Carlos Martins, in Mitsubishi EVO 7, won on Saturday the Rally Casinos do Algarve, adding victories in the Cup and in the Regional Sul. Ivo Nogueira was scared in the last special, but he won the CPR rally.
The bad condition of the sections, hit by the storm of the previous day, together with the fog that was felt in the high areas, were decisive for the final result of the rally. Despite these conditions, the competitors did not fail to enhance the race.
Ricardo Teodósio opened the hostilities, with a great time on his first visit to Chilrão, which received a prompt response from João Silva, in Fóia.
These two competitors built a good advantage over the others, and distanced themselves in the respective championships – Cup and CPR.
But the second trip through Fóia was fatal – Ricardo Teodósio, with cash problems, and João Silva, with a damaged suspension arm, were left out of the test.
Ivo Nogueira ascended to first place and had a good advantage over other rivals in the Portuguese championship.
In the last special, and when he was already managing the pace, Ivo Nogueira lost two minutes due to a slow puncture. For just 21,4 seconds, he held the victory in CPR, but saw the title of fastest competitor slip away to Carlos Martins.
Among the competitors at Nacional, and after the abandonment of João Silva and João Magalhães (mistake), the positions were defined, with Paulo Neto in second, and Renato Pita in third, with the latter adding enough points to win the runner-up of the CPR2/2RM. Victor Calisto was the best in the production and ended up in 4th position.
Carlos Martins, who in this competition had the marks of Pedro Peres, built a comfortable advantage in the Cup during the first specials, even winning the Regional Sul.
Afterwards, he managed the progress and took the car to the highest place on the podium, being distinguished by the organizing club with the Clube Automóvel do Algarve Cup, given to the fastest driver in the rally.
Another figure in the race was Diogo Gago, who, making his debut at the Citroën C2, made a race in constant evolution, even registering two best times in the absolute general in Monchique 2 and Chilrão 3.
The young Algarvian was the best representative of the two-wheel drive and 2nd in the Cup, leaving excellent indicators.
Pedro Leone, in the Ford Escort Cosworth, was very consistent and scored a good performance finishing on the podium, managing to hold the position for just 4,1 seconds.
A puncture made Márcio Marreiros lose more than two minutes in the first special. The persistence of the pilot from Portimo gave results, finishing in fourth place.
Armindo Neves was ranked fifth in the Cup, and achieves his goals by winning second place in absolute TPR.
Among the unlucky ones in the race, there are Daniel Nunes, who lost his way on the second trip to Monchique, and Carlos Fernandes, who retired with suspension problems.
12 competitors finished the rally.
Carlos Martins also dominated in the South Region
In Regional South, Carlos Martins obtained an enlightening victory, registering the best times in all specials. Márcio Marreiros returned to the leadership of the competition.
The first five specials of Rallye Casinos do Algarve dictated the classification of the Regional Sul. Betting on an offensive tone, Carlos Martins and Pedro Peres, in Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VII, soon took the lead, and intruding on the front squad, achieved a victory indisputable.
Participating in the rally for the first time, Daniel Nunes had a problematic start, catching the competitor who preceded him. Despite these conditions, it managed to reach a second place in the regional.
Playing at home, Márcio Marreiros lost a lot of time in the first special with a puncture. But, with a little luck, he managed to recover to third place, and still benefit from the abandonment of Marco Ferreira, to rise again to the regional leadership with 78 points.
Evolving from special to special, Nuno Venâncio rose to fourth place in the last EP and scored important points for the regional.
In the two drive wheels, Jorge Rego led from the first special, but he was struggling with problems in the French car. The pilot ended up in fifth place and best of the two-wheel drive.
Playing at home, Marco Gonçalves managed to take the Peugeot 306 to the 6th final place and be the best of the two drive wheels. José Martins and Luís Nunes closed the lot of competitors who scored.
The race is marked by the abandonment of Marco Ferreira, with transmission problems and Ruben Tabaio with a broken gearbox on the Ford Escort Cosworth.
There is still a test to finish the Regional Sul.
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