First appointment at the Slalom 4 Zone Cup and it’s already time for celebrations in the Motor Valley Racing Division, thanks to Michele De Cristofaro, who put on a performance as risky as it was productive aboard his Peugeot 205 Rallye, climbing to the third step of the podium in the rating.
The driver from Manfredonia had already joined the Modena-based partnership last year, an investment that had already achieved excellent results at the Monte Sant’Angelo, a test race in which the Sipontino had taken measures with regard to the CZS registered in 2023 .
On May 1, the first appointment of the series between the gates in the region where Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria appear as protagonists, took place on the occasion of the twentieth edition of the Slalom Cup City of Picerno, also considered the sixth Memorial Canio Vazza.
Particularly adverse weather conditions put all competitors to the test and made the exploratory heat crucial to find the right setup on the car.
De Cristofaro archived practice with a good second place in the SS group, the only starter in the S4 class, and a twenty-fifth overall to work from with the race in mind.
“I’m only my second year on the job” – says De Cristofaro – “and the debut was in 2022 with the Motor Valley Racing Division. I am pleased to have renewed my collaboration with them and I take this opportunity to thank them. The practice lap was like a test for the tires and the setup as I didn’t know the Picerno circuit at all.”
The Emilia team’s only forward pulled a real rabbit out of the hat and threw his heart over the obstacle to place an already decisive shoulder in the first round.
Clear course and a third overall which, together with the second in the SS group and the primacy in S4, given the progressive deterioration of the weather conditions that did not allow improvement, made the crucial passage for the calculation of the final score in times.
“Even though it was raining and I had slippery tyres” – adds De Cristofaro – “I pushed hard in the first heat. This resulted in a third absolute time, which was then decisive for the final result. In the second race the rain had increased and to be honest I didn’t want to take any risks, drive carefully and try to hold my position. In the third and final stage many, including me, decided not to go because the conditions were almost unthinkable. The car has evolved, so it will take me some time to get the most out of it, but I can only be happy with the result and the work of the whole team. Thanks to D’Errico Motorsport, to the Motor Valley Racing Division, to our partners, to my family and to the many friends who always support me at the race or at home. We opened the season in the best possible way in the Slalom 4 Zone Cup and now we will try to keep doing well, starting with the next City of Grassano Cup, which will be held in June. Despite the bad weather it was a great day, let’s hope it continues.”
