Manslaughter Inquiry Opened After Fatal Rally Crash in Val d'Aveto

Rome — Prosecutors in Genoa have opened a manslaughter investigation following the death of Stefano Sappracone, 43, a co-driver killed on Sunday morning during the "Due Valli" special stage of the Val d'Aveto Rally.

Public prosecutor Valentina Terrile is expected to order an autopsy within the next few hours, alongside technical assessments of the vehicle and the circumstances of the crash. The car involved has already been seized by investigators.

Because the incident occurred on a closed circuit rather than a public road, the case has been registered as manslaughter rather than the more commonly applied charge of vehicular manslaughter, meaning the Highway Code's provisions on speed limits and mandatory equipment do not apply. Under Italian law, a driver in such circumstances is typically held liable only where there has been a serious or flagrant breach of race regulations or of the basic standards of sporting caution that is, where conduct exceeds the bounds of what is considered "acceptable risk" in competitive motorsport. In principle, liability could also extend to race organisers should the inquiry uncover clear negligence or mismanagement in how the event was run.

Organisers of the "Due Valli" stage have defended the safety record of the route, noting it has been used for competitive racing for more than thirty years without a previous fatality.

The crash comes amid growing scrutiny of safety standards at this type of motorsport event, following a weekend that claimed three lives across separate incidents. In a crash in Val d'Aveto, a car went off the track and fell into a ravine roughly six metres deep; the vehicle was almost completely destroyed on impact, with wreckage found scattered as far as four metres from the point of collision. Investigators are examining whether a mechanical fault may have caused the car to leave the track. Sappracone's co-driver has survived. Race stewards say the crash occurred at a point along the course where spectators were not prohibited from standing a detail likely to feature in the wider safety review, alongside an earlier crash in which two young men, Giuseppe Bisconti, 18, and Karol Greco, 20, lost their lives.

The same weekend, a further fatality was recorded in Sicily: Egidio Blandina, 29, of Messina, died after losing control of his motorcycle and colliding with a barrier during a race at the Punta Bianca kart circuit near Agrigento.

The cluster of deaths has prompted renewed calls for a broader review of safety protocols across Italian grassroots and semi-professional motorsport events.

PS