The 66-year-old from Varese in 2022 world champion of the WRC2 Masters division, dedicated to the drivers of Skoda Fabia, Citroen C3, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20 specific Rally2: from two to four wheels, here is his career
Nico Patrizi
November 14th
– Milan
Until a couple of years ago, for the most ardent Italian rally enthusiasts, Mauro Miele was considered a private individual of good caliber with a conspicuous palmarés forfeited exclusively on a national level. From today, however, the 66-year-old from Varese has succeeded in a feat that makes him much more than a simple good-level “gentleman driver”. On the very difficult asphalt of the Japan Rally, Miele managed to become the first World Champion of the WRC2 Masters division, a category dedicated to the most expert drivers behind the wheel of Skoda Fabia, Citroen C3, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20 in Rally 2 specification. : the Lombard managed to conquer an incredible second place in Asahi Kougen’s Power Stage, thus forfeiting four points for the overall World Championship. In this article we retrace the honest career of the new champion.
who is mauro honey
–
Emerged in his youth as a highly capable driver in Motocross, where he obtained several titles, in 1986 Miele decided to make the “leap” to motor sport and rallies. The chosen car is the legendary Lancia 037 with Mario Manzoni as navigator. The combination is immediately strong and at the “homemade” Rally of Varese there is immediately a good absolute victory. The Miele-037 combination continued for two years then the new rules “forced” him to switch to the BMW M3 E30. Already in the first season the first forays beyond Northern Italy arrive with a good victory in Sicily, at the Ionian Rally. Miele continued to compete with BMW for many years, achieving further victories especially in the “territory” of the North West: the pairing of the Orobic Prealps-Rally dei Vini e del Palio achieved in 1991 was memorable. 2000s, and thanks to the rally debut of his son Simone, Miele put his M3 E30 back in the field in the FA8 class. The length of service of the car does not discourage Mauro who is constantly stationed in the top classification; moreover Mauro becomes a “lookout” of a Rallylegend then still in its infancy. His new navigator in this new competitive course is Luca Beltrame, with whom he will share many prestigious successes including an “absolute” at the Monte Caio ronde in Parma in 2014. Miele repeats his triumph in 2015 too, but for the occasion he shows off a powerful Ford Fiesta RS Wrc. Starting from 2017, Miele senior reduces his appearances with BMW and completes more races with the Fiesta, allowing himself a lot of satisfaction in this case as well. In 2017 the Ronde del Monte Caio sees Miele debut in another car: a Citroen DS3 WRC with which he is immediately first. Success then confirmed the following year, with in addition a further victory at the Rally della Lanterna. At the Città dei Mille 2018, for the first time he shared his Citroen with his son Simone, alternating at the wheel the two finished eighth.
the first forays abroad
–
Also in 2018 there is the first international race disputed by the Varese with Citroen, the Tour de Corse. With Luca Beltrame at the notes, the experience ends with an excellent sixteenth place. Short is the step for the debut at the Monte Carlo Rally in January 2019, closed with a good thirtieth place despite the use of the Super Rally. After a few months, here’s a new car for Mauro: it’s the Skoda Fabia R5 with which, in addition to many good tests in the Italian WRC, he makes his debut on Finnish dirt roads. After running the AutoGlym Ralli valid for the Finnish National Championship in preparation, the debut at the formidable Neste Rally arrives, and this time too it is a success, with the twenty-fifth place. Meanwhile, the presences in the Italian WRC continue where his son Simone is also truly honorable. In the autumn, Miele senior made his debut at the Catalunya Rally where, however, he retired due to an accident, a truly rare event for the Lombard. The Devoluy Rally, the historic French winter race, also disputed without luck, Miele launches towards the Monte Carlo 2020 rally and is a great success, with a splendid twentieth place overall. In a season halved by the Covid 19 pandemic, Miele will also compete in the ACI Rally Monza, a race set up “in emergency” to save the regularity of the WRC, achieving an excellent twenty-second place overall. In the following 2021, Mauro therefore decides to make his debut in WRC 3 as a regular driver. Luca Beltrame is confirmed as co-driver after the excellent performances of the previous seasons. After the retreat in Montecarlo, excellent performances arrive in Arctic Finland and in Croatia, then the revenge against bad luck in Catalunya where he is even twenty-fourth overall. At the WRC final in Monza, he finishes twenty-eighth overall. Meanwhile, the Varese continues to dabble in national rallies and adds Valdinievole to his very rich palmares of victories.
the triumph of the wrc2 masters
–
The introduction of the WRC 2 Masters for more experienced drivers, starting from 2022, pushes Mauro Miele to set up a complete world program with the aim of winning the title. Not an easy undertaking, with opponents such as Armin Kremer and Jean Michel Raoux. In Montecarlo the first success of the category arrives immediately, followed by a good second place in Sweden, demonstrating that the training of Arctic Finland the previous year has really helped. Another second place then follows in Croatia; a “neo” characterizes the trip to Rally Italia Sardegna with an unfortunate retirement. A mishap that could have brought anyone else to their knees proves to be the decisive turning point for Miele’s season. In Estonia, new class victory; in Catalunya, he finished second behind Kremer, who took the lead in the championship thanks to four consecutive class wins. Unlike Miele, however, the German does not take part in the Japan Rally, the decisive race. A difficult undertaking is looming for the Italian: finishing the race and keeping his direct rival Raoux behind him. Only then will the WRC 2 Masters title come. The Japanese race is a real lottery, especially the first special stages. Miele didn’t let himself be intimidated and contested a perfect race, with Luca Beltrame once again excellent in the role of co-driver. Raoux, by contrast, immediately had to resort to Super Rally and fell in the standings. The first obstacle for the Varese has therefore been overcome, now we have to finish the race. The first and second stages are completed without difficulty. The last day is from “in or out”. Miele must avoid imitating Kajetan Kajetanowicz, who with a mistake handed the WRC 2 Open title to Andreas Mikkelsen without him going to Japan. The feat for the Varese succeeds perfectly, the Japanese Osamu Fukunaga and the Irish Eamonn Boland remain firmly behind him. In the final Power Stage there was a final touch that was nothing short of masterful: Miele started with the right tires and set-up for the asphalt which began to get wet from the rain and achieved the second absolute partial time behind Craig Breen. In this way, not only does the Lombard certify the victory of the WRC 2 Masters race and title, but he even achieves four points for the overall WRC classification! Italy of rallies is celebrating: after Massimiliano Rendina, Simone Tempestini and Enrico Brazzoli, another of our standard-bearers wins a category title in the World Championship.
the secret of great success
–
What is the secret that has allowed the 66-year-old from Lombardy to beat far more famous rivals on paper and ring in top performances? First of all, a truly optimal physical conditioning, which allows him to withstand the grueling pace of the current WRC races without any effort. And a truly enviable joviality, not at all unchanged from the triumphs with motocross bikes achieved forty years ago. Then, an excellent understanding with the young Luca Beltrame, a co-driver of excellent quality who can be easily compared to the various Granai, Ometto and De Guio, the “new aces” of the right seat. The great reliability of the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo supplied by Toksport, an organization that in just a few years has carved out a leading role in international rallies, should not be underestimated. For 2023 Miele won’t say too much, celebrating his success with great discretion, but everyone is ready to bet that he will try to confirm the world title he just won. And the national competitions, forget? Don’t worry, when the WRC isn’t on stage Miele will always try to be at the start of some Italian race, whether on asphalt or dirt. Everyone’s hope is that their son Simone will one day make his debut in the WRC, giving life to a “family duel” that would have no equal in the history of the World Rally…
November 14, 2022 – 8:57 pm
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED