Este será um dos mais disputados Rally dos Sertões da história, avalia Guiga Spinelli

Duplas da Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras já estão em Goiânia para a largada da maior prova do off-road do Brasil 

Prestes a largar para sua 14ª participação no Rally dos Sertões, o piloto Guilherme Spinelli, da Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras, sabe que terá um árduo caminho em busca do hexacampeonato.

"Está chegando a hora e a briga será muito difícil neste ano. Mas iremos para a prova com muito foco, dedicação e concentração", promete o piloto. "O percurso mudou e isso é sempre bom para uma prova desse nível. Temos outras três duplas com experiência e em carros muito bons. O Reinaldo Varela está disputando o Campeonato Mundial de Rali Cross-country, enquanto os dois carros da X Rally Team tiveram melhorias em relação ao ano passado. Ou seja, todos são muito fortes", afirma.

 Guiga tem uma longa trajetória no off-road e diversos títulos não só no Brasil, mas em provas em várias partes do mundo. No Rally dos Sertões, conquistou o primeiro lugar nos anos de 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011 e, o último, no ano passado, 2014. Além disso, têm outros quatro vice-campeonatos. "Com certeza, a disputa será do mesmo nível ou ainda mais intensa que nos últimos anos, com poucos minutos de diferença no final da prova", opina Guiga.

 Ao lado do navegador Youssef Haddad, o piloto encara a prova com o ASX Racing, veículo desenvolvido pela Ralliart Brasil para enfrentar as maiores provas off-road do mundo. Ao todo, o Rally dos Sertões terá 2.917 quilômetros e 1.487 km de trechos cronometrados, com largada em Goiânia (GO) e chegada e Foz do Iguaçu (PR), passando pelas cidades de Rio Verde (GO), Itumbiara (GO), São Simão (GO), Três Lagoas (MS), Euclides da Cunha Paulista (SP) e Umuarama (PR).

"Ao longo da história, o Sertões sempre foi rumo ao norte e nordeste do Brasil. Este ano será diferente, com características e trechos que não estamos muito acostumados. Mas é sempre bom termos novos desafios", destaca Youssef.

 A prova começa neste sábado, dia 1º de agosto, com o prólogo, que define a ordem de largada. As duplas correrão na pista no Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia. Será a primeira vez que a disputa será 100% em uma pista de asfalto, um desafio a mais para os competidores, acostumados aos trechos off-road. O trecho terá 1.900 metros, com largada de dois em dois. O público poderá conferir a prova nas arquibancadas do Autódromo.

Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras

A Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras competirá no Rally dos Sertões com dois carros. Além do ASX Racing número 301 de Guilherme Spinelli e Youssef Haddad, a dupla João Franciosi / Rafael Capoani vai defender o título na Protótipos T1 (Protótipos Nacionais) com a L200 Triton SR, número 360.

"Teremos muitos saltos, curvas e até trechos com lama, características que me adapto rapidamente. É sempre bom um percurso novo, mas temos que ter muita concentração durante toda a prova. O importante em um rali longo como este é andar bem todos os dias", comenta Franciosi, que busca o tricampeonato na categoria.

  "Será uma prova nova, descendo para o sul do País e passando por regiões de lavoura. Tenho uma experiência no Paraná, em outras provas que participei. É um lugar de pouca pedra, sem serras, o que vai tornar as especiais bem rápidas", afirma Rafael Capoani. "O dia a dia do Franciosi é dentro de uma fazenda, então a leitura que ele faz do terreno é muito fácil e eu estou indo para minha região. Acho que levamos um pouco de vantagem por conta disso. E o nosso entrosamento está bem legal e estamos com muita vontade de vencer novamente", garante o navegador.

 A Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras tem o patrocínio de Mitsubishi Motors, Petrobras, Axalta, Protune e Projeto Sign.

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Varela e Gugelmin com a Overdrive Racing no Rally dos Sertões para vencer

· Demanding Brazilian event starts with Prologue in Goiânia on Saturday 

Fresh from finishing a solid fourth in last weekend’s Baja Spain Aragon, the Brazilian duo of Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin have travelled across the Atlantic to their native Brazil and will drive an Overdrive Racing-run Toyota Hilux at the demanding eight-day Rally dos Sertões.

 The event starts with a timed Prologue stage on Saturday (August 1st) and finishes at the stunning location of Foz do Iguaçu (Igaucu Falls), near the riverside frontiers with Argentina and Paraguay, on Saturday, August 8th.

 The duo became locked in a thrilling three-way battle for the lead in 2014 and are keen to lift the prestigious title on this occasion in Brazil’s premier off-road rally. They claimed five selective section wins and the Prologue last year and reached the podium in Belo Horizonte after a stunning battle with Cristian Baumgart and Guilherme Spinelli. This was despite a time consuming puncture and a 10-minute time penalty.

  “This is an important event in the off-road calendar and, obviously, it’s one that Reinaldo and Gustavo really want to win because it’s their home event,” said Overdrive’s Belgian team director Jean-Marc Fortin. “After such a close finish last year, we are going for the win with the new Hilux IRS (independent rear suspension) 2015 version.”

 Varela won the Prologue in Goiânia last year and the sections between Goiânia and Caldas Novas, Catalão and Paracatu, Paracatu and San Francisco, San Francisco and Diamantina and Diamantina and Belo Horizonte to reach the podium locked in a frantic tussle with his two rivals after 18 hours of racing across the remotest terrain in Brazil.

 Rally dos Sertões began with the formation of Rally São Francisco in 1991, although this event was only open for motorcycle competitors. The first edition of Rally dos Sertões took place in 1993 from Campos do Jordão to the beaches of Rio Grande do Norte. It continued to grow in popularity and four-wheel drive cars were permitted to compete for the first time in 1995.

