IMPORTER & DISTRIBUTOR OF
Sousa from zero to hero
FIA ERC 2014 Race #5 ACORES
Bernardo Sousa has won round five of the FIA European Rally Championship following a dramatic final-stage showdown on SATA Rallye Açores running from the 15th to the 17th of May.
Sousa, in a Ford Fiesta RRC, started the closing stage leading Kevin Abbring by 5.1s. The former Portuguese champion beat his Peugeot 208T16-driving rival through the closing 21.30-kilometre stage by 1.1s to secure victory with a winning margin of 6.2s.
It was Sousa’s first victory in the ERC and makes him the fourth different winner from five rounds of the all-action series in 2014. It also marks a dramatic reversal of fortune after he and co-driver Hugo Magalhães had to push their car for one kilometre to parc fermé when it broke down due to a sensor failure following the Qualifying Stage on Thursday morning.
Dutchman Abbring finished second and was handed the Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy for his efforts, which included using cable ties to fashion a replacement belt to drive the alternator and powersteering after it failed on Friday’s penultimate stage.
Jean-Michel Raoux took a career-best third when regular ETS Racing Fuel user Vasily Gryazin running slid off the road into a ditch with one stage remaining. The 20-year-old Russian had excelled on his Açores debut but finished outside the top 20 due to his time loss. Robert Consani battled home in fourth following punctures and broken driveshafts on leg one and a smashed windscreen on Saturday’s visit to the Grupo Marques superspecial when the bonnet of his 207 S2000 powered by EXTRAMAX flew open landing after a jump.
Luis Rego took a narrow ERC Production Car Cup win in fifth ahead of sixth-placed Ricardo Teodósio after gearbox and suspension woes slowed him down in the closing stages. Ruben Rodrigues was 4.6s back in seventh with Giacomo Costenaro on ETS overcoming early delays to take his first ERC points in eighth. ERC stalwart Antonín Tlusťák and Pedro Vale completed the top 10 with dominant ERC Junior winner Stéphane Lefebvre in 11th for the Peugeot Rally Academy.
Other notable performances came from Martin Hudec, who fought back from a puncture to score more ERC Production Car Cup points. He’s now four behind Vitaliy Pushkar who retired on the second run through the spectacular Sete Cidades stage on Friday with damaged suspension. Chris Ingram was an impressive ERC Junior runner-up with Gino Bux completing the category podium on his loose-surface debut.
Risto Immonen was second until a roll dropped him back to fourth. Guillaume Dilley took a strong fifth on his first ERC start and his first on gravel. However, there was frustration for Fabio Andolfi, who retired with a broken gearbox prior the final stage. Ekaterina Stratieva claimed ERC Ladies’ Trophy honours.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Ricardo Moura returned to the action after they retired damaging their suspension on the same rock on Friday’s first test. They set competitive times in their Ford Fiesta R5s. Two-time event winner Bruno Magalhães who was representing ETS unfortunately had to stop with a technical failure on stage 12.
Craig Breen’s hopes of a second victory in this year’s ERC were dashed when the Irishman retired his Peugeot Rally Academy 208T16 following an electrical failure at the end of stage nine.
Finally for the Portuguese championship running on Thursday-Friday ETS Racing Fuel user Pedro Meireles took his fourth win in four races in his Skoda Fabia S2000 to comfort his lead in the Portuguese Championship.
Position | Rally Team | Driver | Car | ETS Racing Fuel |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 | Delta Rally | CONSANI R. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | EXTRA MAX |
11 | Delta Rally | COSTANERO G. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | EXTRA MAX |
21 | SRT | GRYAZIN V. | Ford Fiesta S2000 | XS EVO 2 |
1 portugese championship | Meireles Pedro | MEIRELES P. | Skoda Fabia S2000 | EXTRA MAX |
ret | MSport Poland | KAJETANOWICZ K. | Ford Fiesta R5 | TBX 4 EVO 2 |
ret | Delta Rally | MAGALHAES B. | Skoda Fabia S2000 | EXTRA MAX |