Last year’s winner, competing in a Pirelli-equipped Citroën C3 Rally2, carried an advantage of 0.8sec into Saturday’s running following his fastest time among the ERC contenders through the Colosseum super special in the centre of Rome on Friday night.

Slovenian Boštjan Avbelj cut that gap to 0.1sec when he went quickest through this morning’s opening test, Alatri, only for Crugnola to respond on the first run through the 28.74km Santopadre - Fontana Liri stage to beat Tempestini by 2.7sec, the multiple Romanian champion moving into second place as Avbelj slipped back.

And the defending Italian champion was quickest again on SS4, Guarcino – Altipiani, to lead Tempestini by 11.2sec as crews returned to Fiuggi for the midday service halt.

Tempestini’s reply was quick and emphatic with his stage-winning performance on SS5 lowering Crugnola’s lead to 9.4sec before the overall positions were reversed following the repeat of Santopadre - Fontana Liri.

While Crugnola, running 21^st on the road, conceded he’d been too careful avoiding the rocks that had been dragged onto the stage in certain sections, Tempestini went 11.1sec quicker on a stage he described as “one of our favourite stages”.

Although he was 2.4sec slower than stage winner Simone Campedelli through SS7, he was quicker than Tempestini and returned to the overnight halt in Fiuggi leading by a scant 0.7sec.

“For sure we can do more but it’s like that,” Crugnola said. “I’m happy with my performance about today, we are doing a good job for the Italian championship but we will see tomorrow because I think it will be quite tough.”

Tempestini, who pilots a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 on Michelin tyres, said: “I’m happy with our day, it was a good one, we enjoyed every single stage. It’s the first time in this car on the Tarmac and since last year in Barum we didn’t drive the Rally2 car on Tarmac.”

With his confidence restored following his crash in Sweden and a tough outing in Estonia, Mathieu Franceschi moved from fifth to third on SS6 having made tweaks to his pacenotes for the afternoon loop, while also adjusting the set-up of his Škoda to make it more “precise”.

Simone Campedelli overtook defending ERC champion Hayden Paddon for fourth by winning SS7 with Efrén Llarena, who was satisfied to be “in the fight”, in sixth as a mere 9.2sec covered the top six after seven sun-soaked stages, despite reporting he almost went off the road on SS7.

Avbelj, whose fastest time on SS2 marked his maiden stage win in the ERC, remains in the frame for his first European points in seventh.

Making his first start at Rally2 level in the European championship, 2023 ERC4 champion Roberto Daprà is eighth on his second outing in a Fabia RS Rally2 after making changes at midday service to dial-out understeer. The ACI Team Italia driver suffered a damaged tyre on SS5 and spent the afternoon in the knowledge he’d depleted his supply of replacement tyres.

Rally di Roma Capitale rookie Mads Østberg, who was hampered by a pop-off valve issue this morning, is ninth with Andrea Mabellini 10th for Team MRF Tyres despite a heavy hit when he went wide on a right-hander during SS3.

Double ERC champion Giandomenico Basso had been struggling to pinpoint why he wasn’t closer to the front in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 but then dropped out of eighth place when he picked up front-left tyre damage two kilometres from the finish of SS7.

Filip Mareš is one place behind Basso in his Hankook-equipped Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 after he went second fastest on SS5.

Simon Wagner, who was plagued by understeer this morning, Miko Marczyk and Jon Armstrong round out the points-paying top 15 with Erik Cais overcoming illness and on off on SS2 in 16th.

Filip Kohn leads FIA ERC3 in his Ford Fiesta Rally3 with Giorgio Cogni (below) ahead in FIA ERC3 driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4.

Sunday’s route consists of six stages over a competitive distance of 93.66 kilometres. The action begins with the 5.90km Fiuggi stage from 07:50 local time. The rally-deciding Monastero - Jenne Power Stage is due to begin at 16:05.