Italian Rally Championship

The Italian Rally Championship was officially founded in 1961 with the 21. Coppa Riviera di Ponente. However, rally racing had already taken place in Italy since the late 1940s, in the years following the World War II, with the 1. Stella Alpina Rallye in 1947. But even before the World War II, during the Fascist period, in the 1930s, car races with rally-like characteristics were held, such as the Rome International Rally in 1931. The origin of Italian rallies derived from the first car races of the 1920s such as the Mille Miglia or the even older Targa Florio, in which automotive pioneers such as Vincenzo Lancia and Enzo Ferrari competed. In 1977, following the folded of the Targa Florio for safety reasons, the following year, in 1978, the Targa Florio Rally was established, which is considered its official continuation. Furthermore, the Targa Florio Classica was also established as a historical automotive re-enactment.^[2][3] But also the Mille Miglia in 1977, was re-established both as the Rally 1000 Miglia and as the Mille Miglia Storica. In conclusion, the Italian Rally Championship is not only an Italian sporting rally competition, but is also part of Italy's history and culture. Over the decades, the Italian Rally Championship has contributed to building Italian automotive culture and has also contributed and influenced the European Rally Championship and the World Rally Championship.

Among the first rally races in Italy was the Coppa delle Alpi, held for the first time in 1921, from August 7 to August 15, organised by the Automobile Club Milano. It took place in 5 editions until 1925. Since 2012, the Automobile Club Brescia has re-established it as a historical automotive re-enactment and it is currently included, in 2025, as the first event of the Campionato Italiano Grandi Eventi ACI Sport.^[4][5][6]

• Rallying in Italy