Fiat factory crew Luís Tedesco and Raphael Furtado got their Brazilian Rally Championship title challenge underway last Saturday (12th April) in the very best possible circumstances, by winning their class on the opening round of the 2008 series, the Rally of Pomerode.

This was the first time that the Fiat Rally team has participated in the championship's N3 category, which is open to cars with engines under 2.0 litres, 4x2 traction and limited engine preparation, and also the debut of new Palio Abarth 1.8R. The team won an impressive five of the six stages during a race that began with heavy rain and mud in the morning, but with better conditions in the afternoon.

"This is one of the most difficult stages of the championship, because it is realised in a valley area with climbs and downhill’s which have very twisty passages. We had little time to prepare and to test the car, but it behaved very well without any problem," said Tedesco after the end of the rally.

The current Brazilian Rally Champions in the N2 category, which is reserved for car with engines under 1.6 litres, 4x2 traction and limited engine preparation, Fábio Dall'Agnol and Marcelo Dalmut, who also drive for the Fiat Rally Team, were lying in third place when the rally was stopped prematurely, three quarters of the way through the day.

The initial program in N2 foresaw eight timed stages for crews in this category. However, the last two passages of the rally were cancelled at around 17:30 pm because of a lack of light, which organisers decided could affect the competitor’s safety.

The next challenge of the Fiat Rally Team will be the Rally of Erechim, which takes place in the south of Brazil on 3 and 4 May. This event will be valid for the Brazilian Rally Championship (the second round) as well as for the South American Rally Championship.

by Claudio Perlini