 For the 23rd running of the event this year, main competition for Varela’s Divino Fogão Rally Team entry is likely to come from Spinelli and Baumgart once again, although the likes of Marcos Baumgart, Davison José Rabecchi and Michel Terpins also feature at the head of an impressive all-Brazilian 39-car entry.

 Action gets underway with a timed Prologue stage in Goiânia on Saturday and the first stage on Sunday (August 2) guides teams south from Goiânia to Rio Verde. From there, the revised route heads through Itumbiara and São Simão on August 3rd and August 4th and on to Três Lagoas on August 5th.

 The fifth selective section heads further south from Três Lagoas to Euclides da Cunha Palista on August 6th and on to the finish in Foz do Iguaçu on August 8th via the penultimate stage between Euclides da Cunha Palista and Umuarama.

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Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras finaliza os preparativos para o Rally dos Sertões 2015

ASX Racing e L200 Triton SR estão prontos para enfrentar a maior prova off-road do País, que começa em Goiânia (GO) no dia 1º de agosto e segue rumo a Foz do Iguaçu (PR)

 Neste sábado, dia 1º de agosto, os dois carros da Equipe Mitsubishi Petrobras estarão alinhados para a largada da maior e mais tradicional prova do off-road nacional, o Rally dos Sertões.

 Guilherme Spinelli e Youssef Haddad, com o ASX Racing, defendem o título da prova, enquanto João Franciosi e Rafael Capoani querem seguir com o troféu na categoria Protótipos T1 com a L200 Triton SR.

"É muito bom voltar a pilotar o ASX Racing. Estamos em constante evolução e muito focados sempre. Vamos à luta mais uma vez tentando buscar o melhor resultado possível. Temos concorrentes do mais alto nível do Brasil com equipamentos da melhor qualidade, então vai ser uma disputa acirrada desde o início, assim como foi no ano passado", destaca Guiga Spinelli, maior vencedor da prova nos carros, com cinco títulos.

 Com dois títulos na Protótipos T1 (Protótipos Nacionais), João Franciosi se prepara para enfrentar seu 11º Rally dos Sertões. "Fizemos uma prova recentemente para pegar o ritmo. Neste novo percurso do Sertões, teremos muitos saltos, curvas e até trechos com lama, características que me adapto rapidamente. É sempre bom um percurso novo, mas temos que ter muita concentração durante toda a prova. O importante em um rali longo como este é andar bem todos os dias", comenta o piloto.

 João Franciosi fez uma rápida ascensão no rali cross-country. Apenas em sua segunda participação no Rally dos Sertões, foi campeão geral da prova com uma Mitsubishi L200 inscrita na categoria Production (carro de produção, com poucas modificações). É o único piloto na história da prova a conseguir esse feito.

  Rumo ao sul

Com um roteiro inédito, a prova largará de Goiânia (GO) e seguirá rumo ao sul do País, terminando em Foz do Iguaçu (PR). Ao todo, serão 2.917 quilômetros e 1.487 km de trechos cronometrados.

"Ao longo da história, o Sertões sempre foi rumo ao norte e nordeste do Brasil. Este ano será diferente, com características e trechos que não estamos muito acostumados. Mas é sempre bom termos novos desafios", destaca Youssef.

 Além de Goiânia e Foz do Iguaçu, a prova passará por Rio Verde (GO), Itumbiara (GO), São Simão (GO), Três Lagoas (MS), Euclides da Cunha Paulista (SP) e Umuarama (PR).

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Piloto South Racing Peter Jeria vence Desafio Guarani no Paraguai

· Spain’s Fernando Alvarez finishes fourth in second South Racing entry 

· Engine failure robs father and son Rempel pairing of potential outright win

 South Racing enjoyed a superb run in the punishing Desafio Guarani, the second event in the prestigious Dakar Series, with Peter Jerie taking outright victory for the German-based team and Fernando Alvarez finishing fourth overall.

 Desafio Guarani took place over five demanding stages through some of the remotest terrain in Paraguay and Czech driver Jerie and French navigator Laurent Lichtleuchter notched up the most important victory of their respective careers and their second Dakar Series podium. Their winning margin was a staggering 3hr 23min 33sec.

  “The race was really difficult,” admitted Toyota Hilux driver Jerie. “In all my years of racing, I have not raced in so much water and mud. The route was extremely challenging. I give a big thanks to Laurent and the entire South Racing team for making this win possible.”

 South Racing had finished third, fifth and eighth in the first of the Dakar Series events in Argentina in May and went on to win four of the five stages in Paraguay. Alvarez and his Argentinean navigator Luciano Genonni enjoyed a solid run to finish fourth, as the Spaniard continues to gain invaluable cross-country experience. He had to fight back from delays on the second stage and finished the event strongly with a pair of stage wins in his Conarpesa/Iprisco-backed Toyota Hilux.

 The Paraguayan father and son crew of Viktor and Vernon Rempel were not able to reach the finish in the third South Racing car. They were the early pacesetters until they damaged the engine in their Puma Oils-backed Toyota Hilux at a river crossing eight kilometres from the end of the fourth stage and retired. The Rempel duo won two stages and set fastest passage control times on all the specials until their demise.

  “It was a difficult race, made more so due to the extreme rainfall that fell in the area before and during the event,” said South Racing’s director Scott Abraham. “This was a great result for our team and marked our first international race victory. It was a bitter sweet moment though after the retirement of Viktor and Vernon after such a strong race. I would like to thank the entire team and all the people who have helped build South Racing over the past two years and who continue to support us.”

 South Racing was founded in 2013. Based near Frankfurt in Germany, the young, customer-driven team also has workshops in Portugal and has extensive experience of the Dakar Rally and rallying in South America.

