Factual

Lancia. La Leggenda Del Rally is the new Sky Original docuseries, coming on Sky Documentaries and streaming on NOW from June 3 at 9:15 p.m. On the same day, it will also air on Sky Sport Uno at 10:30 p.m.

Between the ‘70s and ‘90s, Italian rallying achieved unprecedented success and popularity, and among the names that dominated the world stage is that of Lancia: in more than 116 years of history, between dazzling moments of glory and disastrous downfalls, this is the brand that has won the most in rally competition.

The 3-part series centres on this brand’s cars that raced and won the most adventurous races, and on those who imagined, built and drove them to victory. Born in the mid-1960s with little budget and a great desire to win, the Lancia Racing Department marks the story of an all-Italian excellence that led the small Lancia Fulvia Coupé HF to win, against all odds, its first World Championship in 1972. The episodes retrace this adventure through the voices of the protagonists, first and foremost Cesare Fiorio, Team Principal, and Gianni Tonti, Technical Director, two representatives of the golden years; but the story also includes drivers, designers, journalists and fans.

The series will also revisit the story of legendary cars that studded Lancia's success, starting from the Stratos, the first car designed specifically for rallying, in the mid-1970s; on to the Rally 037 in 1983, which led to the historic Monte Carlo victory; then, the creation of the Delta S4, protagonist of the accident at the 1986 Tour de Corse that marked the history of motorsport forever; the Reparto Corse; and the Delta HF Integrale, which earned an all-Italian victory at the 1988 and 1989 world championships, even winning the very complicated Safari Rally, which it had never managed to achieve.

By the '90s, rallying was a collective phenomenon, a national sport that was followed and supported. But after winning five consecutive manufacturers' world titles (a record still unbeaten), at the end of 1991 Lancia announced its farewell to the world of rallying, leaving everyone stunned.

The Lancia Racing Department affirms itself in the latter decades of the twentieth century by remaining faithful to its own values of innovation and ingenious creativity that transformed it into a way of seeing the world, influencing the history of this sport and of our country. Telling us about this adventure are Massimo "Miki" Biasion (driver, world champion 1988-89), Claudio Bortoletto (Team Principal Jolly Club 1975-2000), Carlo Cavicchi (journalist and writer), Andrea Cordovani (journalist and director of Autosprint), Alex Fiorio (driver, world champion Group N 1987), Cesare Fiorio (Team Principal Lancia Corse 1965-1989), Roberto Giolito (Head of Heritage Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Abarth), Sergio Limone (Abarth design engineer 1972-2005), Claudio Lombardi (Lancia/Abarth engine manager 1976-83 and Lancia Corse technical director 1984-89), Luca Napolitano (Lancia Brand CEO), Fabrizia Pons (navigator), Riccardo Scamarcio (actor and producer), Beppe Severgnini (journalist and writer), Tiziano Siviero (navigator, world champion 1988-89) Harri Toivonen (driver), Gianni Tonti (Lancia Corse technical director 1967-1984) and Ottavio Tonti (test driver).

Lancia. La Leggenda Del Rally is a 3-episode Sky Original docuseries produced by Sky and TIWI, from an idea by Matteo Chiarugi Bacci, written by Donato Dallavalle and directed by Andrea Calderone. Original soundtrack for the series was composed and performed by Rodrigo D'Erasmo, Jacopo Volpe and Riccardo Puddu.