Final days of preparation for the great adventure in the hinterland
The best of Italian cross-country racing are competing, including the vintage podium of Artugna with Traglio, Cantarello, and Gazzetta, leading the way in the TH for rivals Ananasso, Bordonaro Jr., Colnaghi, and Tagliabue
May 7, 2026 - It's almost here, just one week to go until the Sardegna Rally Raid, the second round of the Italian Cross-Country Championship. Organized by ACI Sassari with the support of the Sardinia Region, the challenge will keep its secrets until the very end. But the evidence of a schedule featuring selective sectors of rare length for Italian off-road racing brings a different level to the competitive and emotional approach to this "event" race, a candidate for the 2027 FIA Rally Raid World Championship. These are the final days of preparation for the crews in Group TH, the category for vehicles with expired homologation. By regulation, these teams have equal chances of winning the overall title among prototypes, production-derived vehicles, and side-by-sides. However, due to fueling and seniority, they battle it out primarily in their vintage arena, which is spectacular and fun like few others. The Artugna Race podium, with Lorenzo Traglio - Stefano Fabiano (Nissan Pathfinder R50), Mauro Cantarellon - Federico Lezzi (BMW X3), Alberto Gazzetta - Andrea Pizzato (Suzuki New Jimny), is back in the mix alongside rivals Giuseppe Ananasso - Rocco Sbaraglia, Mario Bordonaro - Roberto Briani (both Suzuki Grand Vitara), Paola Tagliabue - Sandra Castellani (Nissan Terrano), and newcomer Filippo Colnaghi - Alice Cavagna (Nissan).
"The season started in the best possible way," Lorenzo Traglio points out, "with a beautiful and fast Artugna Race, despite the inclement weather. It was the perfect race to get into the swing of things after the winter break. Now Sardinia is my second time there, the first being several years ago. It's a truly fascinating adventure. I remember when my father (Maurizio, owner of Tecnosport) used to do it and his stories, which were filled with wonder. Now it's my turn, along with Stefano Fabiano. I had a great time with him at Artugna, and we immediately established a great connection."
"Artugna was a very tough race, solely due to the weather conditions," Mauro Cantarello explains, "because when there were glimpses of sunshine, we managed to gain ground in the standings. The puddles of water were truly treacherous; taken at high speed, they left a lot of room for imagination as to what lay ahead. From a smooth surface, in fact, we found ourselves with deep potholes, and the set-up suffered significantly; we even broke a rear spring. Towards the end, it was logical to manage the situation to bring home certain points. Our BMW makes the difference on flat surfaces and in the straights, but in the "broken" section, you have to carefully measure the accelerator. In Sardinia, as in Artugna, I will have Federico Lezzi at my side. Given my retirement last year due to a broken front suspension, we will opt for a race aimed at safeguarding the bike, with a thousand eyes open, because the island's terrain forces you to push but then betrays you with trial points you don't expect. Our first goal is to finish the race of the Two days, which is by no means a given. I think Sardinia is one of those races you have to manage from the first kilometer without ever giving too much confidence to the surface, aiming for a solid ranking position."
Alberto Gazzetta's analysis was more succinct: "The Artugna Race was very selective given the rain, but overall the terrain held up well. For Andrea Pizzato and I, it was an excellent race, zero errors and, despite a lot of caution, an excellent third place in the group which is gratifying. In Sardinia we will face all the opponents we faced in Friuli and maybe a few new ones. The more we are, the better, otherwise racing with just a few runners lacks the sense of challenge."
Italian Baja Press Office
