The Algarve duo Ricardo Teodósio and José Teixeira, who last year became the national champion, was far from his rhythm, in the first race of the Portuguese Rally Championship, held this weekend in Castelo Branco, after a long break.
For his part, Miguel Correia showed excellent rhythm, now with António Costa on the next bench, and Paulo Neto with Vítor Hugo rehearsed for the first time the Skoda Fabia R5 on asphalt floors.
Some initial shocks and problems with lack of power in the Skoda, in the last two stretches, ended up dictating the 3rd place final in the Castelo Branco Rally.
Ricardo Teodosio, Portugal Rally Champion, you know it's possible to do much better, but after a long and unmotivating break, this was the best possible result.
“The result turns out to be good for the championship, which will only finish in five races, in the Algarve. Yesterday's scares, plus the problem of lack of power in the final part of the race, prevented a better result”, said Ricardo Teodósio.
“Obviously I wanted to win, but a bad choice of tires on the first day, combined with a lack of confidence led to poor results. Today, with the right tyres, we had good times in the first two stages of the day, but the lack of power during the last two stages didn't let us do better. A 3rd place is good for the points, although it forces us to have more progress in the next races”, added the Algarve driver.
For Miguel Correia, this really was a rally of courage. The young driver debuted António Costa on the side seat and posted excellent times throughout the race.
“A 6th place is excellent! I feel very positive evolutions, showing that I can be faster on asphalt and enter dirtier areas with more confidence. I can only make a very positive assessment of this rally, where the adaptation to António Costa was quick, as demonstrated in the first section. This could be a pair to continue, if he wants to”, said Miguel Correia.
Paulo Neto and Vítor Hugo made another positive adaptation in driving the Skoda Fabia R5. After the debut on earth floors in Fafe, it was now the turn of the asphalt experience, with a slight touch on a rim determining a less positive result.
“Apart from that bad luck on the first day, which made us drop a lot in the classification, I really liked the car and a rally where I made two or three mistakes, absolutely normal. We came to Castelo Branco to learn the Skoda, in a short but very exhausting rally, due to the temperatures above 40º, a situation that inside the car becomes much more complicated. This is a year of learning, and that's why it was important to do the whole rally. Congratulations to ARC Sport for the excellent help they have given us, which is undoubtedly very important. Congratulations also to the public, who had an excellent behavior throughout the race, keeping away, but always supporting the competitors”, said Paulo Neto.
For ARC Sport, this was undoubtedly an important weekend, due to the return of competition. The two-time Portugal Rally Champion team knows that this was only the 2nd race of the year, and that there are still five more rallies to compete.
“It was a welcome return, after such a long stop. All showed excellent behavior throughout the race, which gives a note of confidence for the rest of the championship. The podium achieved by Ricardo can be considered positive, and the evolutions of Miguel and Paulo are very encouraging for the future. I would like to thank all the team members who, once again, and in a very difficult situation like the one we are in, have shown that they are part of a large family that works for motor sport”, said Augusto Ramiro.
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