Fiat Rally Team pilot Luís Tedesco won the Rally Estação yesterday at the wheel of a Fiat Palio Abarth which handed him the 2008 Brazilian Rally Championship crown, his fifteen national title, achieved with three rounds still remaining.

Fiat Rally Team pilot Luís Tedesco won the Rally Estação, yesterday handing him the 2008 Brazilian Rally Championship title, having won all the rounds held thus far this year, in the N3 category (reserved for rally cars with engines under 2000cc, no preparation and 4x2 traction). His title comes with three rounds still remaining to be contested.

With his latest impressive victory, achieved with navigator Raphael Furtado alongside, the experienced Brazilian rally driver has achieved 50 points in the championship classification. The performance of the Fiat Rally Team this year has been remarkable, they have won all the five rounds in the competition: the Rally Pomerode, Erechim, Divinópolis, Tijucas and yesterday's fifth round which was held in Estação.

"We didn't imagine that the title would already be decided on the fifth rally, we have strong opponents, some of them with more powerful cars than ours. It was good, because we can start from now to prepare our plans and the new equipment for the next season. It is very good start with a title in a category which is the future of the national rallying," declared Tedesco at the end of the race.

This is Luís Tedesco's fifteenth national title, and the Brazilian's first in the N3 class, the first year the category has been part of the Brazilian Rally Championship.

The celebrations of the Fiat Rally Team was extended to the N2 category (reserved for cars with 1600cc engines, limited preparation and 4x2 traction), with Fábio Dall'Agnol and Marcelo Dalmut reaching the finish line in second position, as the duo start a recovery in the points classification in order to try to claim their second consecutive title in the category.

"It was a tough race, hard ground and fast stages. The car was ok from the beginning up to the end, and these points will be precious at the end of the competition", declared Dall'Agnol.

by Claudio Perlini