At the Bologna Motor Show Fiat is celebrating the stunning maiden year success of its triple championship winning new Grande Punto Super2000 racer, while at the same time launching the new low-cost Grande Punto R3D/VK rally machine which is set to form the basis of a new 'Trofeo' series.

The two exciting cars, both are painted white and featuring red and green flashes as well as large Abarth branding and logos, and #1 emblazoned on the Super2000 machine while #2 is carried by the R3D/VK, are lined up with another new rally machine - the tiny Panda Dakar. The three new competition cars each emphasise Fiat's renewed commitment to the area of top-line and grass-roots rallying, and follow in the footsteps of proven legends such as the Fiat 124 and 131.

The Fiat Grande Punto Super2000 has had a stunning first season of rallying, winning the Italian Rally Championship (CIR) outright in the hands of Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi and the FIA European Rally Championship and Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) driven by Giandomenico Basso with co-driver Mitia Dotta alongside. Next year the IRC will expand to 9 rounds and Fiat will line up for the start of the first event in Nairobi on 9th March with two cars, Basso being joined by Andrea Navarra who contested the CIR this year.
 

The organisers of the IRC are also at the Bologna Motor Show this week, announcing some mild revisions to the provisional calendar and confirming that three other major car manufacturers have now committed to the 2007 series alongside the two car Fiat entry.

Meanwhile alongside the rally winner in Bologna a very special new racing car, also based on the Grande Punto, and set to be known as the R3D/VK has been presented for the first time. Developed on the basis of a standard production car equipped with the 1.9 Multijet engine, the Grande Punto R3D/VK has been developed to meet the regulations of Group R, a new sanctioned category which will come into force in 2007, permitting clients to compete in rallies in Italy and abroad. The novelty of this car though lies in the turbodiesel engine. This has been prepared by Fiat Powertrain Technologies to maintain and actually increase the good power delivery already achieved on the standard model: 185 bhp at approximately 4500 rpm and peak torque of 36 kgm at 2500 rpm. Changes have also been made to the brakes and suspension to adapt them to the increased stress that a rally entails. The Grande Punto R3D/VK will form the basis of a new 'Trofeo' series.