec adrift of Mabellini in third place.
Biaison, who became European champion in 1983 before claiming back-to-back ERC titles in 1988 and 1989, was one of the first people to congratulate Mabellini at the finish in Fiuggi on Sunday evening.
Legend Biasion (right) was quick to praise Mabellini
© ERC
“He told to me we made a great race and this made me proud for a two-time world champion saying this to me,” The Racing Factory-run Mabellini said.
Of his performance alongside co-driver and partner Virigina Lenzi, 25-year-old Mabellini said: “I’m really happy, we missed some points in the Power Stage, but it’s okay like this, we had a great, great rally, we must be proud with what we have done, pushing for these championship points and everything. We enjoyed a lot the weekend and made a great day today, maybe yesterday we could find different solutions with the set-up but it’s okay like this and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Second place was the result of a start-to-finish push by Mabellini
© ERC
Škoda Fabia RS Rally2-driving Mabellini continued: “If you want to win the championship you must start every time with the goal to win every race. If it doesn’t come you must not be afraid or not happy but you must think why you don’t win the races. Finishing second overall, three seconds from the lead is not so bad. We pushed from the first to the very last kilometre of the rally. We missed all the points of the Power Stage by nine tenths – from first to fifth nine tenths in seven kilometres, it’s better than Formula One and it’s why we decide to stay [in the ERC], it’s important for us to keep up the pace for a bigger goal in the future.
We missed all the points of the Power Stage by nine tenths – from first to fifth nine tenths in seven kilometres, it’s better than Formula One and it’s why we decide to stay [in the ERC]
“We found a good set-up especially for today, everything was working well and I need to thank everybody who was behind us, the team, especially the team manager Aloísio Monteiro who is pushing me a lot. Also my engineer Manel, it’s perfect and everybody else who is involved in our project, the sponsors, the partners and also to Virgi who is always perfect.”
