Im,age: ZIPPO / Arena and the Subaru Impreza at the Rallye Sanremo Storico.

ZIPPO finishes 4th overall with the Subaru Impreza Group A

Delecour/Gordon, aboard the Michelin-tyred Peugeot 306 Maxi IKE, take victory in the final round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship, leading from the very first stage. ZIPPO/Arena make steady progress in their Impreza Group A to close out P4 overall and P1 Classic in the Italian Historic Championship.

Double success for IKE at the Sanremo Rallye Storico. Following their decisive victory at the Rallye Elba Storico - which crowned them European Champions - Delecour/Gordon, and the Michelin-tyred 306 Maxi IKE Racing dominated the final round of the FIA EHRC calendar on the legendary Ligurian tarmac. The pair asserted their lead from the very first special stage and, after taking 4 stage wins out of the 10 completed, secured overall victory with an ever-growing gap over a strong field of competitors. Zippo and Arena, competing in the Subaru Impreza IKE, claimed a solid P4 overall.

 
The win provided well-deserved satisfaction for the French driver, who finally adds the Riviera classic to his honours list (following numerous appearances, a third place in 1992, and a near-miss in 2000 during the event’s WRC era). It was equally gratifying for the 306 Maxi IKE, which demonstrated both its pace and reliability on the narrow, twisting mountain roads above Imperia.

 
It was also a highly rewarding result for Andrea “ZIPPO” Zivian, IKE team principal and the driving force behind the 306 Maxi rebuild project. On this occasion, Zivian put his race suit back on to drive another of his historic cars, the Subaru Impreza Group A, co-driven by experienced co-driver Nicola Arena.

 
Returning to the wheel of the Impreza for the first time in four years - and following a full year away from competition without any pre-rally testing or shakedown - ZIPPO steadily found his rhythm. The Reggio Emilia driver worked his way up the order to secure P4 overall in the FIA EHRC, a third-place finish in the pre-2000 category, and victory in the Classic class of the Italian Historic Championship.

 
The enduring Delecour tackled the tricky Ligurian tarmac with consistency and focus, enjoying every kilometer: “This rally feels tailored to the Maxi. On winding mountain roads, a car this zippy and responsive really comes into its own once you find the right rhythm. On top of that, thanks to the exceptional work by IKE, the car is even more competitive in terms of power and setup than it was in period. Combined with Michelin’s tyre expertise, we had everything in place to deliver the best possible outcome.”

 
ZIPPO was equally pleased with both the 306’s victory and his own performance: “Following our title win, this victory is a great reward for all the hard work poured into this iconic car. I’m delighted to have achieved the goals I set out when starting the 306 Maxi project, supported by a top-tier team and high-profile partners. It was also a great opportunity to test new solutions on the Subaru Impreza, which proved once again to be a fantastic, highly enjoyable car to drive. After such a long time away from racing, seeing our stage times steadily improve to take fourth overall against such strong opposition and machinery was immensely satisfying.”

 
European Champions Delecour/Gordon and the 306 Maxi IKE season is not finished yet. They are set to put on a great show for the fans at the Rally de Asturias Histórico – Carlos Sainz Tribute at the end of October.
 
Caption: Delecour / Gordon and the IKE Racing Peugeot 306 Maxi – ZIPPO / Arena and the Subaru Impreza at the Rallye Sanremo Storico.