Three different winners in as many rallies! After Gil Antunes and Danny Carreira it was Pedro Pereira Jr.’s turn. debut by winning at the Clio Trophy Portugal. With Tiago Silva as navigator, the young driver from Mealhada was the brilliant winner of the 11th Constalica Rallye Vouzela e Viseu and is the new leader of the competition promoted by Renault Portugal. Gil Antunes and Nuno Coelho finished in the other places on the podium.
The debut season of the Clio Trophy Portugal is a success and the balance is just one of the highlights, as also confirmed by the scarce 12 points difference between the top three classified, which are the first three races of the competition promoted by Renault Portugal.
The duo Pedro Pedro Pereira Jr./Tiago Silva arrived at the 11th Constalica Rally of Vouzela and Viseu determined to fight for victory. “After the Castelo Branco rally, the whole team reflected on how the first two races had gone. We carried out two tests, corrected adjustments, better understood the behaviour of different tyre mixtures and made some changes to the rating level. All these factors were decisive in finally achieving our first triumph and thus entering the fight for the ‘title’. It was a very competitive rally (I only regret Danny Carreira’s bad luck) and it will be a spectacular fight until the final race, with four drivers with the same aspirations”, highlighted Pedro Pereira Jr.
With the race growing, the duo Gil Antunes/Diogo Correia took second place, just 15.1 seconds behind the leader. “On the first day, I didn’t like the car’s setup, which revealed an excessive tendency to run away from the front. This was corrected for Sunday, which allowed me to attack in every stage and win the duel for second place. The trophy is spectacular and the fight for victory will be very, very exciting.”
In the last place on the podium was Nuno Coelho who, this time, was paired with Jorge Carvalho. “I achieved my objective of finishing on the podium and that is excellent. My only regret is that, during Saturday’s night qualifiers, I wasted time due to my vision difficulties and went ‘sleeping’ into Sunday’s opening special. That prevented me from giving Gil Antunes any more fight, but I’m still satisfied.”
With fourth place, the duo Luís Caetano/David Monteiro achieved their best result of the season. The young driver from Leiria highlighted: “I’m happy but aware that I have a lot of work to do to reach the drivers at the front. This was only my third rally that I participated in, so just the kilometres and some tests will help to be even more competitive.”
The duo Paulo Barata/Joaquim Alvarinhas closed the front quintet, with the driver from Goiás highlighting: “It was a difficult rally, but very positive, with another new co-driver and progress in terms of pace”.
With four victories in stretches, the Danny Carreira/Marco Vilas Boas duo finished in an inglorious sixth place, losing the lead in the Clio Trophy Portugal. The approximately three minutes lost to a puncture, in the fourth qualifying round of the 11th Constalica Rallye Vouzela and Viseu, took the team out of the fight for the top positions, with the driver saying: “At least we finished and showed our competitiveness again. We wanted to win, but we’re going to the next two races determined to do it.”
The Henrique Azenha/Hugo Marques duo finished in seventh place, with the driver stating: “It was a positive rally and always improving. For our age, the result is excellent.”
The duo José Pedro Quintas/Nuno Carvalhosa were the only ones to withdraw from the 11th Constálica Rallye Vouzela e Viseu. “In the penultimate qualifying I was forced to leave the road to avoid further harm, following the accident in which the driver ahead of me was a victim”, highlighted the young man from Viana do Castelo.
The Clio Trophy Portugal continues at the Rally da Água-Transibérico Eurocidade Chaves-Verín, on the 13th and 13th of September.
Clio Trophy Portugal Classification – Constálica Rallye Vouzela and Viseu
1. Pedro Pereira Jr. / Tiago Silva, 44m59.1s
2nd Gil Antunes / Diogo Correia, at 15.3s
3. Nuno Coelho / Jorge Carvalho, at 29.8s
4. Luís Caetano / David Monteiro, at 1m55.9s
5th Paulo Barata / Joaquim Alvarinhas, 2m50.2s
6. Danny Carreira / Marco Vilas Boas, 3m13.4s
7. Henrique Azenha / Hugo Marques, at 6m04.2s
Didn’t finish: José Pedro Quintas / Nuno Carvalhosa
Qualifier winners: Pedro Pereira Jr. (5); Danny Carreira (4).
Leaders: Danny Carreira PE1, Pedro Pereira Jr. PE2, Danny Carreira P3, Pedro Pereira Jr. PE 4 to PE9
Clio Trophy Portugal classification
1st Pedro Pereira Jr., 65 points;
2nd Gil Antunes, 59;
3rd Danny Carreira, 53;
4th Nuno Coelho, 42;
5th Luís Caetano, 25;
6th Paulo Barata, 24;
7th Ricardo Azenha, 16;
8th José Pedro Quintas, 13;
9th Vasco Tintin, 11;
10th Carlos Marreiros, 10.
Next race: Water Rally – Transibérico Eurocidade Chaves / Verín, 13th and 14th September.
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