After four special stages of the tarmac event, six Italian drivers occupy places in the top eight of the overall standings.
The host nation’s competitors are holding a commanding 1-2-3 lead. Andrea Crugnola currently leads the rally ahead of Giandomenico Basso and ERC regular Andrea Mabellini. The best-placed non-Italian is championship leader Mikolaj Marczyk, who is holding fourth position.
Polish driver Marczyk made a strong start to the rally by setting the fastest times on the opening two stages on Saturday morning. However, he dropped three places on the final stage of the loop after running long at a junction, finishing 4.5 seconds off Mabellini’s benchmark.
The top four are tightly packed after the morning stages. Basso trails Crugnola by just 0.7 seconds, with even smaller gaps behind: Mabellini sits only 1.1 seconds off the lead, while Marczyk is just 1.3 seconds adrift.
Behind Marczyk are two more Italians – Simone Campedelli and Bostjan Avbelj – both of whom are also within ten seconds of the rally lead. Norwegian veteran Mads Østberg is also within striking distance, 9.4 seconds from the top spot.
The ERC Junior category has kicked off under the control of Sweden’s Calle Carlberg. He holds an 11.3-second advantage over Spain’s Sergi Perez. Estonia’s Jaspar Vaher lies third, 20.6 seconds off the lead.
Three more special stages remain to be contested on Saturday in Rally di Roma Capitale. The event concludes on Sunday.
Rally di Roma Capitale standings after SS4/13:
| Sija | Kuljettaja | Auto | Aika |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Andrea Crugnola | Citroen | 33:30.4 |
| 2. | Giandomenico Basso | Skoda | +0.7 |
| 3. | Andrea Mabellini | Skoda | +1.1 |
| 4. | Mikolaj Marczyk | Skoda | +1.3 |
| 5. | Simone Campedelli | Skoda | +7.7 |
| 6. | Bostjan Avbelj | Skoda | +8.4 |
| 7. | Mads Østberg | Citroen | +9.4 |
| 8. | Roberto Dapra | Skoda | +14.0 |