 Organised by the Touring Automovil Club, with the approval of the Confederación deportiva Automovilistica Sudamericana and the full support of the Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) that runs the gruelling Dakar Rally in January, the event started in the Paraguayan capital of Asunción and ran for five days in extremely muddy conditions, reminiscent of the famous Camel Trophy at times. 

Rempel won the opening special between the capital and Villarrica and the second stage back to Asunción where Alvarez was delayed with clutch issues in the muddy conditions and he also lost time. Rempel and Jerie maintained their composure at the head of the field through the third special between Asunción and Encarnación, with Alvarez clocking the second quickest time behind Rempel. 

The Paraguayan’s engine let go after a river crossing near the end of the fourth stage between Encarnación and Asunción and that opened the door for Alvarez to claim the quickest time and Jerie to maintain his outright lead after a consistent drive. Alvarez was again fastest on the final loop stage around Asunción and the third quickest time ensured that Jerie claimed South Racing’s first international victory.

 The third round of the Dakar Series takes place in Peru in September.

 2015 Desafio Guarani – final positions:

 1. Peter Jerie (CZE)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Hilux 23hr 07min 43sec
 2. Beto Recalde (PRY)/Juan Sánchez Bachen (PRY) Toyota Hilux 26hr 34min 16sec
 3. César Marsal (PRY)/Adolfo González (PRY) Toyota Hilux 28hr 34min 36sec
 4. Fernando Alvarez (ESP)/Luciano Genonni (ARG) Toyota Hilux 33hr 05min 04sec
 5. Martin Maldonado (ARG)/Sebastien Scholz (ARG) Prototipo Colcar 36hr 35min 04sec
 6. Martin Maine (ARG)/Caroline Carcasson (ARG) Toyota Hilux 41hr 31min 34sec, etc

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Elisabete Jacinto animou noite algarvia

Elisabete Jacinto foi a figura de destaque da festa OLEOBAN® que decorreu no passado dia 24 de Julho na discoteca Bliss em Vilamoura, no Algarve. Habituada aos ambientes do deserto, a piloto participou neste evento que tinha como temática as “1001 noites” onde a divertida decoração, marcada pela presença de odaliscas e sultões, coloriu a festa que fez furor em Vilamoura.

 À piloto Elisabete Jacinto juntaram-se outros nomes conhecidos do público português como Lourenço Ortigão e Maria João Bastos, ambos atores de famosos projetos da televisão. O camião MAN TGS de competição da equipa também se juntou à festa e foi mais um foco de atração para todos os que estiveram no evento.

 Esta iniciativa pretendeu aproximar a marca OLEOBAN® dos seus consumidores numa altura em que a hidratação da pele se torna ainda mais essencial devido às agressões dos raios UVA e UVB, que são mais evidentes nos meses de verão. Para o efeito a OLEOBAN®, marca de produtos de cuidados da pele que existe no mercado português há mais de 30 anos, contou com a sua embaixadora para animar ainda mais este evento.

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Nani Roma vence Baja Aragon em Espanha

· All the top three positions secured by MINI ALL4 Racing drivers 

· Mikko Hirvonen makes a great debut by finishing third 

X-raid remains undefeated, in the Baja Aragon: for the eighth consecutive time, a vehicle built by X-raid secured the win in the Spanish race. Nani Roma and his navigator Alex Haro (both ESP) repeated the success they had celebrated in 2014, with Argentinean pairing Orlando Terranova and Bernardo Ronnie Graue finishing runner-up. At the same time, Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) made a successful off-road rallying debut. Together with his French co-driver Michel Périn, he took his MINI ALL4 Racing to the really fine third place. Dutch pairing Erik van Loon /Wouter Rosegaar came sixth while Harry Hunt (GBR) and Xavier Panseri (FRA) finished 13th. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and Mathieu Baumel (FRA) were hampered by technical problems on Saturday and did not start on Sunday.

 The event around the Spanish city of Teruel was short but represented a true challenge, nevertheless as the organisers picked extremely winding and rocky roads. This did not only result in a low average speed of about 70kph but also made for several damaged tyres. This added to the pressure for the drivers involved as only 10 tyres per car are allowed in a Baja. They had to race fully focused and find a good compromise between being fast and careful. Furthermore, the numerous tight corners took the brakes to their limit.

 On Saturday, Roma was the first to start into the two special stages. “Being the first to start into a special stage is anything but easy, here,” said the 2014 Dakar winner. “The grass partially is very long and you can’t see the stones and rocks.” Nonetheless, he won the first special stage and finished runner-up in the second. With these result he gained a lead big enough to allow him to opt for a tactical approach for the third and last special stage – a stage he once again had to take the pathfinder position in. “I slightly held off in the opening stages to go easy on my tyres. And this strategy paid off. In this race it wasn’t only about going as fast as possible but you also had to make good decisions regarding where you should really push and where you’d better back off. I knew the second special stage from last year and was aware that you quickly can suffer a puncture, here. The MINI once again delivered in great style and I’m really delighted with having won the event.”

 Behind the winner, Hirvonen and Terranova entertained the crowds with a fierce battle for second position. Prior to the final special stage, the Finn held a lead of about a minute over his Argentinean team-mate. They both had to stop once for a tyre change. In the end, Terranova was slightly faster and secured second place, with Hirvonen finishing 23 seconds behind him in third. “It was big fun although I expected a slightly better result,” revealed Terranova. “But we didn’t contest the event without making mistakes and had to cope with three damaged tyres. The pressure was extremely high, this year, and this resulted in higher speed. Compared to last year we were faster as a team.” 

Meanwhile, Hirvonen also was happy with having finished third. “It goes without saying that I would have loved to come second but it’s great that we made it to the podium. It was tough for me, with the long special stages and without my pace notes. And I was really surprised that you have to push that hard.” 

