► Italian rally star returns to World RX
► In a Kia Rio! Or a car that looks like one, anyway
► Brand-new team, brand-new car
Gigi Galli: possibly the most spectacular driver in international rallying’s recent history. The Kia Rio: one of the least exciting cars of the last decade. In October 2016, the two unite (or should that be collide?) for the Italian round of the World Rallycross championship.
Italian sideways merchant Galli will line up at the Franciacorta circuit near Brescia in a newly-built car that vaguely resembles a Kia Rio, running in the Supercar class – possibly the only time you’ll read the words ‘Kia Rio’ and ‘Supercar’ in the same sentence. The car will be run by a new team, created by Galli himself and erstwhile co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini.
‘I am especially excited about creating a brand new team and car,’ says Galli. ‘We will introduce ourselves at the Italian World RX round at Franciacorta next month. Our aim is not to win, it would be foolish to think we could do that straightaway – we simply want to demonstrate how hard we have worked so far.’
If you’re not familiar with Galli’s enthusiastic driving style, take a look at the video below. Expect to see a Kia Rio achieve angles of the like never before seen…