Cancer Claims One of Lancia's Golden Era Stars

The rallying world mourns the loss of Alex Fiorio. The former Italian driver, a prominent figure in the World Rally Championship from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, has passed away at the age of 61 after a battle with stomach cancer.

Fiorio himself publicly announced his illness just a few months ago. In June, he chose to share on social media that he was undergoing treatment, explaining the drastic weight loss that had concerned many fans. He did so with the directness that always characterized him, requesting no messages of sympathy and publicly facing a battle that, sadly, ended too soon.

Alex Fiorio and the Golden Years with Lancia

Born in Turin on March 10, 1965, Alessandro Fiorio was the son of Cesare Fiorio, the man who helped build one of Lancia's most glorious periods in motorsport history and later served as Ferrari's sporting director in Formula 1.

After making his debut with a Fiat Uno Turbo, Alex won the Group N Production Car World Rally Championship title in 1987 behind the wheel of a Lancia Delta. This propelled him into the factory team, and during Lancia's dominant years, Fiorio became one of WRC's stars.

In 1988, Alex finished third in the championship standings, and a year later, he achieved the most prestigious result of his career: runner-up in the 1989 WRC, finishing only behind world champion and Lancia's biggest star, Miki Biasion (pictured together). This season firmly established Alex among the best drivers of his generation.

In the WRC, Fiorio recorded 10 podiums and 45 stage wins, but he never managed to win a world championship rally.

A Career That Continued Long After the Delta Era

After his most prestigious period with Lancia, Fiorio continued to compete with various cars and teams, driving a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth before returning to the Delta with Astra Racing.

In the European Rally Championship, he managed to win three consecutive editions of the Cyprus Rally, and in 2002, he returned to the World Production Car Championship with Mitsubishi, even securing a category victory at Rally Finland.

In Bulgaria, Fiorio achieved one of his greatest successes in the European Rally Championship – first place at Rally Albena in 1998. The Italian competed with Nadia Mazzon as co-driver and behind the wheel of a Group A Ford Escort RS Cosworth for Jolly Club. That season, Fiorio won two ERC rallies and finished 12th in the overall standings.

Photo: Miki Biasion's Twitter profile