Former WRC title runner-up and Group N world champion Alex Fiorio passes away at 61
One of the leading Italian rally drivers of his generation, Fiorio established himself among the WRC's elite during Lancia's dominant period in the late 1980s, finishing third in the drivers' championship in 1988 before going one better as runner-up to Miki Biasion the following season.
Born on 10 March 1965, Fiorio was the son of celebrated Lancia team boss Cesare Fiorio, who later served as sporting director of Ferrari's Formula 1 team. Alex forged his own reputation behind the wheel, making his WRC debut with Jolly Club at Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1986 driving a Fiat Uno Turbo.
His breakthrough arrived the following year when, alongside co-driver Luigi Pirollo, he drove a Group N Lancia Delta HF 4WD to the inaugural FIA Group N world title. He also claimed his first outright WRC points that season with seventh place at Rallye Sanremo.
Fiorio stepped up to a Lancia Delta Integrale in 1988 and immediately proved capable of fighting at the sharp end of the championship. He finished second on the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo and repeated that result in Portugal, at the Olympus Rally in the United States and on home soil at Sanremo, while a third-place finish at the Acropolis Rally helped him secure third in the championship behind Biasion and Markku Alén.
He remained one of the championship's leading contenders in 1989. Podiums in Portugal and Greece were followed by runner-up finishes in Argentina and Sanremo, where he finished just five seconds behind Biasion. Those results carried Fiorio to second in the drivers' standings, ahead of future three-time world champion Juha Kankkunen.
A final WRC podium followed at Rally Australia in 1990, where Fiorio finished third. It was his 10th podium at world championship level, all of which were achieved in Lancia machinery.
After leaving Lancia, Fiorio continued to compete internationally with machinery including Ford, Mitsubishi and privately entered Lancias. He later returned to the Production World Rally Championship in 2002, taking a class victory at Rally Finland in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and finishing fifth in the championship standings.
Away from the WRC, Fiorio remained closely connected to motorsport and rallying throughout his life, latterly sharing his knowledge as an instructor and helping to keep the sport's heritage alive through activities including the Fiorio Cup in Italy.
Fiorio leaves behind a considerable legacy in the World Rally Championship: a world title in Group N, two consecutive top-three finishes in the outright drivers' championship and 10 podium appearances during one of the sport's most celebrated eras.
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