It’s not for points, it’s not for a championship, it’s purely for the thrill. But Rallylegend has become a legendary event in its own right: think flares being set off on hillsides as Paolo Diana sends a fluorescent yellow Fiat 131 sideways through every single hairpin turn he comes across, the crowds dozens-deep and reveling in the madness.
With popularity comes problems. Last year there were 110,000 fans packed inside the borders of San Marino, a micronation with a population a third of that size. That presents significant management headaches. But Rallylegend is working to make its increasing popularity sustainable.
Next year’s itinerary is being reshuffled to try and stop large crowds congregating in specific, small stretches of road – an attempt to keep overall spectator numbers high but avoid flashpoints of overfilling spectator areas that put the event’s running at risk.
Such has the event’s popularity swelled that the traditional safety caravan – the triple zero, double zero, and zero cars – isn’t even enough to check that crowds are standing where they should be.
Who wouldn't be drawn to a Delta S4 traveling through narrow streets under lights?
World Rally Championship-level popularity means WRC-level solutions are needed. Before any of the zero cars even set off, a spectator control system will be up and running to identify any crowd trouble faster than previous years and allow for faster fixes.
Diana only sends his Fiat through corners sideways, after all. Making sure the spectators are stood sufficiently far behind the tape is essential to safeguarding the rally’s future.
Memorial Bettega returns after hiatus
Remember Petter Solberg stood atop his Subaru Impreza at crawling speed, then proceeding to fall off it? Of course you do. It’s the sort of antics which enshrined Mr Hollywood’s nickname as justified.
Or there was the time his son Oliver, then just 16 years old, rolled a Ford Fiesta WRC – and still went on to finish second in the competition anyway, behind one Kalle Rovanperä. It may have been an exhibition event – but boy did rallying’s best embrace the spectacle, the celebration and the competition.
Solberg antics - father and son - typify the celebratory spectacle of Memorial Bettega
When the Bologna Motor Show came to a shuddering halt in 2017, so too did the Memorial Bettega. Until now. It’s back and it’s heading southeast to San Marino, weaved into Rallylegend’s final day itinerary.
A mix of Group B icons and World Rally Car machinery will face off on an adapted version of the ‘Legend’ superspecial, held in the Ciarulla industrial area of Serravalle that will allow for a superspecial-style head-to-head contest between two cars simultaneously.
“Forty years after my father’s passing,” said Alessandro Bettega, son of the late Attilio Bettega, “it is always heartening to know he is remembered.
“The Memorial Bettega in Bologna has always been one of the most cherished memories, and knowing it will come back to life at Rallylegend makes us very happy. It is an event truly dedicated to the fans, and there could be no better moment to honor his memory.”
