A victory built on a steady pace after main rivals Schiumarini and Manocchi incurred time penalties.
Saturday, September 26, 2026 – The course for the 3rd Baja dello Stella—winding through a network of dirt tracks across the municipalities of Rivignano Teor, Varmo, Palazzolo dello Stella, and Talmassons—was spectacular, fun, and universally acclaimed. Above all, just like last year—when siblings Kevin (not yet eighteen) and Giada Manocchi (who drove during the road sections) triumphed—the event organized by Luca Paron’s "Motori dello Stella" team delivered a delightful and, this time, truly unexpected "first": a victory for Riccardo Benettolo and Martina Musiari in a T3-class (lightweight tubular chassis) Taurus Max, with a total time of 1:30:47.0.
They achieved this feat through consistent driving after their main rivals—Andrea Schiumarini (co-driven by Daniele Fontana Sacchetti in a Can-Am Maverick) and the young Manocchi duo (in a Yamaha YXZ 1000R)—were hit with time penalties of 2 minutes and 2 minutes 40 seconds, respectively. The driver from Padua did an excellent job of keeping his cool while his pursuers pushed furiously behind him; Schiumarini finished second, trailing by 21.8 seconds, while Manocchi Jr. finished 1 minute 45.2 seconds back.
A look at the standings reveals that Zoltan Garamvolgyi took second place overall in his Garilla X3 Evo, finishing just 15.1 seconds behind—despite also incurring a 10-second penalty for a delay at a time control. However, the Hungarian guest driver competed as a "shadow" entry regarding the Italian Cross-Country Championship standings—a title fight that will ultimately be decided on his home turf in Hungary in mid-November at the "Raid of the Champions," an event with a double-points coefficient capable of overturning the provisional rankings after four of the five ACI Sport CI2C rounds. All the series' key players will be there, including Martin Alejandro Cisella, who currently holds the overall lead. Driving a Can-Am Maverick, the "Gaucho" secured fourth-place points at the Stella event, capping off a magnificent debut season marked by great humility and infectious enthusiasm. Multi-champion Lorenzo Codecà displayed the same attitude despite his eleven (!) championship titles; he finished sixth overall (including Garamvolgyi), fifth among the Italian championship contenders at the Stella, and first in the T1 (prototype) class in a Suzuki Grand Vitara pushed to the absolute limit. His friend and direct rival, Alfio Bordonaro, was trailing by 13.7 seconds at the halfway mark—setting the stage for a duel to the finish—but the driver from Catania was thwarted by clutch failure on the third lap and forced to retire. Alessandro Trivini Bellini finished seventh and was satisfied with the result. The Mantua native, driving a Group T4 Can-Am Maverick, improved with every pass and remains a title contender to watch. Michele Manocchi took eighth place; a racing dad who wears both driver’s and mechanic’s overalls to keep the team's other Yamaha competitive. Ninth place went to Fabio Samsa from Trieste in the ultra-muscular Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+—a "spaceship" that is far from easy to handle; that "plus" factor makes it a handful in the tight sections of the Stella (and similar races), as the vehicle is notoriously difficult to maneuver through corners. Lucio Rossi rounded out the top ten in another Yamaha YXZ1000R; while he thoroughly enjoyed the event, it is worth noting that back in March, he had actually claimed the third step of the podium at the Italian Baja di Primavera – Artugna Race. Combining yesterday’s “Giulia Maroni” prologue (6.520 km) with the four runs through today’s “Terre dello Stella” selective section (29.410 km) resulted in over 120 km of timed track—much to the delight of the competitors who managed to complete the full distance. Mauro Cantarello finally stepped into the spotlight, finishing twelfth overall and first in the TH class (for vehicles with expired homologation); he carefully managed his BMW X3’s performance to narrowly beat Maurizio Traglio (Nissan Patrol Y60A), with Stefano Moro (Mitsubishi Pajero) finishing just a bit further back. Gianluca Morra was also pleased with his victory in Group T2 (production vehicles), a category that remains an “unofficial” Suzuki one-make series. The driver from Novara finished ahead of rivals Michele Abeniacar and Fabio Acajou, while a bodywork crack on Matteo Da Rin Spaletta’s Vitara—previously patched up after the Italian Baja—reopened mid-race.
RALLY TROPHY. As was the case at the Artugna Race, rally cars took to the stage today during the second pass of the “Terre dello Stella” selective section (having completed the first pass as a reconnaissance run). They covered only the initial timed segment of 17.640 km—stopping before the controlled-speed neutralization zone required for the cross-country vehicles. Alberto Carniello, driving a Skoda Fabia R5, won with a total time of 44:21.7, finishing just 15.9 seconds ahead of Piergiorgio Di Piazza (Hyundai i20 N), who incurred a 10-second penalty for arriving late at a time control. Third place went to Alessandro Succi in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX—a car that remains competitive but lacks the horsepower of the top two.
Italian Baja Press Office
Mike's photo
