Two pedestrians struck by vehicles, reports of damage and assaults, 46 administrative sanctions, and 100 grams of cocaine seized. These are some of the preliminary figures presented by Interior Secretary of State Andrea Belluzzi, who spoke today before the joint parliamentary committee examining the Rallylegend event, convened at the request of the opposition. The key issue to address, he explained, is the management of the entire territory during the days of the event: the accidents occurred outside the special stages themselves.
Belluzzi opened his remarks with a thought for those involved in Saturday’s accidents: “First of all, I believe I speak for everyone: our concern goes out to the people and their families who, even now, are fighting and suffering because of what happened on Saturday.” He then thanked the volunteers, police forces, Civil Protection and the organizers.
From October 8 to 11, the secretary reported, 136 gendarmes worked a combined total of 1,050 hours. Eight people were identified. Reports were filed and received concerning property damage, the setting off of fireworks, assaults, and the use of glass bottles in areas where they were banned. Civil Police carried out two food seizures, confiscated the cocaine, and reported and expelled four young foreign nationals from the Republic. Six vehicle registration documents were also withdrawn. There were two incidents involving vehicles striking people: one in Fiorentino and the more serious one in Fiorina.
A complete assessment will follow once all the data has been collected. At that point, organizers, police forces and institutions will meet to evaluate what worked and where improvements are needed. Belluzzi defended the work undertaken since 2024, following an edition marked by fires and attacks on police vehicles. Since then, he said, meetings with organizers have been held regularly. “You cannot solve all the problems just by flipping a switch.”
On the racing side, the secretary noted that no special stage was suspended and that no accidents occurred during the stages themselves. The windows allowing residents to pass through closed areas and return home were also widened. But the two incidents involving pedestrians and the reports of damage shift attention beyond the cars’ route: “We need to work on oversight and on the overall impact of the event.”
Belluzzi described an effort involving police, health services, ambulances and emergency responders. According to estimates cited in his remarks, during the event San Marino hosts a number of people equal to three times its resident population. For the secretary, keeping the event on Titan therefore requires a degree of tolerance from those who live and work in the country: “If we want to keep this event in San Marino, we all need to realize that everyone has to give something up – not a finger, but at least a fingernail: the residents who put up with it, the business and service sectors, restaurants and bars.”
He also referred to the sacrifices asked of local businesses. “We asked them for a small sacrifice, which nonetheless allowed for greater order in the country.” Belluzzi acknowledged that the enforcement and implementation of measures can be improved, and hinted at ideas discussed with San Marino Innovation and with his colleague Alessandro Bevitori, without going into detail.
Over the past two years, he added, the timing and location of special stages have been adjusted, and an annual calendar of sporting events, shows and road closures has been created to avoid scheduling conflicts in the same locations too close together, thereby reducing their impact. The stated goal is to make Rallylegend sustainable even for those who must live with the disruptions it causes.
For more precise assessments, Belluzzi pointed to a technical hearing once all the data is available. The suffering of those involved in the accidents, he concluded, calls for caution even in judging the event’s organizational outcomes: “I am sorry for the accidents that occurred, because for the first time we might have used different words – but I don’t think it would be appropriate to do so in the face of such suffering.”
