The French pair of Raphael Astier and Frédéric Vauclaire, in the Abarth 124 rally belonging to Team Milano Racing, have won the FIA R-GT world championship with a race to spare after their victory in the Czech Republic in the Barum Czech Rally Zlìn, the fourth event in the series, also valid for the European Championship.

Three wins in the three events where they have taken part - the Tour de Corse, the Rally di Roma Capitale and the Barum Czech Rally Zlìn - have enabled Abarth and the French driver to claim the world title with one race still remaining in the championships season: the Rallye du Valais, to be held in Switzerland from 18 to 20 October.

So in just its second season, the Abarth spider has won the most coveted title in the spectacular Gran Turismo class, confirming its status as queen of the category. Abarth 124 rally drivers occupy the top 5 positions in the FIA R-GT Cup rankings. Astier, with a score of 75 points, heads the list of Italians Andrea Nucita (33 points), Andrea Modanesi (30 points), Simone Tempestini (18 points), and French driver Philippe Gache (15 points).

What's more, in 2018 the 124 rally has picked up an amazing 26 victories in the Abarth 124 rally Selenia International Challenge, the single-make trophy for Abarth 124 drivers competing in the FIA R-GT Cup, the European Rally Championship and the national championships of Italy, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Romania, Slovenia, Belgium, Austria, Germany and Bulgaria.