He may have struggled to land a regular ride on this year's World Rally Championship, but Gigi Galli showed that he had lost none of his flair by winning the annual rallysprint at the Bologna Motor Show.

Ranged against WRC rivals Toni Gardemeister, driving a Citroen, and Subaru's Chris Atkinson, amongst others, Galli took his Bozian-run Peugeot 307 WRC to success on a tight course laid out in the grounds of the city's exhibition centre.

Victory in 'the Bettega' - named after late Italian rally star Attilio Bettega - was not the first for Galli, who successfully defended the title he won last year at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer. This year, however, he dominated proceedings, taking his bright yellow Pirelli-liveried mount to a 3-1 win in the best-of-five final against Gardemeister, and breaking the 'stage record'.

“I am delighted with a second consecutive success at Bologna,” an emotional Galli admitted, "After getting some good results with the Peugeot on various rounds of the world championship this year, winning the Memorial Bettega is very pleasing. Now I hope this victory will earn me a good programme for 2007.”

Atkinson took third place on the podium, beating Trofeo WRC Italia champion Tobia Cavallini, to give Pirelli a successful end to a difficult season, which also saw the Italian manufacturer clinch victories with Anton Alen, in the Subaru Impreza Cup, and Tonino Tognana - fittingly at the wheel of a Bettega-era Lancia Rally 037 - in the Historic Rally section.