The 35th edition of the Rally della Lana, a characteristic sporting event in the city of Biella, home of SafetyDrugs, was held on 29 and 30 July 2022.

What is the Rally della Lana

The Rally della Lana is the most awaited car race in the Biella area. It was born in 1973 as a “Regularità Sprint” and in 1978 it was promoted to “International Rally”. It soon became one of the most demanding tests of the entire Italian Rally Championship at the time. The race was held annually until 2001.
After a 17-year break, in 2018 thanks to “Rally Lana Alive” and “New Turbomark”, the Rally della Lana is given new life.
This year its 35th edition is taking place, which will take place on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 July 2022 and has recorded record figures. In fact, the 119 crews entered marked the season’s record for entries for a race in the Italian Asphalt Rally Championship, of which the Biella competition is part this year.

The program of the Rally della Lana 2022

The departure took place in Piazza Martiri, in the center of the city of Biella, at 21. The event ended on 30 July.

In these two days of competition there were 7 special stages.

SS1 City of Biella – 23.55 km – Friday 29 July at 21:23
This is the longest stage of the event. After the departure from the city centre, the first test was the suggestive night climb to Oropa, which this year was enriched with a new piece of road and inherited a part from the old Tracciolino test.

SS 2-5 Bielmonte – 10.40km – Saturday 30 July 8.38am and 2.32pm
The Bielmonte stretch is characterized by steep stretches, but with decidedly good asphalt grip. The riders raced this course over two stages.

SS 3-6 Ailoche – 11.50km – Saturday 30 July 9.36am and 3.30pm
This path has also been tackled twice. It is a challenging stretch as it is full of hairpin bends and with an abrasive surface.

SS 4-7 Curino – 13.35km – Saturday 30 July 10.12am and 4.06pm
Curino is a historic and characteristic route of the Rally della Lana. A particularity of this year is that it was covered in reverse, for two stages, therefore starting from Pray to arrive in Baltigati.

The advice of the expert

Fabrizio Ratiglia, a former rally driver who has participated in the Rally della Lana in the past, commented on the tracks that he himself covered.

Stage 1 City of Biella: Wide roadway, to be exploited in every centimeter to maintain speed and smoothness as much as possible. It is therefore important not to “engage” the car too much when cornering but to always try to have the wheels straight as soon as possible so as to be able to anticipate the opening of the gas on exit.

PS 2-5 Bielmonte: It’s a special stage where the “engine” plays a fundamental role but where it’s not enough to press the pedal and rely on the mechanics. It is a track that must be interpreted by trying to make the best use of the trajectories, which must be identified with millimeter precision right from the reconnaissance. So the reconnaissance work will be very important.

PS 3-6 Ailoche: To be able to make the “time” you shouldn’t miss even one of them, trying to be as profitable as possible within them, perhaps even sacrificing show and crushing.

PS 4-7 Curino: Uphill start, pay attention to the first flat section full of cuts (or anti-cuts) so the road could get quite dirty. After the first flat stretch comes the descent to the inversion of Curino: in this stretch the difference will be made, especially from Santa Maria onwards. Wide roadway, to be exploited in every centimetre. Last stretch without any particular pitfalls but you have to get there with your head, body and mechanical equipment at the top. And whoever wins the stop control will be a triumph.

How the Rally della Lana 2022 went

The victory went to Corrado Pinzano from Biella, flanked by Marco Zegna, on board a VolksWagen Polo GTi R5. With the success in the home tournament, they also took second place in the temporary classification of the Italian Asphalt Rally Championship, of which the Rally Lana makes up the fourth act.

On the podium of the Rally Lana we find Corrado Fontana and Nicola Arena in second place with a Hyundai i20 WRC, immediately followed by Marco Signor, paired with Bonato on a Skoda Fabia Rally2, who still remain first in the standings in the Italian Asphalt Rally Championship.

Max Application for the Rally della Lana

Max Application is a Biella-based IT company that has developed SafetyDrugs, a specific software for pharmacovigilance. In addition to the passion for technology, as Biellese we also have a passion for the Rally della Lana. We are proud to have supported the most awaited sporting event in the city again this year. The collaboration between Max Application and the Rally della Lana has been going on for years and years and it excites us.