A historic weekend for Hugo Lopes and Magda Oliveira. The young duo secured their first outright victory in a race held in their home region.
At the Rallye Constálica Viseu Dão Lafões, the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 team confirmed their immense talent with a dominant performance, as evidenced by the 1:21.2-second gap over the second-place finishers. The Rallye da Água-Transibérico Eurocidade Chaves-Verín is the next challenge, on September 19th and 20th, again in the colours of the Hyundai Junior Team FPAK.
“It’s an immense joy to win this rally and, more than that, to achieve our first outright victory, here in our region, in front of so many friends, fans, family, and sponsors. We felt the support of the crowd at every turn, and that made this moment even more special,” Hugo Lopes remarked upon arrival.
In a rally (also) marked by poor weather conditions on Sunday morning, Hugo Lopes admitted: “The rain that fell was excellent for getting to know the Hyundai in very difficult grip conditions. There were many difficulties, especially because I didn’t make the right tire choice—I went with dry tires instead of wet tires and spun on the first corner of the morning section. But this is all part of the learning process. One thing I’m certain of: Both Magda (the navigator) and I are going to the Chaves rally with much greater confidence.”
Finally, the young driver from Viseu made a point of thanking “the entire CRN Competition team, who provided us with a fantastic car, and our sponsors, who made it possible for us to compete at the highest level. It was a very special weekend, one we won’t soon forget, and we dream of the possibility that this was the first of many outright victories.”
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