For van Loon, the Baja began with a disappointing 14th place in the prologue. “Consequently, we had to start into the other stages from a midfield position,” said the Dutchman. “And a mistake in special stage one also didn’t help.” Nonetheless, it looked for quite a while as if van Loon should be able to finish fifth but in the final special stage, he lost time behind an opponent. “With some 55 kilometres covered, we drove in the dust of Varela who was driving rather slowly.” van Loon described the situation. “We lost a lot of time behind him and consequently, Dos Santos could pass us in the overall standings.”

 With the experience of two desert rallies under his belt, Hunt now contested his first Baja. And the event represented a bigger challenge for the Briton than expected by him. “This was my toughest rally to date,” he admitted. “I had too many tyre damages on Saturday and afterwards, I had to be very careful. I thought I would feel more at home at these WRC-like tracks but the MINI is another car and the special stages are far longer. It was fun but it also was really tough.”

 At the same time, Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and Mathieu Baumel (FRA) had to cope with a massive dose of bad luck. On Saturday afternoon, in the second special stage, they had problems with their tyres, with one of them even catching fire. Fortunately, Al-Attiyah was able to dismount the tyre in time. Afterwards, the mechanics had to help right on site and as the time penalty for this help would have amounted to several hours, team and driver decided not doing the final special stage on Sunday. As World Cup leader Vladimir Vasilyev didn’t contest the Baja Aragon, the gap between him and Al-Attiyah still amounts to 21 points.

 The next FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup round, the Baja Poland, will be held from 13th to 16th August, 2015.

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Ricardo Leal dos Santos em 5º na Baja Aragón

- Português ganhou duelo a Van Loon que em Mini foi 4º no Dakar 

- Nissan Navara da Equipa BAMP ficou a escassos 42s do 4º lugar 

Depois de uma estreia auspiciosa no Dakar 2015, Ricardo Leal dos Santos confirmou plenamente, na Baja Aragón, o enorme potencial do seu mais recente projeto desportivo. Navegado pelo brasileiro Maykel Justo, esteve em enorme destaque na etapa final desta jornada da Taça do Mundo de Todo-o-Terreno, ao terminar a prova na 5ª posição, sendo que neste derradeiro dia de prova foi o 4º mais rápido, tendo à sua frente apenas três dos seis Mini presentes.

  “Esta derradeira etapa foi disputada a um ritmo alucinante. Foi sempre a fundo. Sabia que o Van Loon ia atacar e para tentar ficar à frente dele tinha de dar o máximo. Foi excelente terminar a corrida batendo um piloto da Mini que foi o 4º no Dakar. Com tantos pilotos e máquinas de grande qualidade conseguimos fazer valer os nossos argumentos. A nossa Nissan teve um excelente comportamento e todas as alterações que lhe introduzimos provaram plenamente. Estamos muito satisfeitos com o resultado, com a prestação de toda a equipa e o projeto BAMP deu seguramente um importante passo em frente”, referiu o piloto no final da corrida.

 O piloto português que lidera o projeto lusófono BAMP terminou a corrida a escassos 42s da quarta posição da classificação final e bem se pode queixar do piloto árabe Sheikh Al Qassimi que, no primeiro dia de corrida, o fez perder cerca de quatro minutos.

 De recordar que a equipa BAMP que tem como diretora de logística Izilda Mossuela, manequim e apresentadora angolana, reúne elementos do Brasil, Angola, Moçambique e Portugal, países reunidos no acrónimo BAMP, é apoiada pela bebida energética Nº1 em Angola, SPEED® e trabalhou afincadamente nestes últimos meses na pickup Nissan de modo a solucionar pequenos problemas registados na sua participação no Dakar do início deste ano. Algumas das alterações efetuadas e agora devidamente comprovadas ocorreram ao nível do motor, suspensão, arrefecimento e admissão.

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Reinaldo Varela foi o melhor piloto Overdrive com quarto lugar na Baja Espanha Aragon

· Poland’s Dabrowski and Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al-Qassimi finish eighth and ninth 

· Absent Vasilyev maintains FIA World Cup lead after Al-Attiyah’s retirement 

Overdrive Racing’s trio of Toyota Hiluxes completed the gruelling Baja Spain Aragon, round six of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, in fourth, eighth and ninth overall.

 The Brazilian pairing of Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin led the way for the Belgium-based team with a solid fourth overall. The Team Orlen duo of Marek Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor reached the finish in eighth in the second of the V8-powered Toyotas.

 Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi teamed up with French navigator Edouard Boulanger for his second outing with Overdrive Racing and overcame co-driver sickness to reach the finish in Teruel in ninth position after climbing three places with an impressive run through the final stage.

 The retirement of Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah on the second of Saturday’s special stages meant that status quo remains at the top of the points’ standings for the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, after Vladimir Vasilyev was forced to miss out on competing after undergoing a heart procedure. The Russian Toyota driver maintains a 21-point lead in the title race.

  “It was not an easy weekend and the technical regulations as they are make it even more difficult,” said Overdrive team director Jean-Marc Fortin. “But Reinaldo drove a very professional race and his speed over some of the technical sections was impressive. Sheikh Khalid also drove very well on his first ever Baja and reached the finish without problems. It was a good learning rally for him and that bodes well for the future. 

 “Results elsewhere maybe went our way as well and Vladimir (Vasilyev) still holds a good lead in the championship, so we are still very much in the game heading to Hungary for the next round.”

 French driver Romain Vozniak and his French former enduro riding co-driver Jean Brucy failed to start in the fourth of the Overdrive Racing Toyota Hiluxes.

 Al-Attiyah set the target time of 4min 04.1sec through the 5.060km super special stage on Friday night. Al-Qassimi slotted into seventh place with a time of 4min 21.4sec and Toyota colleagues Dabrowski and Varela were 10th and 13th.

 Joan Roma set the fastest time through the second selective section of 152.22km between Calamocha and Calatayud on Saturday morning and gained the outright lead, but drivers running further behind in the stage struggled in dusty conditions and poor visibility. Varela carded the sixth quickest time for Overdrive Racing and climbed to a similar position in the overall rankings.

