A nail-biting challenge unfolded on the second day of the Monza Rally Show, with four different winners across five special stages. Andrea Crugnola, showcasing impressive form, dominated the 11 km of Roggia 2 on frosty roads. However, his leadership crumbled in the next stage, the 33 km Grand Prix 1—the longest of the event—due to an intercooler failure on his Citroën C3. The four-time Italian champion lost precious time, allowing Marco Bonanomi (Skoda Fabia RS) to win the stage and Bostjan Avbelj (Skoda Fabia RS), competing with an Italian license, to take the overall lead.

Avbelj’s lead, however, was short-lived as Sami Pajari, the newly crowned WRC2 World Champion, claimed two consecutive stage wins (Grand Prix 2 and Parabolica 1) in his Toyota GR Yaris, moving to the top of the leaderboard.

In the last special stage, heavy rain added another twist as the Finnish driver struggled with poor tire choices on the slippery track, combined with a series of errors, finishing 12th. The stage win at Parabolica 2 went to Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia RS), who, alongside co-driver Konstantin Aleksandrov, went to bed as the overall leader. Andrea Crugnola is second, trailing by just 5.9 seconds, while former European Champion Hayden Paddon (Hyundai i20 N) sits third, 7.6 seconds behind. Pajari is fourth but has a deficit of 28.7 seconds.

Tony Cairoli, nine-time motocross world champion, is in 12th place with his Skoda Fabia RS, while Vincenzo Nibali continues his learning process in the Toyota Yaris GR.

The outcome of the Monza Rally Show will be decided in Sunday morning’s final two timed stages: Autodromo 2 (8:00 AM) and Roccolo 1 (10:06 AM), totaling 31 competitive kilometers.

Saturday also featured meet-and-greet sessions in the paddock with WRC stars Dani Sordo (Hyundai), Adrien Fourmaux (Ford), Giandomenico Basso, and former cycling champion Vincenzo Nibali, supported by Radiofreccia, the event’s official radio station.

Sunday morning will see the return of big names like Sebastien Ogier, Jari Matti Latvala, newly crowned World Champion Thierry Neuville, and Tony Cairoli.

At 1:00 PM, the Masters’ Show will kick off, featuring WRC stars. It will be streamed live on RaiPlay, Dazn, and ACI TV (Sky channel 228 and Tivusat 52), with a delayed broadcast on Rai Sport (channel 58) starting at 4:45 PM.