Incident on the Bione special stage

The 49th edition of the Rally 1000 Miglia was permanently halted on Saturday, 5 September 2026, following a fatal accident during the competition's second day in the Valsabbia area. At 14:56, during the running of the sixth special stage, the number 42 Škoda Fabia entered by driver Alessandro Zorzi and co-driver Fabio Berisonzi lost control and left the tarmac. The incident occurred on a right-hand hairpin bend located immediately after the designated end-of-stage timing point near the municipality of Bione, situated between Casto and Bione. As the vehicle slid off the road course and ended in a ditch, it struck 63-year-old spectator Francesco De Pasquale, a resident of Caselle Torinese in the Piedmont region. De Pasquale had travelled from the Turin area with his wife and daughter to follow the event. Although emergency medical personnel stationed along the route intervened without delay, the impact caused fatal injuries.

Cancellation of the rally and paddock gathering

Following the accident, race direction suspended starts on the 6.130-kilometre Bione stage and subsequently stopped the entire event in coordination with the Automobile Club Italia federation and local authorities. The competition was operating on an itinerary featuring six special stages split into two loops across three distinct routes: Bione, Marmentino, and Sabbio Chiese-Dall'Era Valerio. The second run through Bione was the opening test of the afternoon loop and the fourth test scheduled for that day. Rather than completing the remaining competitive mileage and finishing at the planned ceremonial podium in central Brescia, all crews were redirected to the service park at the Centro Fiera di Montichiari. Race officials, team representatives, and administrative directors convened at the exhibition centre later in the afternoon to address the press and coordinate with local services.

ACI Brescia president Aldo Bonomi spoke to reporters at the Montichiari media briefing:

“We want to express our deepest condolences to the victim's family. There are not many comments to make. The pain is great.”

Rally medical director Graziano Guerrini explained the medical assessment made by doctors at the crash site:

“The spectator who fell victim to the accident died instantly, according to initial assessments.”

Judicial inquiry into trackside positioning

The Brescia Public Prosecutor's Office initiated a formal judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fatal impact, assigning the case to duty magistrate Francesca Sussarello. Investigators are reviewing formal reports, witness statements, and on-site documentation compiled by law enforcement officers who secured the section between Casto and Bione. A primary focus of the legal review is establishing the exact coordinates where the spectator was standing when the Škoda Fabia exited the roadway. Initial reconstructions indicated that De Pasquale was positioned near the corner and was attempting to take a photograph when the car left the course. His wife and daughter, who were accompanying him at the roadside viewing area, were unharmed in the incident.

Competition safety context and regional precedent

The stoppage concluded an edition of the Rally 1000 Miglia that had already recorded multiple vehicle incidents during the preceding stages of the itinerary. On the first day of running, prominent local competitor Luca Pedersoli was forced out of contention when his car caught fire, while another participating crew left the road and tumbled into an embankment during timed competition. The Bione fatality also recalled earlier motorsport tragedies in the province of Brescia, including a fatal crash on 29 July 2017 during practice runs for the Malegno-Ossimo-Borno hill climb event in Valle Camonica. Organizers from Automobile Club Brescia stated they are providing full operational support and timing records to legal authorities examining the telemetry and road setup of the 2026 event.