 Dabrowski and Al-Qassimi set the 10th and 15th fastest times and held ninth and 14th in the general classification heading to the second of the day’s specials - a gruelling 305.56km from Calatayud to Teruel.

 Roma posted the target time of 4hrs 11min 44sec, but Varela was also in form and the fourth quickest time lifted the Brazilian into a similar position in the overall standings. Dabrowski and Al-Qassimi were classified in 11th and 13th at the stage finish and held seventh and 12th overall.

 The competitive action concluded with a selective section of 181.11km between Calamocha and Teruel on Sunday morning and a storming performance by Al-Qassimi lifted the Emirati from 12th to ninth overall. Varela and Dabrowski stayed out of trouble through the closing kilometres to finish fourth and eighth.

 2015 Baja Spain Aragon – final positions (unofficial):

 1. Joan Roma (ESP)/Alex Haro (ESP) Mini All4 Racing 8hr 41min 41sec
 2 Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) Mini All4 Racing 8hr 44min 38sec
 3. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Michel Périn (FRA) Mini All4 Racing 8hr 45min 01sec
 4. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 9hr 05min 34sec
 5. Ricardo Leal Dos Santos (POR)/Mykel Justo (BRA) Nissan Navara 9hr 06min 16se
6. Erik van Loon (NED)/Wouter Rosegaar (NED) Mini All4 Racing 9hr 07min 12sec
7. Alejandro Martins (PRT) /Jose Marques (PRT) Toyota Hilux 9hr 16min 32sec
8. Marek Dabrowski (POL)/Jacek Czachor (POL) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 9hr 17min 49sec
 9. Khalid Al-Qassimi (ARE)/Edouard Boulanger (FRA) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 9hr 19min 07sec 
10. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Maciej Marton (POL) Hummer H3 9hr 22min 27sec

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Ricardo Leal dos Santos foi hoje 4º atrás de três Mini

- Espetacular derradeira etapa com o piloto português a terminar logo atrás de Mikko Hirvonen 

- Nissan Navara da Equipa BAMP ficou a 42s do 4º lugar da geral final 

Depois de uma estreia auspiciosa no Dakar 2015, Ricardo Leal dos Santos confirmou plenamente na Baja Aragón o enorme potencial do seu mais recente projeto desportivo. Navegado pelo brasileiro Mykel Justo, esteve em enorme destaque na etapa final desta jornada da Taça do Mundo de Todo-o-Terreno, ao colocar a sua Nissan Navara na 4ª posição, tendo à sua frente apenas três dos seis Mini que participaram na prova.

 O piloto português que lidera o projeto lusófono BAMP terminou a corrida a escassos 42s da quarta posição da classificação final e bem se pode queixar do piloto árabe Sheikh Al Qassimi que, no primeiro dia de corrida, o fez perder cerca de quatro minutos.

 De recordar que a equipa BAMP que tem como diretora de logística Izilda Mossuela, manequim e apresentadora angolana, reúne elementos do Brasil, Angola, Moçambique e Portugal, países reunidos no acrónimo BAMP, é apoiada pela bebida energética Nº1 em Angola, SPEED® e trabalhou afincadamente nestes últimos meses na pickup Nissan de modo a solucionar pequenos problemas registados na sua participação no Dakar do início deste ano. Algumas das alterações efetuadas e agora devidamente comprovadas ocorreram ao nível do motor, suspensão, arrefecimento e admissão.

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Ricardo Leal dos Santos brilha em Espanha

Nissan Navara da Equipa BAMP a bater-se contra Mini e Toyota 

Depois de um excelente 8º lugar no prólogo, Ricardo Leal dos Santos, navegado pelo brasileiro Mykel Justo, brilhou hoje na etapa inaugural da edição 2015 da Baja Aragón, ao colocar uma renovada Nissan Navara do projeto lusófono BAMP na 6ª posição, a escassos 11 segundos do Mini que ocupa o 5º lugar.

 Nesta jornada da Taça do Mundo de Todo-o-Terreno que se está a disputar na região de Zaragoza-Teruel, recheada de excelentes máquinas e pilotos, Ricardo Leal dos Santos está a fazer jus ao seu valor e à qualidade da sua máquina ombreando com as mais cotadas máquinas do TT mundial.

 Apesar do excelente resultado o piloto português bem se pode queixar de ser sido muito penalizado no primeiro troço do dia já que apanhou ao km 30 o piloto que partiu à sua frente e que não o deixou passar até ao final do troço. Já no troço disputado da parte da tarde voltaria a apanhar o mesmo piloto que desta vez encostou a sua Toyota para deixar passar a Nissan da equipa BAMP.

  “O troço da manhã foi mesmo mau. Perdemos cerca de quatro minutos que nos colocariam agora a discutir o 4º lugar com o Reinaldo Varela. Da parte da tarde já nos foi possível mostrar o real valor da nossa máquina na qual temos trabalhado afincadamente desde o Dakar. É um projeto lusófono em que acreditamos muito e estamos a conseguir comprovar isso”, salientou no final da 1ª etapa Ricardo Leal dos Santos, piloto da equipa BAMP, projeto apoiado pela SPEED®, Nº1 das bebidas energéticas em Angola.

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Ricardo Leal dos Santos no Top 10

Excelente resultado da Nissan Navara da Equipa BAMP, apesar de travado pelo pó 

Ricardo Leal dos Santos, navegado pelo brasileiro Mykael Justo e aos comandos de uma renovada Nissan Navara do projeto lusófono BAMP, foi esta tarde o oitavo mais rápido no prólogo da Baja Aragón, jornada da Taça do Mundo de Todo-o-Terreno que se está a disputar na região de Zaragoza-Teruel.

