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| On the 3rd and 4th of November 2012, several Sicilian drivers crossed over to Malta to challenge their Maltese counterparts for a 2-day event organised by the M.M.O.R.R.C. at their Rinella track. On Saturday, the first practice heats took place with all the drivers trying to find their best setup on the newly re-laid surface. The next day, the temperature was much colder and the track had taken its fair share of beating in the previous dayâ™s heats. So it was back to finding the best setups. |
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| In the F2 Buggy, 17 drivers registered for this category. After some awesome driving in the semi-finals, 12 drivers qualified for the final. After the first lap, Keith Schembri, who had started on pole, Dillon Cassar and Paul Said (all XRAY) filled the top positions. After a few laps, Adriano Di Rosa had to spend 7 minutes in the pits due to an electrical problem. Problems for Schembri and Cassar forced them out of the fight for the podium. Noel Galea (XRAY) lead the race for 11 laps but was forced to retire due to engine problems. From then onwards Francesco Bongiovanni took the lead and maintained it till the end finishing with a 28 second lead. He was followed by XRAY drivers Matthew Farrugia in second place and Paul Said in third. |
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| Final F2 Buggy |
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1. Francesco Bongiovanni (Sicily)
2. Matthew Farrugia (Malta) - XRAY XB9
3. Paul Said (Malta) - XRAY XB9 |
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| In the Truggy class, 12 drivers qualified for this final, with Dillon Cassar (XRAY) obtaining P1. Cassar, Gero Santonocito and Giovanni Crisafulli, were among the favourites to win this race. After a scrappy start during which several cars ended in a pile-up, it was Lawrence Mangion (XRAY), starting 11th on the grid, who took the lead after the first lap. Lawrence kept this lead for the whole 26 laps, finishing first, 18 seconds ahead of Noel Micallef. Noel Galea (XRAY) obtained third place. |
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| Final Truggy |
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1. Lawrence Mangion (Malta) - XRAY XT8
2. Noel Micallef (Malta)
3. Noel Galea (Malta) - XRAY XT8
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| In the F1 Buggy, it was a much awaited contest between the top Maltese and Sicilian drivers, with Giuliano Giusa, the Siciliansâ™ top driver, starting at P1. After the first few laps it was still very tight with several drivers in the reckoning, including Giusa, Noel Micallef, Frank Azzopardi, Clint Galea and Kyle Spiteri (XRAY). By lap 10, the running order was Azzopardi, Spiteri, Galea and Giusa, but this was constantly changing. |
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| But half way through the race it was Spiteri who took the lead, and thanks to his consistent faultless driving, managed to keep this lead till the end to take the chequered flag. In fact, Maltaâ™s current offroad champion, covered 38 laps with his Picco powered XRAY XB9, finishing almost two laps ahead of Giuliano Giusa who had to fend off a very strong challenge by Clint Galea till the very end. |
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| Final F1 Buggy |
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1. Kyle Spiteri (Malta) - XRAY XB9
2. Giuliano Giusa (Sicily)
3. Clint Galea (Malta)
This was the very first Malta-Sicily RC Offroad Challenge, and from the enthusiasm shown, will certainly not be the last. |
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