Drivers take advantage of the curves to give a show (foto: Marcelo Maragni)
With a length of only 1700 meters, the prime of International Rally of the Sertões, held on Saturday (18) morning, served as an appetizer for the competition. The race took place on the beach, with the start and finish going over small dunes. The circuit was marked with flags on the sand, with open and medium curves, which had good escape area, increasing speed and the show.
Within the cars, the Frenchman Peterhansel drove forcefully and safe, ensuring first place with a time of 1m36s. “I think it was the shortest stage I’ve ever done in my life,” said the driver. “But it was good to feel a little car, driving on the beach is cool, it was fun.”
Guiga Spinelli, who drove more aggressively, doing all the curves sideways, just taking 2 seconds more than Peterhansel. “It was a very fast stage, but it was good to warm up. Tomorrow the rally starts for real. “
“It was a delight to drive today, pity it was short, Im crazy to drive this car,” said Riamburgo Ximenes, who finished third, with 1m49s on his debut in the BMW X3. “It was an appetizer, does not represent the true cross-country, because we will face something very different from the ground that was here.”
Within the trucks the winner was Rafael Martinez-Conde, who took 2m10s on track. “The prime was nice, quick, very stomped” he said. “We managed to work a little, get into the adrenaline of the Sertões, and it’s nice to drive in the sand.”
For the second-placed Carlos Policarpo, “the prime was short but had lot of difficult parts.” He finished in 2m14s. “It was excellent, Im very excited to start tomorrow,” he added.
“It was quick, but we managed to get a little feel of the ground because the sand is coming from now on”, said Raphael Bettoni, navigator of the truck driven by Amable Barrasa. “In the beginning there was a lot of was undulation, a lot of erosion, but it was pretty cool,” he said.
Este texto foi escrito por: Pedro Sibahi
Last modified: agosto 18, 2012