 Esta participação na Baja espanhola, que regista mais de 200 veículos inscritos, marca o regresso do piloto luso e do projeto desta equipa que reúne elementos do Brasil, Angola, Moçambique e Portugal, países reunidos no acrónimo BAMP, às competições depois de uma estreia muito positiva no Dakar 2015.

 De salientar que neste desafio do todo-o-terreno internacional a equipa tem pela frente adversários de grande calibre, como sejam os seis carros da Mini e outras tantas Toyota Hilux. Por isso mesmo o resultado deste prólogo é excelente e vai permitir ao experiente piloto português enfrentar os 450 quilómetros de setor seletivo amanhã, repartidos por dois troços cronometrados, numa posição muito interessante.

  “Estou bastante satisfeito. As alterações introduzidas na Nissan funcionaram de forma muito positiva e isso permitiu-nos imprimir um andamento sempre muito vivo. Fomos infelizmente travados na ponta final do prólogo, porque apanhámos o concorrente que arrancou à nossa frente e perdemos alguns segundos que nos poderiam ter permitido melhorar a nossa posição, mas o importante era estar à partida para a corrida neste grupo da frente”, salientou no final do prólogo Ricardo Leal dos Santos, piloto da equipa BAMP, projeto apoiado pela SPEED®, Nº1 das bebidas energéticas em Angola.

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Discoteca Bliss recebe Elisabete Jacinto

Elisabete Jacinto vai estar na Discoteca Bliss em VilamouraA piloto de todo-o-terreno Elisabete Jacinto vai estar no próximo dia 24 de Julho na discoteca Bliss em Vilamoura, no Algarve, na festa OLEOBAN® que será animada pelo duo britânico Sigma autores do single de sucesso “Nobody to Love”.

 Esta iniciativa levada a cabo pela marca de cuidados da pele, que existe no mercado português há mais de 30 anos, pretende ser um momento de aproximação aos seus consumidores. Elisabete Jacinto, figura de destaque na sociedade portuguesa e embaixadora da marca OLEOBAN® contribuirá para animar ainda mais um evento que promete ficar na memória.

 Elisabete Jacinto estará na discoteca Bliss para conviver e conversar com os fãs e todos os amantes do desporto motorizado. Além de Elisabete Jacinto também o MAN TGS de competição da equipa estará presente no espaço o que certamente suscitará a curiosidade de todos.

 A OLEOBAN® associou-se este ano à discoteca Bliss, um dos espaços mais in do Algarve, para realizar um evento, com decoração oriental, que animará esta noite de verão.

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Ricardo Leal dos Santos na Baja España Aragón

Numa renovada Nissan Navara a Equipa BAMP participa na 32ª edição da maior baja europeia 

O projeto lusófono BAMP está de regresso para mais um marcante desafio do todo-o-terreno internacional. Depois de uma estreia muito positiva no Dakar 2015 a equipa vai marcar presença, no próximo fim-de-semana, em mais uma edição da Baja Aragón, que se vai disputar na região de Zaragoza-Teruel.

 Para esta competição a formação lusófona irá apresentar o piloto português Ricardo Leal dos Santos aos comandos de uma renovada Nissan Navara que será navegado pelo brasileiro Mykael Justo e tendo como diretora de logística Izilda Mossuela, manequim e apresentadora angolana.

 A equipa que reúne elementos do Brasil, Angola, Moçambique e Portugal, países reunidos no acrónimo BAMP, é apoiada pela bebida energética Nº1 em Angola, SPEED® e trabalhou afincadamente nestes últimos meses na pickup Nissan de modo a solucionar pequenos problemas registados na sua participação no Dakar do início deste ano. Algumas das alterações efetuadas ocorreram ao nível do motor, suspensão, arrefecimento e admissão.

 A Baja Aragón disputa-se de 24 a 26 de Julho e reúne uma impressionante lista de inscritos com muitos dos maiores nomes do TT mundial, registando mais de 200 veículos inscritos.

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X-Raid com seis MINI All4 Racing na Baja Aragon

- Al-Attiyah fights for the world cup lead 

- Debut appearance for Mikko Hirvonen 

Spain’s Baja Aragon (24th to 26th July, 2015) is one of the events on the calendar that are particularly popular with the drivers. Consequently, X-raid will be represented by six MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles, in the sixth race of FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. The Baja Aragon held at the city of Teruel is the second of the four Bajas representing the ‘European season’. X-raid has truly fond memories of the Spanish event: After all, the seven previous editions all were won by a car from Trebur.

 One pairing certainly will attract a particularly attention: Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) and Michel Périn (FRA). The Finn is going to cover his first special-stage kilometres at the wheel of the MINI ALL4 Racing and in cross-country rallying. The Baja Aragon represents a good event for making his first steps in off-road rallying as the narrow and usually solid terrain should suit his WRC experiences well. “In the Baja Aragon, you need a style of driving I am accustomed to,” says Hirvonen. “But contesting an event without the pace notes we use to produce in WRC rallying while driving down the track prior to the event won’t be easy for me and I also have to keep on familiarising myself better with the MINI.”

 ‘Pace notes’ significantly differ from a road book. In off-road rallying, the competitors don’t know the track, prior to the start, and have to find their way to the finish only by the information provided by the road book. In rallying, the competitors may drive down the special stage a few days before in a road car at legal speed and while doing so, the crew gathers the most different information – such as speed, corner radii, terrain conditions etc. And during the special stage, the co-driver guides the driver by reading this information to him.

 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and Mathieu Baumel (FRA) have set themselves a clear goal, for the Baja Aragon: To close the gap to the world cup leader as far as possible or even overtake him. Currently, Al-Attiyah’s gap to the leader amounts to 21 points, with 30 being awarded for the win in a Baja. “I’m going to fight for the win as I do in every race,” stresses the driver from Qatar. “We have to focus on ourselves and then we have to wait and see how our rivals deliver.” Harry Hunt (GB) who already contested the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Qatar Sealine Rally, with a MINI ALL4 Racing, is about to contest the first Baja in his still short off-road rallying career and he is going to do so with Frenchman Xavier Panseri as navigator.

