Alex Fiorio lost his battle with illness. He was 61 years old.

The world of motorsports—and rallying in particular—mourns the passing of Alex Fiorio, who died at the age of 61 after battling stomach cancer. His illness had been made public only a few months ago, when the former driver chose to personally share his journey through treatment.

Born in Turin in 1965, the son of Cesare Fiorio—one of the key architects of Lancia’s sporting legacy—Alex quickly forged a path independent of his father’s: in 1987, he won the Group N World Championship in a Lancia Delta HF 4WD, subsequently establishing himself among the WRC elite with a third-place finish in the 1988 World Championship and a second-place finish the following year, behind Miki Biasion. In total, he earned ten world championship podium finishes and forty-five special stage victories.

Once the Delta era came to an end, Fiorio switched to driving a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, later returning to the Delta with Astra Racing. In the European Championship, he won three consecutive editions of the Cyprus Rally, while in 2002 he returned to the World Production Rally Championship with Mitsubishi, securing a class victory in Finland. In the years that followed, he remained a central figure in the rally world, involved in events, training programs, and the Fiorio Cup—the event he created that brought together drivers from different generations.

Alex Fiorio belonged to one of the most brilliant generations in Italian rallying; he had been a leading figure behind the wheel and continued to be so even afterward, maintaining a direct relationship with fans and discussing rallying with expertise and passion. He also lent his expertise to other motorsports disciplines as a team manager, winning the 125cc manufacturers’ title in 2000 with the Honda Benetton Playlife Racing team.