 For Nani Roma and his Co-driver Alex Haro, the Baja Aragon is the home race as they both reside not far from Barcelona. In the 2009 Baja Aragon, Nani Roma made his first appearance for X-raid and won the event right away. And in 2013 and 2014, he added another two home wins to his tally. Second place in these rallies was secured by Argentinean Orlando Terranova who is going to contest this year’s edition with his compatriot Bernardo ‘Ronnie’ Graue and finally wants to make it to the highest step on the podium. Also back in action is the Dutch pairing Erik van Loon / Wouter Rosegaar, this time with a new livery.

 The Baja Aragon will be kicked off on Friday evening with a short 7,8-kilometre prologue. On Saturday, the pairings will have to contest two special stages, with distances of 160 (the first) and 310 kilometres (the second, in the afternoon). The distance of the final special stage on Sunday adds up to 180 kilometres.

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Al-Qassimi junta-se de novo à Overdrive para a Baja Aragon enquanto Vasilyev falha a prova espanhola

· Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al-Qassimi set for second Toyota Hilux outing of season 

· Illness forces Vladimir Vasilyev to miss chance to extend FIA World Cup lead 

· Brazilian Varela and Pole Dabrowski bolster powerful Overdrive line-up 

· French duo of Vozniak and Brucy crew fourth Overdrive Racing Toyota 

Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi will join forces with Overdrive Racing for the second time this season at this weekend’s Baja Aragon Spain (July 24-26).

 The Emirati lines-up alongside the Brazilian Reinaldo Varela and Poland’s Marek Dabrowski in a powerful line-up of Toyota Hiluxes run under the watchful eye of the Belgium-based car preparation company. Overdrive Racing will also run a fourth Toyota Hilux for the French driver Romain Vozniak and his French former enduro rider/co-driver Jean Brucy.

 Vladimir Vasilyev, the defending FIA World Cup champion, was scheduled to defend a 21-point lead in the FIA World Cup standings, but has recently undergone a heart procedure and plans to return to competitive action in Hungary next month.

 WRC star Al-Qassimi made his debut in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies at his local Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in April and set some impressive times, despite his obvious lack of experience in the specialised cross-country form of rallying.

 The twisty nature of the rural tracks of Baja Spain should suit him down to the ground, however, and he and new French navigator Edouard Boulanger will be pushing for a potential podium finish when the three-day event draws to a close in Teruel on Sunday afternoon.

  “I really enjoyed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and working with the team at Overdrive,” said Al-Qassimi.

“It was a new challenge for me and a new racing discipline. This will also be something new for me. I was pleased with my performance in the dunes, now I need to carry that forward to the terrain that will face us in Spain. It will not be easy. The entry list is very strong, with some experienced names.” 

Overdrive Racing Toyota Hiluxes finished second, third and fourth at the last round of the FIA World Cup in Italy. The Brazilian duo of Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin were second and that has catapulted Varela into outright third place in the FIA World Cup standings. The Brazilian was fifth in Baja Spain in 2014 and has been a model of consistency this season.

 He arrives in Teruel seven points ahead of fellow Toyota driver Marek Dabrowski in the points’ standings. Dabrowski drives the fourth Team Orlen-backed car with Jacek Czachor working as his co-driver. The Polish duo finished 10th in last year’s Baja Aragon Spain.

  “It is obviously disappointing for Vladimir to miss this event and we look forward to welcoming him back again soon,” said Overdrive team director Jean-Marc Fortin.

  “This is always a difficult and demanding rally with the temperatures and the tyre wear and the fact that the new rules dictate that you only have 10 tyres per car. This makes the strategy interesting for the team managers. 

 “Maybe it helps us a little as well, because we have a little less engine torque than our rivals and, perhaps, a little less tyre wear. There is one very long stage of over 300km, so it will be important for us to make a good start to ensure we have a good road position and don’t suffer delays in the dust.”

 The Kazazhstan duo of Kanat Shagirov and Alexandr Moroz will run another Toyota under the Mobilex Racing Team banner and the Russian duo of Artur Murashkin and Alexander Zheludov will use an Overdrive Toyota Hilux under a Protech Motorsport entry.

 Baja Aragon Spain is based at the eastern Spanish town of Teruel and is likely to feature demanding high summer temperatures in the high thirties Centigrade and dusty conditions. The competitive action gets underway with a timed 7.8km super special stage from 18.59hrs on Friday evening (July 24).

 The bulk of the competitive action takes place on Saturday (July 25) and features a 160km selective section between Calamocha and Calatayud from 08.24hrs and a second 300km timed test between Calatayud and Teruel, starting at 11.28hrs.

 After an overnight halt in Teruel, the competitive action draws to a close on Sunday (July 26) with a 180km section between Calamocha and Teruel, starting at 10.29hrs. The ceremonial finish takes place in Teruel later in the afternoon.

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Mikko Hirvonen assina com a X-Raid

- The Finn to race the MINI ALL4 Racing in the Dakar Rally 

- Debut in Spain’s Baja Aragon

 Even after having celebrated four consecutive Dakar wins, X-raid isn’t ready to rest. Instead, it is working on creating the best possible package for the coming years. On the one hand, the X-raid team consistently enhances the MINI ALL4 Racing, currently the most successful off-road vehicle of the world, and on the other, X-raid succeeded in signing another competitive driver for its line-up: Mikko Hirvonen. The experienced rally driver already demonstrated his skills at the wheel of the MINI ALL4 Racing in tests.

 The former WRC ace was thrilled by the MINI ALL4 Racing right from the start. Although the switch to off-road rallying represents a major challenge for the Finn. To provide him the best possible support on the way to coping with the new challenge, X-raid teams him up with the experienced co-driver Michel Périn. Périn is a four-time Dakar winner who celebrated his last Dakar-win to date in 2014: together with Nani Roma in a MINI ALL4 Racing. And although the Frenchman had announced his retirement from motor racing, early this year, he didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity. He already acted as Hirvonen’s co-driver in the tests and was fascinated by the Finn right away. In his 13 WRC years, Hirvonen finished second in the World Championship four times (2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012) but at the end of the 2014 season, the 35 year old retired from the WRC sport for good.

In June, he tested the MINI ALL4 Racing in Morocco for the first time and in a few days, in Spain’s Baja Aragon held in late July, Hirvonen will drive the MINI ALL4 Racing for the first time in anger.

  “We are really delighted with having succeeded in signing Mikko” said X-raid's Team Manager Sven Quandt. “He certainly will be an asset not only to our team but to the Dakar, too. In the tests in Morocco he delivered in truly impressive style and felt good on the ‘new terrain’ right from the start. Nonetheless, one shouldn’t have too high expectations regarding his Dakar debut. Mikko still has to gather a lot of experience as the Dakar is a unique event. But on the other hand, Michel is a very experienced co-driver who has got what it takes to support him in many areas.” 

Three questions to Mikko Hirvonen

 1st What do you know about Dakar?

I can say that six months ago I didn't know a lot, just what I have seen on TV. Of course, I knew it was a real long-distance race without pace notes and that it's far more about navigation and not so much about driving flat out. But now I've been executing long tests with the X-raid Team and I've been lucky to have been teamed-up with my very experienced co-driver, Michel Périn. He and the team helped me a lot to get a better picture of what it’s all about and the more they tell me, the more I'm getting excited about the challenge. 

2nd How was your feeling in the MINI during the tests and how was it to change your driving style?

Of course, the car and the terrain where we were driving differed a lot from what you have to cope with in WRC rallying. A WRC car is more precise and more responsive but wouldn’t be able to go to the places we can go to with the MINI. And the MINI’s strength and ruggedness is just incredible. Sometimes we aren’t racing on roads but have to contest full off-road sections and the punishment this car is able to take is extremely impressive. Meanwhile, the speed isn’t a real problem for me – but understanding the limits of the car in the bad section still is. In addition, I would say that contesting the long sections in Raid rallying is more physical than what you have to cope with in the conventional rally sport.

 3rd What is your goal for the Dakar and the Baja Aragon?

It's a lot about the experience. Dakar is such a long race and the dunes there are in a world of their own. So, to finish the event without encountering major problems or without getting stuck anywhere already would represent a really good achievement for my first Dakar. Meanwhile, the Baja Aragon is going to be more of the kind of rallying I'm used to. But driving without pace notes in your road book is not so easy and I still have to keep on familiarizing myself with the MINI as well. But should I feel good in the car and everything works well we hopefully will be able to set some good times in Baja Aragon.

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Novo pódio para Teo Viñaras

Teo Motos Competicion com três pilotos no Top5 

Depois da excelente vitória alcançada por Teo Viñaras na Baja TT Cidade Europeia do Desporto Loulé 2015 a equipa Teo Motos Competicion voltou a estar em excelente plano na Baja TT Proença-a-Nova/Oleiros/Mação onde os seus três pilotos terminaram a corrida no Top 5.

 Nesta quinta etapa do Campeonato Nacional de Todo-o-Terreno, Teo Viñaras voltou a subir ao pódio depois de ter colocado o seu Polaris RZR 1000 na 3ª posição e ainda no 2º lugar entre os UTV. Nas posições seguintes terminaram Roberto Viñaras e o jovem Miguel Jordão, que venceu ainda a Classe Promoção.

 Antes da corrida Teo Viñaras recebeu o Prémio Fedima por se ter destacado em Combatividade e Fairplay na jornada anterior. Um prémio atribuído a partir de uma votação entre todos os pilotos participantes da disciplina.

 No prólogo de 9,6 quilómetros, disputado no primeiro dia de prova, a Teo Motos Competicion colocou os seus três pilotos no Top 10. Os irmãos Roberto e Teo Viñaras foram respetivamente segundo e terceiro classificados, separados por 5,39s. Miguel Jordão averbou a décima posição.

 Para o dia seguinte os concorrentes tinham de enfrentar sucessivamente um troço de 105 e outro de 118 quilómetros. No final do primeiro sector selectivo o mais rápido da equipa era Miguel Jordão no 4º lugar, com oito segundos de vantagem para Teo Viñaras. Roberto Viñaras surgia na 8ª posição, a escassos dois segundos do piloto que o precedia na classificação.

 Até ao final do setor seletivo mais longo Teo Vinãras ascenderia à terceira posição, com uma vantagem de 1m41s sobre o seu irmão, enquanto o terceiro elemento da equipa, Miguel Jordão, terminava num excelente quinto lugar, a escassos 10 segundos de Roberto.

 Com este resultado Teo Viñaras manteve o segundo lugar do Campeonato Nacional de Todo-o-Terreno da competição UTV/Buggy onde Miguel Jordão e Roberto Viñaras ocupam a 5ª e a 6ª posição.

 Classificações do Campeonato (após 5 das 7 provas) 1º João Lopes, 60; 2º Teo Viñaras, 50; 3º Dorothee Ferreira e Pedro Santinho Mendes, 42; 5º Miguel Jordão, 39; 6º Roberto Viñaras, 36; 7º Bruno Martins, 34.

 A próxima jornada do Campeonato Nacional de Todo-o-Terreno será a Baja TT Idanha-a-Nova competição que se vai disputar nos dias 11 e 12 de Setembro.

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